Second Person Perspective Writing Tips

Ever wonder why there was a jump between first and third person perspective, without second being included? or just curious to know what second person perspective really is? Then keep reading on and we will explore what it is, why it's potentially the best writing perspective, and why it is never heard of.

Second person perspective does not use the traditional first: 'I' or 'we,' nor the third: 'he/she,' 'it,' 'they.' Instead, the main work for second person is: you. Yes you, the reader. You have become the main focus.

Before we delve into what makes second person so powerful, let's look first at why it's so overlooked. Besides the obvious popularity difference, (with third in first, first in second, and second dead last in third) second person is much more difficult to master and do correctly. It takes a great writer with vast intuition to really make second person to work effectively, because one mistake can topple the entire story. Thereby, few writers every attempt it and the art is one for writers testing their prowess.

Now, why is it so powerful? Using you as the focus, it takes control of you and puts you in situations. Explaining your sensations, your reactions to the problem at hand, it easily lures a reader into a deep connection. Unlike the other two, where you have to learn who a person is and try to connect with them, you are now connected right to yourself.

If the writer is good, they can take you from situations you may have gone through, and thrust you into new ones that you never experienced. By intuition alone, they describe how you would act, and if correct the illusion is a success.

However, speaking of the illusion, let's now see why second person can easily topple. If the writer makes a glaring error (not so much on their part, but if they describe a way you would act, and it's not you) then you immediately fall from the story. It's no longer you, but someone else who you thought you knew, who acted just like you, but it's really another character. This leads either to continued interest (if you're lucky), or simply slamming the book and never picking it back up (the more common reaction).

It takes a lot of skill to be successful at this method, but if you can then you have mastered one of the most difficult tasks in writing. You have to intimately know your audience and display their reactions accordingly.