Posted: April 14, 2025
We’ve already discussed how to choose which POV to use for your book [click here for the full article], so let’s dive deeper into why you would use a specific POV. Why use First Person, of the three? And which version of first person would you choose? First, let’s go over what first person perspective is, the different types of first-person perspective, and some unique aspects of it.
In first person, the story is being told by one of the characters, typically using pronouns like “I” and ”we”. This offers an intimate view of the story told directly through the character’s thoughts, emotions, and experiences. Popular books told in first person point of view include The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë, The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, and The Martian by Andy Weir.
There are three types of first-person perspective—two which are used, the third which theoretically exists but is very rarely used, if ever.
First, there is Central First-Person Perspective which is the most common. It occurs when the narrator is also the protagonist, and they are telling the reader the story of their life. The reader knows what the narrator knows, experiencing their thoughts, emotions, and logical conclusions as they traverse throughout the events of the story.
Slightly less common is Peripheral First Person Perspective, which is when the narrator that’s telling the story isn’t the protagonist. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald is an excellent example of this, as the story is told about Jay Gatsby from the perspective of his neighbour Nick. The reader is wholly aware of Nick’s thoughts and feelings, even though the story isn’t about him.
The third, theoretical type is Omniscient First-Person Perspective. There are no examples I can provide here, but if there were a book using this perspective, the narrator would be a character in the tale, and would be able to share the thoughts and emotions of all other characters with the reader (along with their own). As such, narrator omniscience is much more common amid third person. Some say that it’s not even possible.
First and foremost, telling a story in “I” and “we” brings the reader far closer to the story. It builds a more intimate connection between the narrator and the reader because the story is being told directly to them.
First-person perspective, being such an immersive experience, also provides more in-depth character exploration (for the narrator only), and makes it much easier to build suspense and emotional impact.
Another benefit is the potential for an Unreliable Narrator. While this is possible in third-person limited perspective as well, it’s much more prominent in first person. Having an unreliable narrator means that the author can give information that isn’t always objectively true. This allows for many assumptions and misdirects to be made smoothly, as the reader only knows as much as the narrator themselves.
If you think first-person point of view is the way to go for your book, consider the different methods. Which one is the best way to tell the story you want to tell? To convey the messages you need to share?
Central First Person is what most people go for. It’s easy to see why. You want to tell the story through the main character’s eyes. It’s their story, which they are telling to the reader. Whether you write in past tense or present tense, the narrator is also the protagonist, and they’re the one moving the plot along. They’re the one the reader is meant to root for, and to strengthen this, you give them insights into the protagonist’s thoughts and feelings. This is best used when the stakes are personal, like survival or emotional gain/preservation, rather than external stakes such as the fate of the world or a battle of good and evil.
Opposed to central, using Peripheral First Person tells the story of the protagonist from the perspective of an outsider. This perspective gives deep insight into the thoughts of the narrator while keeping the protagonist as a mysterious and interesting individual. The reader is allowed to see their actions as they move the plot forward, but they remain ignorant of the protagonist’s innermost motivation. Having an outsider telling their story instills that narrator’s interest of the protagonist to the reader. It allows them to make assumptions and predictions about the protagonist without knowing whether they’re true or not.
Thirdly, if you really want to break the mould, you could use Omniscient First Person, experimentally, just to prove it can be done. In this perspective, your narrator is a character in the story, most likely the protagonist, but they also know the thoughts and feelings of every character around them. They see every aspect of the story. It makes you wonder if this kind of story would be boring, but perhaps if you play it right, it wouldn’t be. Why not put a spin on it? Yes, the narrator knows the thoughts and feelings of everyone around them, but do they really? Are they just viewing everything through their own lens?
Or perhaps it’s a peripheral perspective, and while the narrator is a physical character, they aren’t the protagonist, or even one of the main characters, but a Watcher who also interferes. They know everything and how it will end, but they step in when necessary to keep things on track. It’s never been done before, so who’s to say how it’s meant to go?
Since first person creates such an intimate connection with the reader, it’s best used for genres and stories that rely on emotion. The stakes should be personal, deep. For example, dystopias in which the protagonist’s survival is the main focus, like The Hunger Games, Divergent, and The Maze Runner. Likewise, romances are also great for first person, though it works better if you only wish to focus on the emotional depth of a single participant in the relationship, like if the protagonist is on their own romantic journey with multiple potential love interests. Then, of course, you have your autobiographical stories, such as coming-of-age novels and memoirs, where a first-person perspective greatly aids (but is not required for) the storytelling experience.
It may be the hardest thing to choose, or the easiest? Who will be telling your story? An exercise I like to try when I’m writing is to imagine how the story would change if it was told by a different character. I don’t use first person a whole lot, but when I do, I choose a narrator based on who can give the story its best value. Divergent is an example of this. Originally, it was meant to be told from the perspective of Four, but it wasn’t working, so Veronica Roth rewrote it from Tris’s perspective, and it clicked. Tris had emotional connections that Four didn’t. She had motivation to see change, whereas Four sought his escape and achieved it. He had no forward momentum as a protagonist (until the third book), while Tris did, and therefore she was also chosen as the narrator of the central first-person perspective.
Have you ever struggled with choosing who to be your narrator and how to tell your story? I hope this article helps you if you’re considering first person—whether you intend to use it, or realize that it’s not the best fit.
How to Write in Multiple POVs
How to Choose a POV for Your Book
When to Use First Person POV
When to Use Second Person POV
When to Use Third Person POV
Writing Compelling Villains
Writing Good Characters
D&D Alignments for Writing Characters
Inclusive Writing
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