ABSTRACT
Every story is told from a point of view, the perspective of a particular narrator. A first-person narrator may alternatively be a witness or peripheral narrator, who is still a character in the story, but stands off to one side from the main action. First person is the most straightforward storytelling technique. It often feels immediate and compelling. Access to the character’s thoughts is smooth and instant, without the filter of another narrating voice. The use of an unreliable or naive narrator is a long-established and popular tradition. The large majority of contemporary short stories are written from either the first-person or close third-person point of view. Very occasionally, writers will switch viewpoints part way through the story.
