When reading a book, you must have encountered various forms of narration – first person point of view being one of them. While there are several ways to tell a story, first person POV is especially liked due to the fact that it allows for a more personal connection between the reader and the character, among other things.
But what exactly is the first person point of view? What are some advantages and disadvantages of using it? How does first person POV look in an actual book? We’ll answer these and more questions below.
What Is First Person POV?
So, what is a first person point of view? In writing, when something is written using a first person point of view, it means that the story being shared is told by the narrator. You can easily recognize it by the fact that it uses “I” / “me” and “we” / “us” pronouns. Typically, the narrator is either someone who experienced the story themselves or they were a witness to it – and, therefore, are able to recall it.
When it comes to how many first-person narrators your story can have, the answer is that there’s no limit, but always do it within reason. Introducing too many narrators can make the story appear messy, so always think about how the reader will feel about it when considering adding another first-person narrator.
Types of First Person POVs
There are two main types of first person points of view, so consider which one will be more beneficial to your story.
- First person central. In this type of first person POV, your narrator is also the main character of the story.
- First person peripheral. In this type of first person POV, your narrator is someone who is witnessing or has witnessed the story you’re trying to tell, but is not the main character in it.
Examples of First Person Point of View
To give you a better idea of how first person POV is written, here are some examples.
If this story is to be something resembling my book of deeds, we must begin at the beginning. At the heart of who I truly am. To do this, you must remember that before I was anything else, I was one of the Edema Ruh.
Contrary to popular belief, not all traveling performers are of the Ruh. My troupe was not some poor batch of mummers, japing at crossroads for pennies, singing for our suppers. We were court performers, Lord Greyfallow’s Men. Our arrival in most towns was more of an event than the Midwinter Pageantry and Solinade Games rolled together. There were usually at least eight wagons in our troupe and well over two dozen performers: actors and acrobats, musicians and hand magicians, jugglers and jesters: My family.
Excerpt from Patrick Rothfuss, The Name of the Wind
I arrive at Wachtell’s headquarters at 10:45 a.m. My stomach starts working against me, and I toss the rest of the bagel. This is it. The thing I’ve worked the last six years for. Well, really, the thing I’ve worked the last eighteen years for. Every SAT prep test, every history class, every hour studying for the LSAT. The countless 2 a.m. nights. Every time I’ve been chewed out by a partner for something I didn’t do, every time I’ve been chewed out by a partner for something I did do, every single piece of effort has been leading me to, and preparing me for, this one moment.
Excerpt from Rebecca Serle, In Five Years
Only fools climbed to the surface. It was stupid to put yourself in danger like that, my mother always said. Not only were there near-constant debris showers from the rubble belt, but you never knew when the Krell would attack.
Of course, my father traveled to the surface basically every day—he had to, as a pilot. I supposed by my mother’s definition that made him extra foolish, but I always considered him extra brave.
I was still surprised when one day, after years of listening to me beg, he finally agreed to take me up with him.
Excerpt from Brandon Sanderson, Skyward
Why Use First Person POV?
There are several reasons why an author might decide to go for first person POV when trying to tell a story, including:
Creating a Relationship with the Reader and Establishing Familiarity
Possibly the biggest reason why authors use a first person POV when writing their book is the fact that it allows them to create an emotional connection between the reader and the main character. As you learn the story through their eyes, getting to know their feelings and thoughts, you become more invested in it than if you were listening to someone from the outside talk about it.
Potential for Unreliability
Using a first person point of view can make the story more interesting, as your character has the ability to deceive and lie to the readers without them knowing, which would be impossible, or at least much harder to do, when using other POVs.
Sets the Scene for Character Development
As the reader has access to what the character is feeling and thinking, they can clearly see their growth and development and how their perspective on things changes as the book progresses. It also allows the author to easily add depth to the character.
Cons of First Person POV
While using a first person point of view definitely has several advantages, it also has some disadvantages.
Limited Knowledge
What we mean by that is that since you’re listening to the story from one character’s point of view, you only know what the character knows. You don’t know what other characters are doing, thinking or saying unless the character knows about it. You also learn about them through the narrator’s perception of them.
Using Consistent Character Voice
This one is more about the author than the story itself—if you decide to use first-person POV in your work, you need to ensure that it is consistent throughout the whole book. In most cases, that means forgetting about yourself and inserting yourself into the mind of your character, which can be pretty challenging to do.
Taking into account things like your character’s age, profession, class, era, ethnicity, and so on is also crucial as it will shape the way they are speaking, and therefore also thinking.
Can Become Repetitive
Writing in first person POV is a skill that one needs to master to ensure they keep readers entertained throughout the whole story. It’s a difficult task, as when writing as a character, it can be very easy to slip into the repetitiveness of “I did” or “I felt” this or that.
How to Write in First Person POV
As mentioned, writing in first person POV is not an easy thing to nail – however, it’s also not impossible, and with some practice, you should be able to do it just fine. Here are some tips that could be helpful when doing that.
Always Consider the Character Perspective
This is probably the most important tip we can give you. When you’re writing in first person POV, always consider what your character would do or say and forget about how you as a person would do it.
For example, if you’re writing a scene where a character who loves dogs encounters one, you should focus on the positive experience that would be for them, even if you personally hate dogs. The same goes for events – if your character is described as someone who loves social settings, parties, etc., but you personally dislike them, you should describe current or upcoming events of that nature positively rather than negatively.
Keep the Voice Consistent
As your story progresses, it can be easy to steer away from the voice you used in the beginning – however, as long as you’re using the same character, make sure that your way of writing stays consistent throughout every chapter. If your protagonist goes through character development, remember to reflect that in your character voice, too.
Stick to First Person POV
While it might be tempting to veer outside of first person POV when writing, you should stick to it and remember that we only know what the character knows, so we cannot suddenly start writing about what is going on in someone else’s head, as the character would simply be unable to do that – even if the information could be essential to the story.
While you can go around it by introducing new first person POVs, always do it with reason as to not overwhelm the reader. Is the addition of a new narrator necessary? Does it add to the story? Will it be a recurring thing, or will they only be introduced for one chapter?
Consider Whether First Person POV Is the Best Choice
If you don’t have experience with writing in first person POV, doing so can quickly become overwhelming and repetitive – so, when choosing how to write your story, consider what kind of narration will be best. Will your story actually benefit from first person narration? What does your story gain from it? Or maybe third person narration will be a better choice after consideration?
For example, would having limited perspective on what is going on in the story help create tension or drama? Then go for it. However, if its just a stylistic choice, it might be worth reconsideration.
The Bottom Line
As you can see, using a first person point of view can be very beneficial to your story. By giving your character a voice, the reader can get to know them better, creating an emotional bond with them and getting immersed in the story even more than if it was simply told using other types of narration.
Writing a book is not a piece of cake. However, once you have all the little things down, such as your characters, the main plot points and the type of narration you wish to use, it becomes slightly easier. Still, creating the perfect manuscript, especially one that is written in an engaging way and with no typos or repetition, takes time – however, with Voxtury’s online editor the job becomes easier. Don’t hesitate to explore our website and find more helpful tools as well as learn more about the book publishing process.
