Second-Person Perspective

"You don't know much about her, yet you're trying to find out the most possible. Your thoughts run day and night, wondering about her and if you'll ever see her again. But more importantly, you are curious if she thinks of you. You try to leave hints here and there along the way, though you're not sure if it's obvious enough. And last week when that sleeker accompanied her to the dance, you nearly lost it. Your blood boiled, the hair on your back stood  up, you had to control yourself from not..."


This is the most uncommon perspectives from all of the points of view in writing. Second Person. Second person can be so weird to write, very unfamiliar and almost foreign. It not only seems awkward when writing but can often feel weird when reading this perspective. The author is writing to you and you may feel more than a part of the story, you may feel right there with the character. The writer is writing to you, speaking directly to your face and telling you what's going on. There's a connection through second person, though it needs to be done in the right way in order to make sense or be interesting.

If you choose to write in this perspective it's advised to write what you already know about. It always helps to know your topic but it's even more helpful if you can relate to it. In this type of writing the reader has become the main focus. The only pronoun used is "you". You are riding along with the narrator, being your very own character in the story. It's not an easy point of view to tackle, part of the reason why many avoid this kind of perspective is because it takes an adequate amount of time to master. It's not an easy one that you can simply write out. It takes time. It takes thinking. It takes skills. It takes mastery.

But second person can be done so beautifully. It can be creative and experimental. If the author succeeds and does a great job, a wonderful story can take place, allowing the reader to hop along on a journey. The key is to describe how "you" feel, what "you're" going through, what are "your" struggles, and what goes on daily. The author must know you and must know it's audience in order to succeed because if not, then it can topple.

Second person can fail so easily if the author makes a simple mistake and changes a minor aspect about "you". The reader may then feel out of connection and not in sync with the story/character anymore. Become acquainted with the story and what you as the author are trying to display.

The reader BECOMES the protagonist.

This point of view is more common in nonfiction selections, keeping the one personal and relaxed. I have been writing in second person throughout this entire article. It happens to come across more natural. Second person is best used in a limited way, as a prologue, in certain chapters or passages to heighten suspense, or in a short story.

Again, find your voice. Perhaps you want to tackle this perspective and maybe you'll achieve and find enjoyment when doing it. It's one of the hardest aspects about writing because you need to stay consistent. But I promise, if you're mind it made up, do it! 

POV--First Person

I said. You said. He said. 

POINT OF VIEW (POV)! Another important element when writing fiction....which one out of the three should you write in? There are four different angles you can write from:

• First Person
• Third Person Limited
• Third Person Omniscient 
• Second Person

Each perspective has its place in fiction/novel writing. The kind of view you choose is entirely up to you. The first three perspectives are relatively common, the last one is the oddball. I haven't read too many books writing in second person, all because it's a whole different world. Recently I read a book written in first person and I was immediately captivated. It felt as if I were walking with the protagonist, experiencing her problems and struggles. After that book I went straight into another book, now told from third person limited--a TOTAL different approach. I'm more used to this kind of writing but once I read the first person story, it was hard to switch over. Because this is a wide topic to discuss, we'll go through each perspective over the course of four weeks. I'm partly doing this because there's a lot to remember and I have a sprained wrist...ha, a sprained wrist and a writer don't match. It's a writer's worst enemy. I feel limited to SO much this week. Okay, I won't complain about my incapability. With each week I'll cover one of the perspectives and then write a brief example. 

First person.

A novel written in first person is written from the account of one person. You'll ride along with this person and go through whatever journey they are faced with. You'll experience what they are experiencing, feel what they feel, react how they react, and relate to similar things. Writing in first person can be exciting but also daring. If the job is done well the reader will feel as if he went right along with your main character. 

Writing from this perspective will teach you the many uses of the pronouns "I" and "we". You'll explore with these pronouns and learn how to build a story around the protagonists life. Every detail must be filtered through the storyteller. First person point of view is the most friendliest all of writing. The reader feels well acquainted with the story and the character, almost feeling like a best friend relationship. There are things the character will tell you the reader but no one else in the story. First person view point is fun to write and explore with. You can create a story of fun, drama, tragedy, horror, mystery, romantic, or imaginary. The moment the story starts the reader will be stuck in the character's mind. For beginner writers this can be a trickier kind of viewpoint because you need to know your character. You need to choose which character will be impacted and tell the story. Once you have that figured out, you'll have to bond with your character in an inseparable way.

Remember to keep your point of view consistent throughout the story. What I mean by this is, you cannot change the viewpoint every single scene. You'll confuse your reader for sure. In first point view the character will do all the talking, you're just writing. Don’t let your first person story turn into simple observation (Show, don’t tell!). The character needs to be involved--to react to events physically and verbally--not just describe the reactions of others. First person creates an intimate perspective. You'll feel connected and if the author does an outstanding job with placing the character on a beach, you might find yourself having to dump the sand out of your pocket once you're back from the beach. Describe the emotions, physical attributes, mental images, and anything else occurring. 

Have fun! Get to know your character first and then get writing. You need to be relaxed when approaching this kind of writing or else your reader will feel the tension through your character. You may discover that first person is not your type of writing and that's okay. Explore, it's the only way you'll figure it out. 

This week's example! I wonder why I'm still awake when I really should be asleep. Why did he have to react that way? Doesn't he know how much I care for him? Doesn't he know that all I want is for him to listen? I wonder if he even thinks of me? I doubt it. Who am I that he would even care? I guess I'll never know. I'll be here, alone and clueless about everything. I don't even understand my thoughts anymore, and my toes are freezing. How I hate winter and being alone! -----> clearly we know that the character is unhappy. 

The List of Genre is Just Starting!

This week I decided to tackle something entirely different. Over the past few weeks I have discussed the many aspects of the writing life and what it takes and what is doesn't take and how to discover such and such. I hope you have a greater understanding for all of this because this week, I'm going to start opening a different topic. Over the course of weeks, I'll discuss the various genres there are and a bit of insight from each. But to start with, I'll talk about my writing experience (I love sharing my side, especially since it drastically changed overnight.)

Alright, before I picked up the craft of writing, I was against all fiction. I didn't like fiction. I ignored fiction. I shunned fiction. I literally disregarded all books that were fiction related. I thought reading fiction was a waste of time, entirely unnecessary and irrelevant. I didn't find enjoying when reading fictional books, so I clearly decided that fiction wasn't for me. I stuck to the nonfiction books, the one that gave me something, a message. Whenever I would pick up a novel, I would stare at the cover and think, "I wish I could learn to like these kind of books." Because to be honest, the covers on most novels are tempting. There's just something amazing that the author masters. They have a way to capture the buyer with their cover, even if the book itself isn't captivating. I would walk through any bookstore and clock to the fiction section and grab a handful of books just to study the covers, not going beyond that. Okay, so without me even reading the book, I quickly learned that the author did a great job with luring me to the book just by having an awesome cover. 

But what got me to read novels? Well, in the summer of 2010, I just graduated and was tired of reading books about facts and books that took more concentration to grasp the message. I wanted to relax. I wanted to be the kind of person who would curl up with a blanket and read for hours on end, not able of putting the book down. I remember pulling out a book I got from the library for the summer. Again, I stared at the cover and understood why I picked this book. The cover alone was mesmerizing. It was incredible. So what did I do? I opened it, probably just like anyone else would do. I skimmed through the prologue, flipped through the middle, and landed on the last sentence (my mistake always). The last sentence alone got me. It made me curious to read the book and that I did. Well, I'm proud to say that after that I haven't shunned a novel in a long while. There have been nights where I cannot set the book down, I have to force myself to do it. 

After that I started having this niche to write fiction, not just any kind of fiction, contemporary and dramatic fiction. You will soon learn that there are a ton of different subtopics under fiction. I won't go into detail right now, I'll save that for another post. But yes, I took up the task that I hated most. I decided to write fiction and honestly, I can't get enough from it. There is always a character stirring in my mind. Sometimes I leave my characters in an iffy situation. I do this on purpose because I cannot wait until I can get back to my story and fix their dilemma. When I write, the world I live in closes down for awhile. Everything that goes on kind of goes on without me. I'm interacting with my characters. I'm having internal conversations, we are getting to know each other. 

You must be comfortable with your writing. You need to feel right doing it, knowing that this is something you can write/talk about all day. Know the topic you're writing about. Maybe you're into nonfiction, the facts. Or perhaps you like to read articles and would be interested to write for a magazine or newspaper. You don't have to seclude yourself to just one specific type of writing. Be open to anything and everything. Try a bit from here and some from there, but I assure you, there will always be that one kind of writing you'll enjoy more than the other. You're human. We tend to have favorites. 

Different topics lead to different interests 

I love fiction. You might be different. But that's why there are a wide variety of books, because everyone has a different taste and there are those authors who like to tackle the things someone like me wouldn't dare handle. Next week we'll talk about the many aspects of fiction (short story, novel, novella). 

Explore. Experiment. Challenge yourself. Write. 

Who Said What?

Have you ever caught yourself reading a book and then saying, "Hey, this sounds just like (fill in the blank)..." or, "Isn't this one of his/her books?" You then flip the book over and your eye glances at the author's name and sure enough you're right. Credit goes to both you and the author. You have practiced distinguishing the words and the author has been stable with his choice of words--diction.

 So what makes someone's work recognizable?


                         Voice.

Voice simply is the style and the way you talk in print. It's the words that you craft that make others say, "Oh yeah, that's so and so."

So how do you become recognizable? Practice. Practice writing different things. Try writing in a humorous way, dramatic, mysterious, romantic, and contemporary/casual. Try various writing techniques. Experiment with your words. Remember, each one of us are different. You talk differently and act differently from everyone else, so your writing too will be different. The worst mistake that you can do is to pretend to be someone else. Don't try to sound like a best selling author. They have their own techniques and styles, you need to compose your own kind of words. Let your thoughts form the words, you have your own unique way to sound, so you too will achieve that recognizable voice. You don't want someone to read your work someday and say, "Hey that doesn't sound like her/him!" It's not only disheartening to you but the original author. Write anything and everything and explore the many options of writing.

How to make your voice YOURS!

1. Write as much as possible
2. Write in a journal
3. Write in a letter format (a letter to a friend perhaps)
4. Write about your day
5. Write the things you see and experience daily
6. Write about the thoughts going through your mind
7. Don't worry how your words sound, just write
8. Write like you talk--be yourself
9. Write what you know
10. Write about your personality 

The examples above can help stir your voice and make it come alive. The grammar and style will come after, you first need to establish a stable voice. Your writing will shine because of this. It will blossom like a young rose. I find that the most rewarding aspect is that it becomes recognizable. Recently someone told me that they picked up an article I composed. They didn't know that I wrote it at first but by the second sentence, they said, "Yeah, that's Vanessa alright!" For me, that's encouraging. It tells me that finally all of the practice and action I have put into my words not only are alive but they are mine and someone just noticed it. 

Writes tend to worry. Don't worry. I know that sounds like an understatement but there isn't any other explanation. Don't worry what you sound like through your writing, you may not sounds as professional as Bob or as slick as Susie. IT'S YOU. This is your writing and your voice, the one you were born with. Experiment with different writing tools. Try writing long sentences, the ones that flow and go on and on forever and eventually can lose you if you don't stay on track but they are the sentences that still carry a lot of meet. Or write short. To the point. Powerful. 

Remember your goal for writing as well. You're writing because you CAN'T NOT write and you're writing because you have message to share. Think of your writing in this context. You're a proud parent of what you have just written. It's beautiful and it's your own voice and words. Don't let anyone else tear you down with their harsh criticism. You may eventually notice that you'll gain more than one voice. You may sound formal in your historical novel, tacky in the article for New York Times, casual in your short story, or wild in the comic. There are many different voices and once you find them, you'll be amazed. It'll be an experience that's overwhelming but exciting at the same time. You're voices are there, they are waiting for you to open up and crawl out of your shell. 

Come alive and write!