Previously I have been writing in Third Person Omnipresent but I have had a new idea for a book and I want to write it in first person.
I am currently drafting it and testing out some ideas for content and style. I want to write it in first person because I want the story to feel personal and I want a single character to embody the reader and carry them, it's very crucial that that character has an internal dialogue because of the nature of the story.
Thing is, when I read back the first drafted extract it seems too diary-like, to much tell and not enough show. Too much use of 'I' and 'then.' With all the research and googling I have done to try and make my literature flow I just don't seem to be getting there.
I was wondering if any of you have any pointers I could try out? Any tricks that are useful to use when working in first person?
I'll give it a look. My little sister has a copy of it somewhere. Is it actually good or is it a little childish? (says the author of a book about a leprechaun)
I recommend you read the Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. It's a brilliant book written in the First Person.
It really helps! The second draft is reading with a lot more clarity, especially after cleaning up some of the repetition. It was really helpful to be told where I start to tell rather than show; it's crazy to realise how a turn of phrase can change something so much. Some backstory is needed for the second chapter so that will give me a chance to try out the 'Banishment of the I!'
I did like how you refer to the hero as a 'he', I really don't know yet what gender to go with. I am slightly tempted to keep it neutral the whole way through and let the reader decide on what they connect with most.
Thank you once again Lorraine. Your feedback is amazing.
S