The Earned First Person

Writing in the first person is a familiar mode for many of us. But when does it add to a reported, longform story and when does it detract from it? This is emphatically not a memoir class. In fact, at every turn, we will interrogate whether the first-person is merited. The first person can be used to bear witness or take us on a quest or build an argument. Other times, it’s navel-gazing and gratuitous. We’ll focus on how to use the first-person to create engrossing, well-structured narratives with unique perspectives.