Article: " Though you are writing from the perspective of the "I" in the first person point of view, you do not want every sentence to begin with "I." Doing this can make the narrative feel repetitive and stilted. Try to vary up your sentences so you do not start with "I" in every sentence or have "I" in sentence after sentence. For example, rather than have two sentences like, "I ran down the stairs, my heart pounding. I could hear the killer spider skittering on the wall behind me," you can write, "I ran down the stairs, my heart pounding. Behind me, the killer spider skittered on the wall." " Allow the first person narrator to describe a scene or moment from their point of view. Do not use the passive voice when describing a scene or moment through your first person narrator. This can make the narrative sound like a report or a summary of events, rather than let the reader experience the events as they unfold. For example, rather than write, "I bumped into Marsha and she told me she left her homework at home. I felt sorry for her and told her not to get so upset," you may place the reader right in a scene. You may write, "As I turned the corner of the gym, I bumped into Marsha. 'I forgot my homework at home,' she complained. I put my hand on her shoulder and tried to comfort her. 'Don't be too upset,' I said to her." " Using "I thought," "I saw," or "I felt" in the narrative can create distance between the reader and the first person perspective. Avoid using them when you are writing in the first person, as they can weaken the narrative. For example, rather than write, "I felt sad about losing her as a friend," you may write, "Sadness filled my body as I realized I was losing her as a friend." You can also often simply remove "I thought" or "I saw" in a sentence to make the first person point of view stronger. For example, rather than write, "I passed her in the hall and almost stopped to talk to her. Then, I thought, why bother, she's just going to reject you anyway," remove "I thought" and tighten up the action in the sentence. You may write, "I passed her in the hall and almost stopped to talk to her. But I kept walking. Why bother, she's just going to reject me anyway."
What is a summary of what this article is about?
Avoid starting every sentence with "I. Do not report on the action using the "I. Try not to place distance between the reader and the "I.