The first-person point of view (or PoV) tells a story directly from the narrator’s perspective, and using it can help the reader connect with your work. It’s a way for a writer to share thoughts, and ideas, or to tell a story in a close and relatable way, and brings the reader directly into the perspective of the narrator.
Writing a first-person narrator provides the opportunity for both the writer and the reader to directly step into the “shoes” of the protagonist—if done well, it can deeply connect the reader to the work and allow them to experience the story directly from the perspective of the first-person narrator.
In this blog post, we’ll share tips and examples on how to write in the first-person point of view (POV) without sounding like a newbie with a lame idea itching to be shared.
What Is First Person Point of View?
In the first-person point of view, the narrator is a character in the story who tells it from their point of view. The narrator frequently uses the pronoun “I” (or “we” if speaking in a group). The individual who recounts the story may be in the thick of the action or simply observe it from the sidelines, but in either case, you are getting that character’s account of what happens.
It also implies that impressions and descriptions are influenced by the character’s opinions, emotions, previous experiences, or even their distorted perceptions of what they see and hear.
Why Use the First-Person Point of View?
This point of view allows the reader to understand the story from the main character’s thoughts and feelings. This creates an intense emotional connection between the character and the reader because they are influenced by this character’s perspective.
When you’re writing a story, you have several narrative voices to choose from. Giving the protagonist or someone close to them the narrative reins has its advantages. A first-person narrator gives the reader a front-row seat to the story.
Here are a few reasons why you should use the first point of view in your writing:
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1. Builds intrigue
The first-person perspective restricts the reader’s access to information. They only understand and experience what the narrator does. This is a useful strategy for creating suspense and interest in stories, especially thrillers and mysteries.
2. Gives a story credibility
The first-person point of view establishes rapport with readers by sharing a personal tale with them. Bringing the reader in close makes the story—and the storyteller—more credible.
In Herman Melville’s Moby Dick, the narrator addresses the reader by name: “Call me Ishmael.” This familiarity fosters a connection with the narrator, leading readers to trust that what they are going to hear is true.
When a writer breaks that narrative trust by leading readers astray—either through a narrator who deliberately lies or a characteristic of the narrator that compromises their credibility—the narrator becomes unreliable.
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3. Expresses an opinion
A narrator tells a story through a lens filtered by their opinions. In the first person point of view, the use of the pronoun “I” establishes a sense of familiarity between reader and narrator, allowing the writer to subtly influence the reader by telling a story with a bias.
4. Authenticity and Immediacy
Writing in the first person can help your story feel more authentic and immediate. This viewpoint enables the narrator to express their thoughts, emotions, and experiences in real-time, making the tale more grounded and credible.
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How to Write in First Person Point of View (POV)
These tips will help you write your next story in the first-person perspective:
1. Consider your POV character’s perspective
When you’re writing first-person, you should always be thinking about things from the perspective of your POV character.
Think of the point of view as a lens. The story is happening, but we need a lens to see it. Our POV character might have a blue lens—this will tinge everything blue. There will be nothing that isn’t somehow affected by the blue lens, and there will be no way to see something without that lens or through a different one.
While you’re writing, consider what your POV character thinks of the setting. Prioritize their reactions and the way they would describe things.
2. Avoid head-hopping
This is one of the most common mistakes I see with new authors—switching perspective characters, sometimes within the same scene.
Writing in the first person should remind you that you’re limited to your narrator’s perspective. While you can have that character speculate on what someone else is thinking, you can’t unequivocally say what’s in the other character’s mind.
There’s a difference between your main character guessing what other people think and perspective-jumping, though. It’s fine if your main character projects and makes incorrect assumptions, but these projections and incorrect assumptions should be addressed, and it shouldn’t feel like we’ve left our main character’s point of view.
Head-hopping requires an omniscient point of view, a style currently largely out of favor.
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3. Craft a strong voice
Limiting yourself to one perspective character allows you to create a unique voice.
First-person writing is ideal for exploring voice. After all, we’re inside this person’s head, navigating the story with them—their personality, way of speech, and turns of phrase should be evident in the prose.
This does not imply that your story should be written in the style of a diary. Excessively casual and overly defined prose can quickly become corny. However, it does imply that you should let your character’s point of view influence your plot.
Resist the urge to allow your narrator to simply tell the story rather than to show it. My bed was cold is telling. I huddled under the covers, trying to hide from the draft is showing. My coffee was warm is telling. The coffee burned my tongue is showing.
4. Don’t switch tenses
Naturally, this tip applies to any writing point of view, but violating it can be especially jarring in the first person.
Example: I ran to my car and find I forgot my keys.
Past tense is most common, but regardless, pick a tense and stick with it.
5. Show, don’t tell
Showing, as explained in point 2, triggers the theater of your reader’s mind while telling merely spoon-feeding them information.
Your first-person narrator should suggest just enough to give readers a role in the story experience. They want to be able to deduce what’s going on without simply being told everything.
Challenges of Writing In First Person Point of View
Despite its many benefits, first-person point-of-view writing can also pose challenges for authors. Some of these challenges include the following:
1. Limited Perspective
Unlike the third person, the first-person point of view does not allow for mediation from the author.
The reader can only know what the narrator sees, hears, and knows, making it considerably more difficult to include commentary, descriptions, themes, and other components of a story.
This limited perspective might make it difficult for authors to reveal key story details or investigate the thoughts and motivations of other characters.
2. Reliability and Bias
First-person narrators are inherently subjective and potentially unreliable. This may be a strength as well as a drawback in narrative. On the one hand, an untrustworthy narrator can heighten tension and interest, leading readers to question the narrative’s veracity.
3. Overuse of “I”
Writing in the first person point of view can lead to an overuse of the pronoun “I,” which can become repetitive and tiresome for readers. Writers must find ways to spice their sentence structure and avoid falling into this trap.
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Is ‘they’ a First-Person Point of View?
‘They‘ is not a first-person point of view. While they is now used as a singular pronoun to represent someone regardless of gender, it is still a third-person point of view.
First-person pronouns are gender-neutral and limited to “I” and “we” for subjects and “me” and “us” for objects.
First-person point-of-view examples
Many stories and novels are written from the first-person perspective. This type of narrative places you inside a character’s head, allowing you to see the tale unfold from their perspective.
Example 1: I think I lost my wallet! I can’t find it anywhere! Oh, I could just kick myself!
Example 2: We could do ourselves a favor and make a reservation for our group.
Example 3: When I fall asleep, I can still see the shining stars.
FAQs On How to Write in First Person Point of View
Common mistakes include overusing the word “I,” ignoring other characters, and making the narrator appear too perfect or unrelatable. Also, avoid interrupting the story flow with excessive internal monologue or extraneous facts.
The first-person point of view is a narrative style where the writer tells the story from their own perspective, using pronouns like “I,” “me,” “my,” and “we.” The reader experiences the story through the narrator’s eyes.
To minimize repetition, change your sentence structure and emphasis on actions, observations, or descriptions. Instead of starting every sentence with “I,” try to incorporate the subject into the sentence differently, or stress other components of the narrative.
Conclusion
First-person narrators allow the reader to become immersed in their character’s brain, resulting in a stronger emotional connection with the reader. To deepen the relationship, the character shares secrets or insights with the audience that no one else has.
Using first-person narration in memoirs and autobiographies helps the story feel more genuine, authentic, and authoritative because it is given directly from the perspective of the person who witnessed the events.
References
- jerryjenkins.com – 5 Tips to Mastering First-Person Point of View
- self-publishingschool.com – How to Write in First Person (Tips and Examples)
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