Quick tips for 1st person pov story.

[SinderellaSin]

So I like to experiment a little. From an odd, creative poem to what's being licked off me, lol.

I've finally decided to write a story from a character's point of view. I guess 1st person pov. Any quick tips or thoughts on how to write this? I'd like people to understand this character's thought process, why she does what she does.

Ive already started then looked at it and thought no it needs more depth to her thoughts, more feeling, describing those moments, the sensations or just the triggers that change her.

Any thoughts welcome.

Sx

 

[EmilyMiller]

So I like to experiment a little. From an odd, creative poem to what's being licked off me, lol.

I've finally decided to write a story from a character's point of view. I guess 1st person pov. Any quick tips or thoughts on how to write this? I'd like people to understand this character's thought process, why she does what she does.

Ive already started then looked at it and thought no it needs more depth to her thoughts, more feeling, describing those moments, the sensations or just the triggers that change her.

Any thoughts welcome.

Sx

What are your struggling with?

For first person I try to immerse myself in the narrator’s situation (regardless of species or gender). I try to feel that I am them, and then think about what I’d notice, feel, smell, the impact that events would have on me.

It helps to establish the character first. Are they shy and coming out of their shell? Are they trying something for the first time? And so on…

Serendipitously, here is an example:

https://forum.literotica.com/threads/friday-writing-prompt-slap.1654012/

 

[StillStunned]

If you're writing from 1P POV, remember that you can't describe anything the character doesn't know. You can't say what another character is thinking. You can't describe your POV character's expression.

What you can do is say things like "From the sudden look of surprise on Terrence's face, I guessed I hadn't been able to keep the fury out of my eyes." Or "A shift in Eleanor's expression made me wonder whether she suspected what was really going on." Or "I felt my cheeks burn, and I knew that everyone could see my shame."

 

[Voboy]

Just put yourself into the character and write it out.

I mostly write in FP, and in general, I find that if the character is fighting me and keeping me out, then it's not the right character to narrate the story. If I've just started writing, and I like the premise, I'll consider backing out and finding another narrator. If I'm pretty far along, I'll just abandon the whole thing.

 

[EmilyMiller]

You can't say what another character is thinking.

Melissa was shocked at what I said.

Melissa appeared shocked at what I said.

From the look on her face, Melissa’s shock at my words was obvious.

 

[StillStunned]

Melissa was shocked at what I said.

Melissa appeared shocked at what I said.

From the look on her face, Melissa’s shock at my words was obvious.

But sometimes (because every rule guideline best practice tip has exceptions) you can get away with it. At the start of a new scene, after something big has happened, you could write:

Melissa was shocked when I told her what I'd seen. "I don't believe it!" she said over and over. "Barry? Nerdy Barry with the enormous glasses? And Elmira? I don't believe it!"

The difference being, probably, that the narrator has enough evidence to know for sure what Melissa is feeling, instead of just making a best guess.

 

[Statius]

So I like to experiment a little. From an odd, creative poem to what's being licked off me, lol.

I've finally decided to write a story from a character's point of view. I guess 1st person pov. Any quick tips or thoughts on how to write this? I'd like people to understand this character's thought process, why she does what she does.

Ive already started then looked at it and thought no it needs more depth to her thoughts, more feeling, describing those moments, the sensations or just the triggers that change her.

Any thoughts welcome.

Sx

I look at it like this.
The POV character is the movie camera. What do you/ they see as the camera pans across?

YOU are the POV character. How do you feel and interact in this setting? What do you feel? Smell? How does touch affect you in that setting/scene?

Ist works best if you're in the characters head, that's why I ask the question using the word 'you'. If/ when you know your character well enough you'll be able to remove yourself and ask how your character would react.

 

[Voboy]

But sometimes (because every rule guideline best practice tip has exceptions) you can get away with it. At the start of a new scene, after something big has happened, you could write:

Melissa was shocked when I told her what I'd seen. "I don't believe it!" she said over and over. "Barry? Nerdy Barry with the enormous glasses? And Elmira? I don't believe it!"

The difference being, probably, that the narrator has enough evidence to know for sure what Melissa is feeling, instead of just making a best guess.

Things like this can be used as an opportunity to deepen the reader's understanding of the narrator, too. There's a difference among the three following paragraphs, even though they try to communicate the same basic idea: that Melissa is shocked.

1. It took me a moment to figure out the expression on Melissa's face, a look sort of like she'd just sucked on a lemon while getting her butt slapped. It slowly dawned on me what it was: shock.

2. Melissa was not easy to shock. I'd once taken her to an improv show where two of the actors had wound up completely naked and simulating sex, and while the audience had mostly just looked awkwardly away, Melissa had just watched with a slight smile on her lips. Maybe that's why I didn't quite understand the expression I saw on her face just then. Really? Was it possible I'd said something that would shock the famously unflappable Melissa?

3. Sure, I have a smart mouth. I get that a lot of people end up telling stories about the things I say, and frankly, I don't care very much. But Melissa? Normally she was right there with me, swearing like a sailor. Now she just looked at me a bit blankly, letting me know that this time? For once? I might have gone a bit too far.

 

[MelissaBaby]

Melissa was shocked at what I said.

Melissa appeared shocked at what I said.

From the look on her face, Melissa’s shock at my words was obvious.

Melissa is often shocked at what you've said, in any POV.

 

[MelissaBaby]

For your first draft, just imagine you are sitting with a friend and telling them the story as if it happened to you. Enhance and expand from there.

 

[EmilyMiller]

But sometimes (because every rule guideline best practice tip has exceptions) you can get away with it. At the start of a new scene, after something big has happened, you could write:

Melissa was shocked when I told her what I'd seen. "I don't believe it!" she said over and over. "Barry? Nerdy Barry with the enormous glasses? And Elmira? I don't believe it!"

The difference being, probably, that the narrator has enough evidence to know for sure what Melissa is feeling, instead of just making a best guess.

I agree - but it has to be a situation in which the emotion felt by the other party is one that that reader would anticipate themselves.

 

[EmilyMiller]

Things like this can be used as an opportunity to deepen the reader's understanding of the narrator, too. There's a difference among the three following paragraphs, even though they try to communicate the same basic idea: that Melissa is shocked.

1. It took me a moment to figure out the expression on Melissa's face, a look sort of like she'd just sucked on a lemon while getting her butt slapped. It slowly dawned on me what it was: shock.

2. Melissa was not easy to shock. I'd once taken her to an improv show where two of the actors had wound up completely naked and simulating sex, and while the audience had mostly just looked awkwardly away, Melissa had just watched with a slight smile on her lips. Maybe that's why I didn't quite understand the expression I saw on her face just then. Really? Was it possible I'd said something that would shock the famously unflappable Melissa?

3. Sure, I have a smart mouth. I get that a lot of people end up telling stories about the things I say, and frankly, I don't care very much. But Melissa? Normally she was right there with me, swearing like a sailor. Now she just looked at me a bit blankly, letting me know that this time? For once? I might have gone a bit too far.

As I applied the anode and cathode to her skin and turned the dial on the machine, Melissa looked shocked.

 

[EmilyMiller]

Another amp of epi, IV push. Charge to two hundred. Clear!

Normal sinus.

As Melissa regained consciousness, she sure looked shocked.

 

[Voboy]

As I applied the anode and cathode to her skin and turned the dial on the machine, Melissa looked shocked.

Around the time electricity ruptured her eyeballs, I finally understood: Melissa was shocked.

 

[EmilyMiller]

So sorry @MelissaBaby

 

[Cagivagurl]

But sometimes (because every rule guideline best practice tip has exceptions) you can get away with it. At the start of a new scene, after something big has happened, you could write:

Melissa was shocked when I told her what I'd seen. "I don't believe it!" she said over and over. "Barry? Nerdy Barry with the enormous glasses? And Elmira? I don't believe it!"

The difference being, probably, that the narrator has enough evidence to know for sure what Melissa is feeling, instead of just making a best guess.

Sorry, but I disagree....
Regardless of what happened, you (In 1st person) cannot know for certain. She might look or sound shocked, but you do not know. She might be lying, or a great actress... You can only assume to know...
You can see she looks, or sounds shocked, but that is the extent of your knowledge.
IMO... Of course. At least, that is my understanding....

 

[Andreas_Kreuz]

I would say contradictions:
I constantly fought back my tears, but when Melissa asked me how I was doing, I answered, "Fine."
And arguing with oneself. This shows the character sees alternatives.
Should I get this Queen of Spades tattoo? Then everyone would see I wanted to be fucked by black men and submit to them. Do I want this? Yes!
It is also ok to explain why a character does something if it adds to the story.
I pulled out the dress I had bought 5 years ago, but had never been brave enough to wear. Today it was just right.

 

[BeechLeaf]

A first-person story might have a framing device ('I take up my pen in this year 17--' or 'I suppose you want to know how it all started'). This might affect how the narrator reveals things. But in real life, when you're telling someone something, you don't say 'she looked shocked' unless you have special reason to. It's not the normal way of reporting that someone was shocked.

She was shocked when I told her how much money I'd won / that I'd been sacked / that her husband had told me he was seeing someone else.

Ordinarily, someone is shocked if and only if they look shocked. We report this using the simpler phrasing. Of course someone might be brave at hiding it, or might be acting. But in real life conversation, to say 'she looked shocked' is often to imply something more: perhaps I don't think she really was. The longer phrasing carries a burden.

 

[Annabelle1990]

So I like to experiment a little. From an odd, creative poem to what's being licked off me, lol.

I've finally decided to write a story from a character's point of view. I guess 1st person pov. Any quick tips or thoughts on how to write this? I'd like people to understand this character's thought process, why she does what she does.

Ive already started then looked at it and thought no it needs more depth to her thoughts, more feeling, describing those moments, the sensations or just the triggers that change her.

Any thoughts welcome.

Sx

I just write about me and the rest comes naturally, so maybe start with that. Just write about you.

 

[consistentlyrepudiated]

Writing, like any creative process, is an intuitive, almost trancelike experience, so I'm not sure how much pre-analyzing would help - but here are my two cents.

There are two options. The first is to place yourself as the main character: your outlook, your preferences, and your memories. You write in your own natural voice and tell the story as if you were talking to a friend. It's the most common approach, and many popular writers on Lit, like DreamCloud, use the same narrator and voice throughout all their stories.

The second option is to step out of the way and immerse yourself completely in a different character. This is obviously more challenging because you have to think, feel, and react through a different lens while staying consistent throughout the piece.

Regarding linking verbs like "looked" or "seemed," it really comes down to the narrator's psychology. Even though a 1P narrator isn't psychic, an authoritative voice will often favor the confidence of "was" over the hesitation of "looked" or "seemed."

 

[liliput1]

If you're writing from 1P POV, remember that you can't describe anything the character doesn't know. You can't say what another character is thinking. You can't describe your POV character's expression.

There’s a gray area here which some book reviewers turned me onto when having a little rant about how hard writing 1P novels is and how some authors excel at it. Short stories don’t have to carry an idea as far and I suspect that makes it much easier.

You can present information that the narrator notes but does not understand. Or misunderstands. That can be foreshadowing for later on when the truth comes out. Or the dramatic tension that has to resolve. And you can use spoken rather than thought words to reveal the epiphany for some added oomph in that moment.

 

[SoCalAshley]

I’ve written most of my stories in first-person POV. The one downside is that the number one question I'm always asked is "Are your stories true?" Well, as any writer of erotica knows, the answer is yes—if you define “true” as mostly accurate but heavily edited and wildly exaggerated where the character sucks, fucks, and cums.

 

[SmilingLez]

So I like to experiment a little. From an odd, creative poem to what's being licked off me, lol.

I've finally decided to write a story from a character's point of view. I guess 1st person pov. Any quick tips or thoughts on how to write this? I'd like people to understand this character's thought process, why she does what she does.

Ive already started then looked at it and thought no it needs more depth to her thoughts, more feeling, describing those moments, the sensations or just the triggers that change her.

Any thoughts welcome.

Sx

I always flesh out the MC (and LI) first, before writing the first draft of my story. By the time I start writing the story the MC's voice is loud and proud. YMMV

 

[Britva415]

Ive already started then looked at it and thought no it needs more depth to her thoughts, more feeling, describing those moments, the sensations or just the triggers that change her.

Way to solve your issue!

 

[Britva415]

As I applied the anode and cathode to her skin and turned the dial on the machine, Melissa looked shocked.