Many established writers use 1st person POV. Why? Well, they’ve established their voice and their readers validated it by making them ‘established.’

I’m just passing on things that have been discussed on many writing forums. For a writer who does not yet have a book on some at least marginally known “Best-seller” list, using 1st person POV is risky. Why?

Well, simply because the readers might NOT find the writer’s voice (which is 1st POV after all) interesting. Some readers might even find it off-putting. That was at least in half-a-dozen cases of new writers who shared this revelation on couple of writing forums.

But if you think you have an interesting voice – meaning your chosen 1st person POV character is interesting enough to HAVE an interesting voice, to tell a fascinating story then go ahead, give it a try.

Then again, can you, the writer, actually STEP into your 1st-person-POV character and keeping true to that character, deliver a story in a voice that will capture the reader from the get-go…? Few writers can make that claim. This is where that old, dusty advice rears its head – write what you know about and choose your characters from those around you that you know – otherwise, your 1st-person POV is going to be a droning voice at best because 1st POV has a tendency to go into long monologues and narratives – definitely off-putting for many readers.

My advice to new writers has always been: Get proficient in 3rd person limited POV; write the heck out of it before you dip your toes into the 1st person narrative. And remember, that your readers will judge your 1st-person POV character as if he or she IS you – because, after all, you’re using your own voice to tell the story. And you have to be a master of all other POVs to change that voice to ‘become’ the unique feature of your character. And the last thing a new writer — or any writer for that matter — wants is to be ‘critiqued’ or harshly criticized via his/her 1st person POV character. So, I repeat, careful what you’re going for. It may not be what you were aiming for after all….