According to Zinsser it is best to write in the first person when writing non-fiction. The quote, “Say what you mean and mean what you say.” comes to mind at this as he also points out that you should not be afraid to speak your mind through your writing. The piece no longer becomes yours when the words don’t support what you truly feel or how strongly you feel that way. The only place I don’t use first person is when I’m writing fictional stories where it doesn’t matter if it relays that the author thought this particular way since they are taking you into their mind anyway. They do not need to state that it is their thoughts on something because the whole story came out of the author’s mind in the first place.
Not all fictional writers write in third person, however, since fictional stories can come in diary format or are restricted to one point of view to add mystery. Two excellent examples of first person fiction can be seen in Terrier by Tamora Pierce and The Amber Chronicles by Roger Zelazny. In Terrier each chapter is a diary entry from Beka Cooper’s (the main character) journal while a member of the Guard. In The Amber Chronicles the whole book is written in first person, following one character and his thoughts throughout. Both of these styles keep the reader guessing as to what will happen next and it makes the whole story seem more personal than one written in third person. I plan to write in first person a bit more and see how much of a difference it makes to the people who read it.
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