Choosing the point of view (POV) for a story is one of the most critical choices a writer can make in their storytelling. 1st person POV is a popular choice. When done correctly, 1st person has the benefit of giving the reader deep insight into a character. Here are 3 tips for using 1st person POV.
1. Choose the Right Story
1st person POV is excellent for writing character-focused stories such as romance. It is also frequently used in the mystery genre so the author can better control the clues the reader is receiving. It can work in other genres too but the self-publishing author needs to remember that the reader’s knowledge is limited to what the character knows. For instance, the self-publishing writer of a science fiction novel might want to explain to the reader the inner workings of the spaceship’s circuitry but for that to work in 1st person the narrating character must have a reason to understand the circuitry themselves or have a reason another character would explain it to them.
Similarly, it can be tricky to handle a large cast of characters with 1st person POV.
Choosing the right story to tell in 1st person POV is vital. The ideal stories for 1st person POV have a limited number of necessary points of view, are focused on characters, have less complex settings, and have point of view characters who will be privy to the most important scenes of a story.
2. Experiment
1st person POV means that a story is told by a character, typically who was involved in the story. This can be told in the present tense by a character as they are going through the story, it can be told by the character as a memory, allowing the narrator a certain omniscience, and it can also be told in an epistolary format with the character’s letters or diaries.
These subsections of 1st person give this POV even more diversity of storytelling.
3. Choose the POV Character Wisely
Sometimes a story protagonist may not be the right narrator. Choosing the right narrator is vital to the successful telling of a 1st person-narrated story. Self-publishing authors should choose their narrator based on both who has access to the needed information to tell the story and also which character the reader is most likely to connect with. In some genres, such as thriller or horror, the narrator doesn’t have to be relatable but in genres like romance relatability is a must.
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