Second person narratives are not very common. When it comes to fiction, second person narratives are the most daring. If you are looking to cause a stir in the world of literature, a second person narrative may be just the way to go. Writing a second person narrative without guidelines may prove disappointing. Writing in second person perspective may be tough but it is very rewarding. Second person narratives have the ability to draw your reader in and the story is appealing and personal to your reader. This article will give you the guidelines on writing a second person narrative.
Second person perspective needs to work for your story. You should have something you are trying to achieve from writing a second perspective narrative. Writing in second person to prove your literary genius is not enough. Some stories cannot be written in second person. For a story to work as a second person, it’s not a must that it be a how to. The ability to make your story vulnerable and having sensitive characters is what will make your work special.
A second person narrative draws its difficulty from the fact that it can get repetitive. It’s important to try not to keep reminding your reader or even yourself that you are writing in second person. This can be achieved by avoiding the use of pronouns ‘you’, ‘your’ and ‘yours’. This can be achieved by use of implied second person. Implied second person helps you achieve an imperative rather than a declarative form. With second person narratives you cannot totally avoid the use of the second person pronouns but you need to limit their use.
Your narrator needs to be a fully developed character. It is not uncommon for the author to not give details about the main character. Telling readers about their personalities and even sexual preferences may seem somehow awkward. You need to remind yourself that that’s the nature of second person narratives. Your narrator should be more than just a cardboard character. Another important thing is setting your story in the present tense. Second person narratives create an intimacy between you and your reader that is difficult to achieve with other perspectives. With intimacy and immediacy created by second person point of view narratives it is difficult to achieve detachment which is also a necessity. The detachment effect is achieved by setting your story in the present. Use these guidelines when writing a second person narrative to have great work.