Writing First Person: What You Need to Know

[@DebWrites]

Perfect comment about "those books weren't written for you". It's so freeing, as a writer, to realize you're not writing for everyone.

[@AroundTheCampfire]

Exactly! If you write for everyone, you write for no one. People have their tastes and that's a good thing 🤷‍♀️

[@Anti-HyperLink]

Except nowadays, not writing for everyone gets you labelled as a racist, sexist, etc. by people on Twitter. Not that I give a shit what people on Twitter say because I can't even use Twitter anymore, but when they can literally ruin your life with a single tweet, it's scary. But maybe that's only when it's mainstream enough to notice you haven't dumbed down your own story for "everyone."

[@deborahminter6231]

Agreed!

[@Monorat]

​@@Anti-HyperLink that's definitely not true. Maybe if you say something racist, sexist, etc. but if you're writing about those subjects with care and research you should be fine. I think you're over exaggerating the effects of "cancel culture".

[@MrRosebeing]

First person point of view is probably the easiest point of view to use for writing, especially short stories. Even after forty years of writing I still haven't mastered it, though. I don't write in first person pov very much.

[@Avionne_Parris]

The points you made about Ferris Beuller were spot on! I think he's a great way to make a main character likeable without being boring as he has particular traits that make him unique like sporty things and nerdy things while at the same time nothing too concrete that could put him into a clique or category. Furthermore, this was during the 80s where most movies had those stereotypical roles: Jock, nerd, princess, goth, etc. What also makes Ferris work is having his worry-wart and always-by-the-rule-book best friend, Cameron state all the things we were probably yelling at the screen. The fact that the dean was insufferable might've help too lolz.

[@AroundTheCampfire]

Oh yeah, having Cameron foil him and be the voice of the audience is huge. That's a big part of having a main character make a bunch of insane choices. If you don't, at least occasionally, have someone call them out, the audience can go mad 😂

[@Anti-HyperLink]

Princess?

[@zamp_gaming]

@@Anti-HyperLink Breakfast Club reference, perhaps?

[@Narrlina]

I have to go to bat for first person narrators who talk directly to the audience by some twist of plot or worldbuilding. They can dump all the info they want on me, as long as they are doing it in-character. Feels like going on a trip with a friend. Or a snarky lecturer talking down to you. It's so much more personal and the easiest way to use exposition to introduce a character by highlighting what they focus on in a scene they're describing. Char A might talk at length about the fascinating magic system behind conjuring fire elemental creatures while Char B focuses on how to fight them - and Char C will explain the best way to get out of a burning building your stupid mage friend set on fire. Again. (Not based on real events or existing original characters.)

[@Narrlina]

I really do love Andy Weir's writing - is that obvious?

[@AroundTheCampfire]

Yeah, that's completely fair! If the character has a strong voice, and it's done in an interesting way, it's fine by me. I reckon the placement is a big factor in that too. If you do that chapter 1 when the reader isn't invested in the character, it can be uninteresting, but in chapter 10, when we've established the character, that will probably work a lot better!

[@StarlasAiko]

The 1st person PoV character stopping the story to talk some infodump straight to the audience....that's pretty much Saved By The Bell...and Malcom In The Middle as well...

[@ricardosobral5563]

Masterpiece casually playing in the background

[@fathomcolcleaser2976]

Thank you for this. I actually love writing in first person. I love the idea of the reader going on an adventure with me. But most of the readers I talk to like this POV the least. And many opt out when they find out the story is written in first person. I know that like you said you can't write for everyone but how do you insert the hook in a first person to get over that initial hump of 'i don't like first person?'

[@AroundTheCampfire]

That's a hard question. I don't know if I have a good answer for you. People's tastes are hard to argue with, but I might try to find what makes the POV special in your piece and put that at the forefront. Why is this story better for being first person? I wouldn't explicitly say "first person is good for this story because x," but something that hits harder in first person. Like if I'm talking about the Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler, I would point out the experience of navigating a broken society as a teenager. That example is a bit broad since that's a common thread in a lot of post-apocalyptic stories, but the idea is, think about why first person works for your story and weave that into your pitch. Hope that helps!

[@Bizarro69]

I jumped on the horse and tweeted: 'man I need a new ride!'

[@garykotowski2622]

Adam. My novel has just been professionally edited, and I begin the query adventure soon. The only media I consume is writing channels on KZbin. Your videos are not only funny as hell but very helpful. I'm going to subscribe and hit 'like' buttons for all your shit.

[@XYouVandal]

just found your channel and I am finding it incredibly useful.

[@AroundTheCampfire]

Thanks! Happy to help!

[@gorequillnachovidal]

Actually. American Psycho is a master class in this. With everyone being so interchangeable we hear people say bad things about Bateman TO Bateman because they think he is somewhere else. Both the move and book is the final doctorate thesis on 1st Person POV

[@AroundTheCampfire]

Wish I had thought of this example for the video! American Psycho is fantastic

[@deborahminter6231]

Great video! Thanks for sharing 👍

[@Woolenskin.Production]

Love the fact he s watching totoro in the background 🤪

[@AroundTheCampfire]

My grandmother let me have this old CRT, so I had to find a way to use it 😂

[@mr.e7261]

this was honestly super helpful I knew probably 42.67% of what he had to say but the other half was really helpful

[@AroundTheCampfire]

Glad you found it helpful!

[@jasonlouro9051]

Kicking off 2022 by writing first person!!

[@AroundTheCampfire]

I wrote this entire video just for you, Jason. I've been meaning to talk to you about your manuscript...

[@fullmetalwolf8594]

I'm working on a book series called "The Lost Wolf." You have any idea's what the story is all about, let me know in the comments.

[@BlueSky-uf6oy]

Is Campfire Blaze going to be released on Steam in the future?

[@AroundTheCampfire]

As of right now, we don't have plans to bring Campfire Write (formerly Campfire Blaze) to Steam. With Campfire Pro, steam was nice because it added cloud saving, but that's built into Campfire now, so there's not much reason for us to list there.

[@adamcbassett]

Getting into first person more lately. Used to think it was a worse form of storytelling but I'm really starting to appreciate it as I read more of it. 🙂

[@EmperorZelos]

blasphemous

[@AroundTheCampfire]

I haven't read a ton of it, but Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler really sold it for me. There are types of stories you can tell with first person that wouldn't hit the same in other POVs.

[@lifeinsaltlakecity4001]

I'm a quarter of the way through a bleak, future noire with paranormal and romance elements. (Because I'm stupid, and a masochist). 1st person narrative, lots of inner monologue. It's something that's almost a trope in noire, and I love it provided the character is interesting. (intelligent, nihilistic, self destructive). But it won't save you from a dogshit exposition dump. So I'm doing my best to connect the exposition to his world views and experiences, which are also vital to the plot and his character arc. Still a bitch though, as you're always trying to keep it under control, not over doing it. And it's also challenging because that type of narrative (think the Scorsese films), while almost a genre expectation, invites over-telling. Ultimately, I'm saying fuck it, I'll let the editor trim whatever fat he thinks needs to go. I'm writing what I and our audience wants to read.

[@allisonsundayify]

Hey i need help

[@AlexanderBennett00]

Dissing Lotr? You might be losing some cred there. Most interesting use was in the The Dresden Files, which is narrated by Dresden, but some of the short stories aren't and they create a fasinating view of the world, the other characters and Dresden himself because you get to see him from another perspective. It's important to remember with 1st person, your narrator can be wrong, and probably are regularly, because most people are fallible.

[@gorequillnachovidal]

as soon as he said "wish fulfillment" I turned off.

[@AroundTheCampfire]

Curious what your issue with the term is? I don't know what I'm missing

[@gorequillnachovidal]

@@AroundTheCampfire it is the thought that people like fictional characters because they want to be that character or do what he does. american psycho is my favorite book but I don't want to be bateman or do what he does. it is when people can't see how anyone would like a book because the protagonist is not a great person...oh it must be because anyone who likes X book is a crummy person who wants to do the crummy things the protagonist is doing.

[@AroundTheCampfire]

​@@gorequillnachovidal Ah, I see what you mean. I wasn't saying that's why people like ALL characters. I specifically said "for Ferris." I would never say wish fulfillment is why people like Patrick Bateman as a character lol. Even in my second example, there isn't a hint of wish fulfillment to be found. That's just one method!

[@epiccthulu]

I'd say the best concept for a first person character is to surround them with more interesting people he/she/they can talk about and compare themselves to. "...And there goes Bob, looking like some cookie-cutter Chad from Chads-R-Us. I won't blame him for his blonde hair and blue eyes, and the women that chase him I wouldn't chase myself, but I could damn him for how smug he is about it. Though he isn't all bad, I have a about twelve inches on him. So I get to stare down at...I'm talking about his height...perverts."

[@StarlasAiko]

I'm so gonna steal this...

[@epiccthulu]

@@StarlasAiko nah, don’t call it stealing…call it inspiration :)

[@EmperorZelos]

I will give the advice to solve it all. Don't write first person.-

[@AroundTheCampfire]

You don't have to read or write first person stuff if you don't want to 🤷‍♀️