By: Anthony Ehlers


I should never have gone back to my hometown. There were too many ghosts waiting for me. First Person. Going back to her hometown was a mistake, Sam realised. There were too many ghosts waiting for her there. Third person.

While these are the most popular in fiction, a writer shouldn't overlook the second person narrator. It is a powerful voice to tell your story.
What is second person?
It's a viewpoint that takes the ‘I' of first person and flips it into the ‘You' of the second person.
You should never go back to your hometown. Too many ghosts wait there for you.
In this clever, distinctive technique you swap the impartial ‘I' for the more involved ‘You'.
The ‘You' character drives the story. This character gets directly into the reader's mind and compels the reader to become a part of the story. It immediately invites the reader to come inside the narrative.
The second person is an intense choice of viewpoint and doesn't suit every writer. Or every story.
When used effectively, it allows the reader to be intimate with your main character from page one. The reader lives the story in this character's skin. It works well with edgy, idiosyncratic, experimental fiction. Jay McInery's cult classic ‘Bright Lights, Big City' is a solid example of the second person.

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[3 Oct 2008 10:47]

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