Thread: Second Person Writing

You read this post and think "this guy's nuts." But somewhere in the back of your head the thought that it might be fun arises. You think it could be possible to write a short story this way, but you are quick to deny the possibility. You search your bookshelf for any quirky second person books you might have bought on a whim, but fail to find any. "What am I thinking?" you think, and sit back in your chair to write a reply to this topic.

I have found second person POV works well for more erotic short stories. Don't worry, I won't post examples!

Originally Posted by alanmt

I have found second person POV works well for more erotic short stories. Don't worry, I won't post examples!

Can you send some via private mail? Hehehe

Anyway, I think a whole story/novel using second person would drive me nuts and I like to think I'm average and normal.

It works well in...short bursts of inner voice that becomes part of the narrative, in my opinion.

The Night by Ray Bradbury.

I've only written in second person once. It started out as a rant, and pretty much remains a rant to the end. It may turn up in room 101 sometime.

There was one published in the New Yorker, early this year or late last year. I remember being impressed and showing it to some writer friends, but to be honest, I now can't remember what it was about.

Works well as letters and, like Alan, I've found it works okay for more erotic pieces (the shorter the better though).

Bright Lights Big City by Jay McInerney was written in entirely second person. I never read it so I can't tell you my thoughts on reading an entire novel in this style. There was a movie version of it I saw as a kid but of course they had a lead actor (Michael J. Fox) and thus eliminated the second person narration.

I don't like the sound of it at all. I don't even like first person naration.

I have read a few stories in 2nd POV and if you can pull it off, then its not much of a bad idea.

Of course second person pov is possible. Not sure why the op thinks it's not because there are plenty of stories out there that use it. I've only read a couple and thought they were okay - I'd need a weird idea indeed to write in it myself (maybe some kind of post-apoc porno) - but I've never thought they didn't exist or werent a possibility.