The first-person narrative is intimate, self-centered, introspective. As Dustin Hoffman said in Hook : I, I, I, I, mine, mine, mine. It was a technique widely used by the first authors of crime fiction, The Lady of the Lake , it is written in the first person, from the impressions of the researcher . However, what is it that makes you write in the first person?
Recently a reader commented that she is only capable of writing in the first person. I told him to try to change the perspective, to experiment, to make an effort and that, if he sees that he cannot, he can always ask for help , that is what we are for. She explained that she doesn't see herself capable of ghost writing otherwise, that she “dies” when she tries.
This has given me something to think about, I don't like first-person narratives, I like reading them, but I don't like writing them. I don't usually use the first person in my stories, although remembering (and reaching for the archive) I remembered that my first manuscript is written in the first person.
What has caused this change? I suppose that to the comfort that the omniscient narrator offers me, the power to “jump” from head to head and tell a little of what happens here, another little of what happens behind the scenes and, if I have space under my skin, suggest what will come.
The comment made me feel weird; she always uses first person and I have almost completely stopped using it.
First person narration
The first-person narration is used, above all, in journalistic chronicles, although it is used for all kinds of literature from poems to movie scripts (if you remember Kaiser Sozé you will know what I'm talking about).
The first-person narrator acts within the story : he judges and has his own opinions of the characters and events. In these cases the narrator only provides information about the facts that he knows. He is a character and must be differentiated from the writer, since he will not be able to tell events in which he has not been involved.
There are many types of first-person narration, from the interior monologue like that of Bloom in Joyce's Ulyses , the witness narrator, as is Watson in the Sherlock Holmes adventures, to a kind of minor first person, as is the case in Elena Dean and Look wood in Wuthering Heights .
We can also differentiate the characters who tell the story voluntarily, such as Nelly Dean in Wuthering Heights , from those who do not know it and who tell the story through diaries or writings that they have left behind, this would be the case of many stories by Poe and by Jonathan Harker in Dracula .
Important aspects to consider
Now that you know what you are up against, let's see whether or not to use the first person in your narrations. You may have chosen to narrate your work in the first person for convenience, but is it the right decision? We'll see
#1. Main character or witness
Will the narrator be your main character or a simple observer of the events? Many times we assume that the narrator has to be the main character. It is not necessary, at all, it can be a secondary, it can even be the antagonist explaining what happened to our hero.
Before choosing the protagonist as a narrator, take a look at the entire roster of characters, think if one of them could do better as a narrator .
#2. Your character lives in the present
Are you clear that your narrator character is going to be present in all the scenes?
Don't be a cheater, it wouldn't be fair to the reader for your character to “remember” important scenes. It can offer “second hand” information, but only if the change it made in your character is more important than its contribution to the story.
If your narrator is unconscious, visiting relatives, in the bathroom or missing in action, he will not be able to tell us the story and, surely, we will end up losing the thread. Make sure it is always present .
#3. A nice voice
You have to make sure that the voice of your protagonist is pleasant, if one gets tired of hearing it soon, they will abandon reading.
I think this is what happens to people with Ulysses by James Joyce. The voice that Joyce uses is heavy and convoluted, many times you find yourself lost in the narration, without knowing very well what is happening or what happened a few pages ago.
If you want your readers to enjoy your character, you have to learn to vary the structures, build pleasant and dynamic sentences and, above all, do not bore people to sleep.
#4. Trust is everything
Is your narrator trustworthy? Can I shake your hand without stealing my watch? Are you going to tell me the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth?
AHA! That would be a good resource, haven't you thought about it? Imagine that you are reading a first-person narrative, told by a character who lies, manipulates reality, and also hides certain facts.
I would love to read something like that.
#5. Good reasons
Do you have a good reason to use this type of storyteller? You should be writing in the third person, like everyone else … Why did you decide to do it in the first person?
If your answers to these questions are: because I like it, because I feel a little more comfortable or because I thought it would be fine, it would be best if you think about it again.
The correct answers are: I want the reader to feel the actions immediately, I want the reader to understand personally the motivations and feelings of my character.
Now it's your turn , what are your reasons for writing in the first person? Do you have a problem with the first person?
