First Person Point of View: Definition, Examples, and Tips!

First-person point of view tells the story as though the events are happening directly to the narrator, or being observed or recalled by them. This closeness gives the reader immediate access to the voice and inner thoughts of the narrator, who in most cases is also the protagonist.

Writing in first person allows the reader to experience the story through the narrator’s eyes. It fosters intimacy between the narrator and the reader, gives the proceedings a sense of authenticity, and creates unique opportunities for character development, mystery, and suspense.

However, this narrative style also presents limitations and challenges.

In this article, we’ll examine first-person point of view in detail, discuss the different types, and offer examples and tips to help you have fun with this narrative perspective and use it effectively.

 

What Is First-Person Point of View?

Perhaps the most identifiable characteristic of the three main narrative perspectives is the use of pronouns. Here’s a quick look at all three and the pronouns that help set them apart.

• First-person point of view: The narrator is a character in the story and relays events from their perspective. It uses first-person pronouns such as “I,” “my,” and “we.”
• Second-person point of view: The narrator describes the action while addressing the reader, using second-person pronouns such as “you” and “your.”
• Third-person point of view: The narrator exists outside of the story and uses third-person pronouns such as “he/she” and “they” when referring to the characters. There are three types of third-person point of view: third-person limited, third-person omniscient, and third-person objective.

Before we move on, let’s look at the two types of first-person point of view.

 

First-person central

The narrator is also the protagonist. This is the most common type of first-person point of view.

 

First-person peripheral

The narrator is a secondary character. Typically, this is used if:

• The main character’s death would prevent them from finishing the story (not the case in The Lovely Bones).
• It’s important to keep certain things secret from the reader.
• The secondary character is the one that grows due to the events of the story rather than the main character.

It’s possible for a story to have multiple first-person narrators. For example, The Help by Kathryn Stockett is told in first person from the perspective of three characters.

 

How to Write in First-Person Point of View

Here are three essential things to remember when writing in first person:

 

1. Make the narrator interesting

The reader will experience the entire story from the narrator’s perspective, and you will need to write in their voice consistently. To make the story more interesting and engaging, you need a narrator the reader can connect with.

Avoid using a narrator who is clearly an author surrogate, has no flaws, is quirky to the point of cringey, or is good at everything (the dreaded Mary Sue). There needs to be a good reason why this is your point-of-view character.

They can be a different character than the protagonist, as in first-person peripheral, but they should be someone that we want to spend the whole story with.

For example, John Watson is not the protagonist of the Sherlock Holmes books, but he is a suitable POV character because he is an active companion and foil to the eccentric Holmes. Also, telling the stories from Holmes’s perspective could make the supersleuth off-putting due to his obsessive and conceited nature (some of the stories tried this).

Scout in To Kill a Mockingbird is another strong and memorable POV character, although it could be argued that her father, Atticus Finch, is the novel’s protagonist.

An exception to this rule is The Great Gatsby. Author F. Scott Fitzgerald told the story in first-person voice from the perspective of Nick Carraway, a friend of the protagonist, Jay Gatsby. Carroway is relatively inactive in the story, but (avoiding spoilers for a 100-year-old book) it’s enough to say that the plot would not work if the story were told from Gatsby’s perspective.

 

2. Write in the POV character’s voice

This character is telling the story, so the reader should be able to “hear” the POV character’s voice in their head as they read. This voice should reflect their personality and quirks, and the narrative should be filtered through their biases, opinions, and limitations – not the author’s or those of the other characters.

In To Kill a Mockingbird, Scout’s voice is distinct, and we get a strong sense of her character from the first few lines of the novel.

As the story progresses, we watch through her eyes as her lawyer father defends a falsely accused man in court, but as a child it’s impossible for Scout to fully understand the proceedings and the cultural and historical factors at play. However, author Harper Lee kept the narrative firmly in Scout’s voice and limited to her thoughts, biases, and worldview.

This may be restrictive, but it opens up exciting possibilities for an unreliable narrator.

For example, the unnamed narrators in Fight Club and Rebecca, Patrick Bateman in American Psycho, and Holden Caulfield in Catcher in the Rye keep readers on their toes, trying to determine what is real and what is in the character’s mind.

 

3. Only show things your narrator can see

Generally, if your narrator isn’t in the room, the scene can’t be in your story. First-person point of view sacrifices the near limitless storytelling freedom offered by an omniscient narrator. However, this can be a great tool for building mystery and suspense.

For example, in the Jules Verne novel 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Professor Arronax narrates the story of Captain Nemo. As a prisoner aboard the Nautilus, the professor is not privy to many of the details about the enigmatic captain, the crew, or why they’re intentionally sinking ships. This makes the story more exciting as Arronax – and the reader – discover these things along the way.

But often there are things the reader needs to know for the story to make sense, and it may be impossible to organically reveal these things from a single first-person POV without some trickery. This is also a struggle for writers using a third-person limited point of view.

However, there are better ways to fill in the gaps in your story than having the protagonist hear other characters talk about exciting events that happened “off-camera.”

For example, in the Harry Potter series, which is written with third-person narration (limited), Harry uses a magical technique to access another character’s thoughts and experiences.

In a more grounded story, your narrator could:

• Find a diary or home movie belonging to another character.
• “Experience” a scene after gathering enough clues after the fact.
• Secretly watch from the rafters in the style of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn.

On the other hand, you could simply break the rules. In Dostoyevsky’s The Brothers Karamazov, the narrator is essentially omniscient, knowing all the details about all the characters in the town. And the famous “Call me Ishmael” from Moby-Dick isn’t present for many of the book’s scenes, but that didn’t stop Herman Melville from telling the whole story from Ishmael’s perspective.

If your story is good enough, your readers may forgive you.

 

Challenges of Writing From a First-Person Point of View

This restrictive but dynamic point of view can be perfect for your story, and fun for you as a writer, due to the challenges it poses and the creativity you’ll have to use to overcome them. Here’s a closer look at some of the biggest challenges that you’ll have to navigate when writing from a first-person perspective.

 

1. You (and the reader) are locked inside your narrator’s head

As we’ve mentioned, when you write from a first-person point of view it removes insight into the thoughts and feelings of other characters. At any time, it must be the narrator who interprets these. They act as a filter, influenced by their own experiences, insecurities, and beliefs.

For example, the narrator’s neighbor might be plotting a murder … but if said neighbor is any good at hiding it, your narrator (and therefore the reader) won’t have a clue! You can’t cut away to the neighbor’s perspective or drop hints into the story to build tension if your narrator is unaware.

Likewise, you can’t show the murder unless your narrator witnesses it. And you can’t show the neighbor secretly watching the narrator from the shadows. You can, however, show the narrator overcome with paranoia, checking over their shoulder and nervously peering into every shadow.

 

2. It’s easy to get lost in the narrator’s inner world

Given the natural demands when you write in first person, it’s possible to fall into the trap of describing thoughts and emotions excessively. In real life, most people are aware of their thoughts, emotions, and motivations to some degree, especially if they’re in a situation where these things dictate their actions.

For example, if your narrator is trying to choose between two suitors, decide between heroic action and personal safety, or choose between following their own dreams or the expectations placed upon them by others, it would make sense for there to be paragraphs or even pages of deep introspection.

These decisions, and the related thoughts and emotions, can be central to your story. But in real life most of us aren’t deep within ourselves at all times. If you focus on these things too much your narrator will come across as self-absorbed, boring, and excessively introverted.

You can avoid this by having them describe sights, sounds, and other external stimuli as much as – or more often than – their internal lives. You can also reveal their thoughts and feelings through their actions.

For example, you don’t want your narrator to slow down an action scene with unrealistic ruminations. If they’re zipping through alleys on a scooter with the Macguffin in their backpack and masked goons hot on their trail, this isn’t the time for them to internally debate whether they should sell the Macguffin later or if it belongs in a museum.

Save that introspection for a quieter moment, perhaps after the chase scene while the narrator is recovering in their hotel room. If you do it in this scene, the reader will care more, it won’t ruin the pacing, and it will be a great way to show the character’s depth and the progression of their arc.

 

3. Repeating pronouns and using filter words can distance your reader from the story

While you want to give your reader access to your narrator’s inner monologue, you don’t want to distance your reader from the character by reminding them that they’re reading a book or by using too many filter words.

When you’re writing in first-person voice, it’s easy to overuse pronouns like “I” and “my” at the beginning of your sentences. It’s also easy to fall into the trap of using too many filter words like “felt,” “thought,” “saw,” and “heard.”

For example:

I felt my legs ache and wobble as I crested yet another dune.

My face felt hot and I thought it was turning crispy.

I lifted my hand to block the sun from my eyes, seeing diamonds of light pierce the cracks between my fingers.

I thought of the wreckage, at least a mile behind me now, and I know I won’t reach the village by nightfall.

Notice how each line in that passage begins with “I” or “my”? And notice how much of the action is separated from the reader by filter words? (In this case, “felt,” “seeing,” “thought,” and “know.”)

Starting too many lines with these pronouns will create unnecessary repetition and bore your reader. And it’s a strong indicator of an inexperienced writer. And instead of filtering the information through your narrator’s perceptions, just give us the information. We are, after all, living in the character’s head.

Here’s how you could rewrite this without overusing “I” and “my” and without relying on filter words:

Yet another dune passed underfoot, my legs aching and wobbling.

My face was hot and turning crisp.

Raising a hand to block the sun, diamonds of light pierced the cracks between my fingers.

The wreckage was at least a mile behind me now, and I wouldn’t reach the village by nightfall.

As you can see, only one of these lines now begins with “I” or “my,” and all of the filter words have been removed:

• The narrator doesn’t feel their legs ache and wobble; they just do.
• Their face doesn’t feel hot; it just is.
• They don’t “see” the light shining through their fingers; it’s just there.
• They don’t “think” of the wreckage; it’s just present in their mind.
• They don’t “know” they won’t reach the village by nightfall; in their mind, this is a fact.

Putting filter words between the reader and these sensations, feelings, and beliefs puts a wall between them and the narrator.

Whether conveying action or emotion, you want the reader to be at the center – not feeling like they’re hearing about it second-hand. You want your reader to experience the story as if they were looking through the narrative character’s eyes, feeling as if they were inhabiting their body, and thinking as if they shared a brain.

For example, rather than telling us what they’re thinking, show us through body language.

As always, there are exceptions to this approach. Sometimes you’ll want to have the reader experience things first-hand, and sometimes you need to have your narrator report events, such as transitions between scenes, back story and flashbacks, or relatively inconsequential details.

It helps to match the narrator’s voice with their character. Although this sounds obvious, it’s easy to slip into writing in your own voice with added “I” and “my” words.

Ask yourself the following:

• How old is your character?
• What is their gender?
• What is their education level?
• Where do they come from?
• Are they poor, rich, lazy, ambitious, funny, gloomy, silly, or stoic?

Always take these into account.

It’s difficult and often inadvisable to write accents, but allowing their local cadence to affect the narrative, or occasionally working in regional or generational slang, can shape how the narrator’s voice sounds in the reader’s head without overdoing it or falling into stereotypes.

 

Final Thoughts

Whether you’re writing a novel, a short story, narrative nonfiction, or your autobiography, there are many advantages of first-person point of view for the writer and the reader.

Reading widely helps you get a feel for how other authors use first person, and what works and what doesn’t.

As with any aspect of the writing craft, it helps to get feedback from others – so if you’ve considered all of the above and you’re still on the fence about your first person narrative, get a trusted friend to cast their eye over your manuscript.

Have them note any points in the story where they feel too distanced, as if they’re passively listening to someone droning on and their attention is starting to wander, rather than feeling like they’re directly connected to the events that unfold.

It may seem simple on the surface, but writing in first-person point of view can be extremely challenging. It takes a deft hand, experience, and plenty or revisions to find the right balance.

And don’t forget: AutoCrit features its very own point of view tracker – so you can easily pick out where your story shifts between first person point of view and others! After all, consistency is key.

If that piques your interest, why not create your free AutoCrit account today.