The Art of Writing: How to Write Bestselling Novels

How to Write First-Person POV

This chapter is going to be pretty straightforward so let's get to it.

FIRST-PERSON POV ADVANTAGES

First-Person POV is simple because it's as if the character is thinking everything. Because of that, you'll never italicize the thoughts of the character since technically the entire book is the character's thoughts.

That's a good thing because publishers don't like italics. They want you to use as few italics as possible.

Also, the #1 advantage of first-person is its inherent deep POV. It places the reader squarely in the character's head, which is vitally important to engaging the reader. Every writer wants that skill.

The more you can engage the reader, the more likely they are to keep reading. And that's why it's the most sought-after ability of a story when publishers are seeking new material. If you can keep readers engaged, they won't go watch TV instead or play games or text, which means they'll likely rave about the book and buy your other books.

First-person uses I and me instead of he or she to describe the POV character. So when you're writing first-person, you picture yourself as if you are the main character, seeing through his or her eyes. If it were third-person, you'd picture yourself outside of the main character looking at him or her.

Sometimes, the verbiage in first-person is a little difficult to figure out, but for the most part, it's simple.

Always opt for immediate location over accuracy. What I mean by that is sometimes you'll want to write the location the character is in as "there."

Example:
I walked through the halls of the Old City right into a huge, mysterious door with ancient engravings. I hadn't gone there to find it but there it was.

See how this first example makes you feel like it happened a while ago and the image you see in your head is from the outside of the character?

That's the correct and accurate way to write it. However, immediate location as opposed to past location is better at engagement because it keeps you in the character's head. So you'd write it as follows.

Example:
I walked through the halls of the Old City right into a huge, mysterious door with ancient engravings. I hadn't come here to find it but here it was.

Notice how that makes it feel more immediate, and like you're right there seeing it through the character's eyes? That's the power of first-person POV and it's striking when you realize it. No other POV can accomplish that nor engage the reader as deeply as it can, though there are techniques that help the other POVs become more deeply engaged.

ASSIGNMENT

Now go through your first-person POV stories applying this to them to make sure they're accurate and more engaging. And write several new scenes in your current work in progress using these techniques. Once you've done those things, it'll be part of your natural writing style.

Good luck, and as always, vote for this chapter if you liked it!