Defining Point of View: Part 2 - Second Person Point of View

If you haven't read part one of the Defining Point of View series, read it here.

Now, I promised this post would be short, and it is. Second person point of view, like I mentioned earlier, is a very uncommon point of view.  Because of this, I will be sparing you any additional torture...other than what's necessary. I’m sure you have other fun things to do (especially on a Friday). 

Some of the research for this post was accomplished at the following sites:

The Writing Gym and Fiction Factor

Second Person Point of View

Second person point of view is a method of narration where the narrator speaks to the protagonist using the word “you”. As an example of this:

“You woke up this morning, in a bad mood. Feeling sluggish, you decided to stay in bed and sleep the day away. Now your boss is calling, wondering where you are. What will you do?”

I’m kind of nauseous after having written that example. Honestly? I can’t imagine why it was ever even brought into existence, other than to be annoying to readers. That is just my opinion, though. Because of the “annoyance factor” the second person point of view method has trickled out of use somewhat. Nonetheless, there are a few authors who still use this style of writing. It is still used in RPG writing, young-adult “you choose the action” novels, and some erotica novels.

Another good reason why this point of view isn’t all too popular is because of the ability to confuse a reader. I take it, including myself, that a lot of people don’t like to be told what to feel and have a hard to getting into the story.

But, like I said, some people still use it. It also used to be popular in the earlier years. An example of a past work that uses this point of view is:

Bright Lights, Big City (Vintage Contemporaries)

I would give you an example that I wrote myself, but I haven’t written anything in this point of view yet (I’m having enough trouble as it is).

Have you ever written anything in second person point of view? Do you know of any novels or examples that use second person point of view? Feel free to share!

Comments

i hate writing in first person view because i always end up with a couple of "you's" in the paragraph or essay

[1ConfusedWriter]

Hi Arabella. Thanks for voicing your views on this subject.

"...akin to pulling all of the hairs out of my body, one by one."

I agree with you, and as a guy, all I can say is "ouch!"

Get well soon!

Vic

[Jude's Wench]

Sorry about the double post, I have NO idea how that happened!

[Jude's Wench]

Second person is impossible for me. I've actually shared Yzabel's experience with tech manuals -- I did some contract work and wrote one up for the state when they changed database programs. Like Yzabel, it grated on me -- it felt sophomoric and insulting. Gah.

As difficult as third person is for me, writing in second person is akin to pulling all of the hairs out of my body, one by one.

You know, it just occured to me -- when I write, my goal is to engage the reader in a sort of intimacy -- I want them to be inside the character's head, inside MY head. This is why first person is so comfortable for me, and third is difficult. Second person is the MOST removed from the character POV, which is probably why it is so painful for me. Hmmmm...

[Jude's Wench]

Second person is impossible for me. I've actually shared Yzabel's experience with tech manuals -- I did some contract work and wrote one up for the state when they changed database programs. Like Yzabel, it grated on me -- it felt sophomoric and insulting. Gah.

As difficult as third person is for me, writing in second person is akin to pulling all of the hairs out of my body, one by one.

You know, it just occured to me -- when I write, my goal is to engage the reader in a sort of intimacy -- I want them to be inside the character's head, inside MY head. This is why first person is so comfortable for me, and third is difficult. Second person is the MOST removed from the character POV, which is probably why it is so painful for me. Hmmmm...

[1ConfusedWriter]

Hello Yzabel,

I didn't think about the second person point of view in technical manuals, but you are right. Thanks for reminding me of that.

I agree, if there's anything harder to read than pure second person point of view, is having it thrown on you midway through the story. I imagine this would be a great way to have readers drop a book like a hot potato.

Thanks for stopping by and commenting. It's nice to hear other perspectives on this topic.

Take care,

Vic

[Yzabel]

The only moments I've had to use it--"had" being the keyword here--was in a technical manual, because I was told to do so, and I hated it all the way long. It felt awkward and insulting for the readers.

I also absolutely dislike when an author switches to second person POV (or something close enough to it that it feels like second person POV) in the middle of a novel for the sake of explaining an element to the reader. It's like a slap in the face, no less, and one that we haven't even deserved. I had this feeling with "the Cobra Event"; right now, I can't remember if it contained real 2nd person POV or just "felt like it", but I cringed more than once while reading it.