Oct 28 2009
Writing an Engaging First-Person Narrator
One recurring problem I’ve noticed with first-person narrators written by first-timers is that they tend to narrate their life as though it were a movie script with perhaps a few corny thought lines thrown in.
I did X. I was angry. I punched Y. Adrenaline pumped through my veins. Man, that was rough.
That’s awful. Switching to third-person wouldn’t address all of the problems with this passage, but I feel it’s generally better at accommodating a movie-like novel with a relatively subdued narrator. The only thing the first-person perspective does in this case is accentuate how totally bland and unstylish the character sounds.
First-person narration hinges on three critical factors.
