Introduction

The First Person Past has been used as a main perspective for hundreds of years. From diaries to autobiographies to fiction and fantasy, this point of view is extremely common and very well known, and has been for a long time. You have undoubtedly read a story from this perspective. But should this perspective be used as a main perspective in a story? Is it most effective as such, or should it be used more as a temporary perspective? There are arguments for both sides, and both make valid points. In the end, the conclusion is up to the writer, but in this article, I will share the viewpoints of both sides, and let you determine what is best for you.

Difference In Opinion

A Main Perspective

As said above, First Person Past has been used for a long time. One of my favorite stories, The Master of Ballantrae, by Robert Louis Stevenson, is written completely from this point of view. First Person Past is a pleasant break from Third Person Past, giving the reader a different way of seeing the story. First Person Past and Third Person Past are different in some ways, but in others they are very similar. Looking through the eyes of ‘he,’ is not much different than looking through the eyes of ‘I,’ though ‘I’ can be more engaging and open the story to more personal thoughts and feelings, and humor. There can be as much suspense in First Person Past as in Third Person Past, though the suspense is not so much related to whether the main character will survive or not as it is to what they will experience, how they will react, what the fate of the people around them will be, and what other people, good or bad, will do.

A Temporary Perspective

First Person Past as a main perspective strips away the suspense and wonder on the reader’s side. When you read a story in Third Person Past, since the main character is not ‘I,’ there is constant suspense in the reader’s mind, whether they realize it or not. You do not know whether or not the main character will survive their struggles. But when the main character is ‘I,’ you know you are looking back through time, as if the character is telling their story. Obviously, they have survived. This takes away from the natural curiosity and apprehension the reader automatically feels when they pick up a book.

How, Then, Should It Be Used?

The Main Perspective

From those who argue that it can be used as a main perspective, then it can be used just like that. But writing in First Person Past is different than writing in Third Person Past. For one, it is much harder to have multiple perspectives when you write in First Person, since the reader will attach themselves faster to ‘I’ than they will to ‘he/she.’ Multiple perspectives through First Person split the reader’s attachment to the ‘main character’, dividing their attention and making them, in the end, a little confused. Confusing your reader is one of the last things you want to do. For First Person Past, it is best to keep it to one main character. Unless, of course, you are writing a romance. Then it is possible to have two perspectives, even from ‘I,’ because in the end the two ‘I’s’ are really one. Otherwise, for the ease of your reader, one main character is best. Secondly, an omniscient point of view is extremely difficult through First Person Past. If you need to give the reader information that ‘I’ will not learn, using Omniscient or Third Person Past as a temporary perspective is possible, but must be used with utmost care and thought. Again, you do not want to confuse your reader.

The Temporary Perspective

First Person Past is not a useless perspective. But for greatest effectiveness, it should be used as a temporary rather than a main perspective. But this does not mean that it should be used sparingly. In a short story that I wrote for my mother’s birthday, I portrayed the story through the point of view of one main character, however, I showed what he saw through both First Person and Third Person. He keeps a diary and writes his experiences and thoughts often, making the perspective at the moment First Person, sometimes Past, sometimes Present. But when he is not writing in his diary, the story is from the Third Person Past. In the prologue, epilogue, and entologues (yes, I included an entologue, which is not technically a real thing, but I needed it, so I used it) I used Third Person, but almost through an omniscient point of view. Using First Person Past as a temporary perspective can be great fun and very enjoyable for both the writer and the reader, and it does not take away the suspense as using First Person Past as a main perspective would. On the contrary, it helps build the suspense, and draws the reader closer to the main character, since they can see him from all sides.

Conclusion

As I said at the beginning of the article, the conclusion is up to you. Which do you think is best? Are both arguments equally valid? Is one way of writing First Person Past better than another, or do they both have a place in story? As always, experiment! That is one of the greatest things about writing. There are so many things to work with and through. Use it to your advantage. Which way is more effective for your audience? What is your purpose for the story, and which way will aid you in reaching your goal?

Next Week…

Next week, we will talk about the Third Person Past. Yes, I skipped First Person Future and Third Person Present, since I have no experience with these and I have never seen books written from these perspectives. Third Person Past is a commonly used perspective. But is it the best, the most effective way to tell a story? What about multiple perspectives using this point of view? We will talk about all of that next Thursday. Until then, keep writing, keep learning, and keep growing.