November 2009 Archives
Point of View
Stories are usually written in either first, second, or third person, as follows:
First Person: “My alarm went off, waking me as I lay in the arms of the most beautiful woman with whom I had ever had the pleasure of spending a night…” In first person stories, the main character describes events as they are happening to him/her. Insight is only given into the mind of the main character, and the reader only knows what the main character knows.
Second Person: “As the alarm goes off, you slowly wake up in the arms of the most beautiful woman with whom you had ever had the pleasure of spending a night…” In second person stories, “you” the reader are the main character, where the story “interacts” with you.
Third Person: “As Joe slowly woke to the sound of the alarm clock going off, he took great comfort in realizing he was in the arms of the most beautiful woman with whom he had ever had the pleasure of spending a night…” In third person stories, the writer describes the story as an unseen observer. Insight into the minds of most or all the characters is usually given.
