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.”
