Yesterday we received an entry into the Global Short Story Competition which was written in first person and brilliantly so.
Traditionally, there are three main categories of viewpoint, first, second or third person. First is when you use refer to I, second person is you (as is in ‘You might have thought I would have liked that‘) and third is he, she, they, their, his, hers, him, her, etc.
Most stories tend to be written in third person but first person has its advantages as this story showed.
First person is a great choice when you intend to write informally or casually. It can be chatty, relaxed, and intimate. In this case, the narrator spoke directly to the reader as if no one else existed. There were questions, challenges and it all made for a powerful mix indeed. It was like a conversation.
However, many writers would still go for third person. Why? Well, third person creates a sense of objectivity and distance and allows the writer to get on with telling the story. Some would say that third person means the writer's feelings and personality become peripheral and that the author can simply tell the tale.
It’s all a question of choice but yesterday‘s entry showed how powerful first person can be.
Still time to enter this quarter’s competition through www.inscribemedia.co.uk
John Dean
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