Kelly Abell Books

Recently I decided to change the point of view of a story I was working on.  I moved it from third person point of view to first person point of view and I have been very happy with the results.  Along this enlightening journey I learned a few things that are important to writing in first person that I thought I would share.

Writing in first person can be a little tricky.  The most important thing to remember is you are already in the narrator's head.  You are seeing the story through their eyes and their eyes only.   This can be liberating and limiting to a writer all at the same time.  First person gives you an intimate view from the mind of the story teller.  It aquaints your reader with your main character in a way that is unique and special.  But, it also limits what you are able to do in the way of setting your scenes and being descriptive.  The most important thing to remember:  YOU ARE SEEING THIS STORY ONLY THROUGH THE EYES OF YOUR POINT OF VIEW CHARACTER.

Here are some points to consider:

• When you want the reader to know what your character looks like, you can't say "I'm five foot two, with blue eyes and blond hair"  A character wouldn't describe themselves like  that.  You can cheat and have the character assess themselves in a mirror, but you may want to be a bit more creative.  For example, "I looked down at my dusty black jeans.  My feet extended so far out from my pant leg that they touched the table before the rest of my body.  I bent to pick up a quarter from beside my shoe.  I struggled to grasp it with my sausage like fingers."
• Avoid using terms such as "I thought to myself"  Drop the "to myself".  You are already in that person's head, so of course they are thinking only to themselves.
• Remember your character's personality as you write in first person.  You will need to portray the character's reactions to events as they happen
• Avoid expressions like "A smile on my face"  A character can't see their own face.  Say, "I smiled"  Blushing is another one you want to be careful with.  A character can't see their own face blushing but they can feel it.  "My face grew warm" is a better option.
• Show your reader that your character is thinking without announcing that your character is thinking.  Avoid phrases like, "I thought back to when I was a little child."  You are in that characters head.  Just remember it.
• Make sure your voice reflects not only the voice of your character but the personality as well.  Not only with what he says, but how he says it.
• It is okay to change perception in a first person story.  This is not changing the POV.  The POV is first person.  You can jump into another person's head.  Just be sure you announce to your reader that you are doing so.  Only do it at a chapter break and use a title at the beginning of the chapter to tell the reader whose head you are in.  Also be very careful with this, as you are now in another person's head and their personality and view of the world will be very different from the character you just left. 

These are but a few tips to get you started.  We will delve more into this as time goes on.

Happy Writing.  Until next time...