Why I Love First Person POV

When I first started writing my manuscript, it came without question: I would write from a third person point of view. Only after multiple drafts of struggling to naturally articulate my characters’ thoughts and motivations did I realize… maybe I was writing from the wrong POV.

Going from the second draft (third person) to the third draft (first person) was daunting, as I had several plot elements to change and thousands of words to cut in addition to overhauling the POV. But the end result made it clear: my writing was stronger when I wrote in first person.

Now, this may not always be the case for me for future novels. Every story is different, and as my writing improves maybe third person will come to me more naturally.

For this YA Fantasy novel, however, first person feels like home. Why?

It’s truer to how I think, which makes it easier for the words to get from my brain and onto the page. I love weaving together settings with what’s happening in the moment with what’s happening mentally.

It’s immediate. It’s natural. It’s at one with how I view and process things

First person POV is personal. And while this story is a fantasy and I am not these characters, but I feel like I’m expressing something about myself in the process.