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This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Broward chapter.
A First Person Story!
Definition: Is a point of view (who is telling a story) where the story is narrated by one character at a time. This character may be speaking about him or herself or sharing events that he or she is experiencing.
Here are some tips into writing a first person story!
- Make your reader care: Introduce affecting details. Dickens describes in opening paragraphs how David Copperfield visits his father’s grave.
- Start with revealing actions: Try actions that create suspense (e.g. running away from something or hiding an object) or convey emotion.
- Don’t spill everything at once: Leave some of the most interesting tidbits about your character for later. A little mystery keeps readers seeking answers.
- Give your ‘I’ narrator a voice: Use personality – is your narrator mostly optimistic or negative? What adjectives do they use most? Are they wordy or clipped?
- Use active voice: ‘The letter was sent by me’ reads strongly. Make your character an active, acting subject.
- Confide in the reader: Secrets and intimate revelations create curiosity and intamacy. Try have your narrator share personal history.
- Avoid filter words: Instead of ‘I saw that the building was collapsing,’ say, ‘The building was collapsing.’ This creates less distance.
- Introduce other characters: Try having your fist person narrator mention someone the reader is yet to meet to create extra intrigue and anticipation.