Saturday, February 9, 2008

1st person and the problems

For those of you interested in writing in 1st person, you may want to re-think things. Not that publishers and agents don't like this style. It's great, if it is done correctly. Too often though, it isn't done well.

So, what's the problem? Telling vs. Showing.

When we write in 1st person, we have to remember that our characters will not provide all of that backstory and description that we normally have the 3rd person narrator provide. Think about it. Do you contemplate your living room when you walk into it? Nope... and neither does your character.

O.K. if this is an issue, how do you fix it? Have your other characters in the story provide the description. Have them become the 3rd person narrator. This will add a little more depth.

Best of luck.

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