All About Writing in Second Person

Second-person point of view involves telling a story through the pronoun “you.” Compared to first-person (I, my) and third-person (she, he, they) point of view, second-person POV is the least used perspective. This video is my love letter to second-person stories, and I try to provide a comprehensive look into this oft-maligned POV, including:

+ Advantages and disadvantages of writing in this perspective
+ Different forms “you” can take within a story
+ Why “direct address” is often mistaken for being second-person POV
+ The complex layers of meaning that this perspective creates
+ Ample examples of effective second-person narratives

As author Kathy Fish says of second person, “It powerfully conveys a sense of both intimacy and universality. This story could be about you or me or all of us. Direct and compelling, it is the literary equivalent of making good eye contact. You are saying to the reader: Pay attention.”

You can read a text version of this video on Medium: https://quotidianwriter.medium.com/the-complete-guide-to-writing-fiction-in-second-person-6ca0af4d627f

Love my channel? Treat me to a cup of coffee at https://ko-fi.com/quotidianwriter.

List of Recommended Reading for Second-Person POV: https://ko-fi.com/post/Recommended-Reading-for-Second-Person-Point-of-Vie-J3J794AVN

My Published Stories and Poems: https://www.quotidianwriter.com/my-writing

Twitter: https://twitter.com/QuotidianWriter

Opening Animation by Vitor A. Dupont: https://www.behance.net/vitordupont

Post-Production Audio Editing by Dryden Meints: https://www.meintsproductions.com

Title and End Music: “Clockwork” by Vindsvept - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Zl4EGLoiI8&t=83s

Background Music by Vindsvept:
+ "Illuminate"
+ "Light the Bonfire"
+ "Hideaway"
+ "Through the Woods We Ran"
+ "Alone"
+ "Homeward Bound"
+ "Veiled in Light"
+ "A Place to Call Home"
+ "Chasing Shadows"

SOURCES

UNNATURAL VOICES by Brian Richardson: https://www.google.com/books/edition/Unnatural_Voices/qdkENNIPNcIC?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=second%20person

Michael Bourne’s review of BRIGHT LIGHTS, BIG CITY: https://themillions.com/2014/09/its-2014-do-you-know-where-you-are-bright-lights-big-city-at-30.html

“Leopard” by Wells Tower (short story): https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2008/11/10/leopard

“What is a second-person narrative point of view?” by Louise Harnby:
https://www.louiseharnbyproofreader.com/blog/what-is-a-second-person-narrative-point-of-view#:~:text=In%20this%20example%20from%20Complicity,once%20and%20then%20goes%20limp

Electric Lit Interview with Jeff VanderMeer, author of The Southern Reach Trilogy:
https://electricliterature.com/interview-jeff-vandermeer-author-of-the-southern-reach-trilogy/

Darlene Reilley’s Review of IF ON A WINTER’S NIGHT A TRAVELER…:
https://darwrites.com/2017/06/27/a-study-in-second-person-italo-calvinos-if-on-a-winters-night-a-traveler/

Reading Women Podcast Interview with Xhenet Aliu, author of BRASS:
https://www.readingwomenpodcast.com/blog/2018/02/23/qa-xhenet-aliu

Porter House Review Interview with Carmen Maria Machado about IN THE DREAM HOUSE:
https://porterhousereview.org/articles/reviving-the-beauty-of-a-nightmare-an-interview-with-carmen-maria-machado/

“As Seen on TV” by Kyra Kondis in X-R-A-Y (short story): https://xraylitmag.com/as-seen-on-tv-by-kyra-kondis/fiction/
“Oh You!: A Taxonomy of the Second Person” by Siân Griffiths in Waxwing: http://waxwingmag.org/items/issue21/66_Griffiths-Oh-You-A-Taxonomy-of-the-Second-Person.php

Introduction (0:00)
Disadvantages of Second Person (1:52)
Advantages of Second Person (4:17)
Ways to Use the Pronoun “You” (7:51)
Audience Address (9:34)
Character Address (13:05)
Reader Insert (16:34)
Distant Narration (22:20)
Hypothetical (25:48)
Blending Forms (29:34)
Overview (33:24)
General Advice for Writing in Second Person (35:56)

Видео All About Writing in Second Person канала Diane Callahan - Quotidian Writer