Should You Write In First Or Third Person ?
Early in the process of writing, every writer will need to make
a decision -- what person to write in?
Traditionally, English grammar has divided references to people
into three categories, to refer to I, you, and he or she. The
first person is I, me, my, we, our, and so on. The second person
is you and your. The third person is he, she, they, their, his,
hers, him, her, and so on.
However, most writing tasks are written in either first or third
person. Instructional and how-to type writing can be written in
second person and some fiction -- although rarely.
How does a writer decide which person is right for their writing
task?
For many writers, the first and only criteria used is comfort
and experience. As most of our oral communication takes place in
the first person and much informal written communication is in
first person, many people are just more comfortable writing in
first person.
However that doesn't mean that first person is the ideal choice
for that particular writing task.
First person is a great choice when you intend to write
informally or casually. Even if the task itself is actually for
a formal or professional purpose, you may deliberately choose a
casual tone. Then first person is the right choice.
First person is also a wonderful choice when writing about
personal experience. If you are sharing a story about your life
or an event that you witnessed then many times it is more
powerful written in first person. The writer is a part of the
story and it is important for the reader to know that so first
person is the right choice here as well.
There are many times, though, when third person really is the
better choice. In fact, many academic and professional
situations require it as first person is more casual and
informal.
The biggest reason to move from first to third person is simply
that third person takes the writer (the "I") out of the writing
which places the emphasis on what is being said rather than who
is saying it.
It creates a sense of more objectivity and distance--the
writer's feelings and personality are peripheral to an
argument's validity--the facts are allowed to speak for
themselves.
Writing in third person is also stronger and more forceful
therefore is often more convincing. Often the "I" statement
weakens an argument or statement.
Often first person is unnecessary ie. I think [most students do
not need algebra]. Many of the first-person elements (I think, I
believe,I know, etc.) often simply weaken or bog down the
writing for no purpose. Taking those out to make the switch to
third person can make the writing stronger and more powerful.
If you want to learn and grow as a writer then you must
experiment and gain experience using both first and third
person. That way you will make the choice based on the purpose
of your writing not simply your comfort level.