by RS Coolidge

Created on: January 04, 2009

Many great stories were written from the first person perspective. 'The Sun Also Rises' by Ernest Hemingway and the 'Catcher in the Rye' by JD Salinger are examples of how effective it can be to have the main character serve as narrator. Of course such a writing style also has its pitfalls. This article will provide some important tips so that these pitfalls can be avoided.

The first thing to remember is that when you are writing from the first person perspective the story is being told through the eyes of the main character. Therefore, unless your main character is God do not comment on things he cannot see or think. For example, if the main character is talking to someone named "Ed" do not make comments like "Ed was thinking about his summer vacation" or "after Ed left he went home and watched SpongeBob". You have no way of knowing what is going through "Ed's" mind nor do you know what Ed is doing unless you see him do it.

The second thing to keep in mind is that while writing in the first person gives you considerable leeway in the grammar and language that you use be consistent in your approach. If, for example, your narrator is a poor recent immigrant with a minimal grasp of the English language, it would make no sense for him to suddenly start using big words like 'supercilious' or 'desultory'. Nor would it make much sense for such a character to always use correct sentence structure.

The third tip is to take advantage of the first person narrative. Since the character you are developing is a thinking being do not be afraid to explore his thoughts and emotions thoroughly. For example, If you are creating a completely odious character who has deeply entrenched racist or homophobic thoughts do not be afraid to put these thoughts on paper even when they may not be reflective of your own beliefs. Remember, the character that you are creating need not be like you. He only needs to be believable. Also, the more you delve into the narrator's opinions and beliefs the more engaging the story becomes.

Another important tip is that the narrator need not be honest. In fact, there are benefits to having the character engage in lying. By having the character lie, you set up a possible scenario where his lies comes back to haunt him. Such a twist makes for good drama. Also, if you can conceal the lie from the reader or ,better yet, make it seem like the character truly believes what he is saying then you have added a whole new layer to the story.

As a final tip, do not assume that how the character thinks or feels is set in stone. Just because the character may start out a certain way that is no indication that the character cannot change. A good man can turn evil and an evil man can turn good due to the events that he encounters as the story progresses. For example, if your character starts out as a lifelong womanizer with little respect for women then it is highly feasible that his attitudes may change if, during the course of the story, he meets a most unusual woman. So allow the character to grow and adapt as the story unfolds.

So there you have it: my tips for writing in the first person narrative. Good luck with your story and remember that the most important thing when writing is to just have fun.

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