Point of View: Real World Writing
Bruce Woods
Most people tend to start writing in first person because it's the easiest, it's the letter form. I did this, I did that. And if you've done any kind of writing in terms of letters or e-mail, you're probably writing in first person. Second person especially is such a rare person. Because it is kind of intrusive. You know, it pushes the article on the reader almost. "No, you do this and you do that." Third person very often is going to come into a more expository article, an informative article, even a how-to article, although the best how-to articles always bring first person in somewhere.
First person would be: I saw the aircraft fall.
Second person would be: You see the aircraft fall, you move, you are undecided as to how to respond.
Third person would be: They saw the aircraft fall, they drew a breath as one.

Peter Farrelly
I've had a hard time writing in the third person because when I do I find it very stiff and mannered, whereas when I write in the first person I have a natural voice, It's my…quite similar to the way I would talk.

Sue Grafton
I know there are many mystery novels written with close third, or distant third or omnipotent third. I prefer first person because it keeps me connected at a very gut level to that character. The danger of first person is that sometimes, if the voice becomes irritating to the reader, instead of the reader getting absorbed through the voice into the story, the reader is constantly aware of this little chirping narrator. So you have to be careful with first person point of view that you don't fall in love with the sound of your own voice.

Janet Turner
If any other officer is involved they have to write a supplement report. You can refer to them but you can't …you can say, "Well I heard 'em say this", but you can't say what they saw or experienced so it's always in first person. I was on duty, I responded, I did this, I observed this, and that's how you write.

Charles Turner
My students for example, when they're writing historical analysis paper will use the first person, and it's a tough lesson that in historical analysis and I'm tough with them, I say nobody cares about your opinion. What does the facts and evidence say? Can you support your point of view with the facts and evidence? And one of the ways I'm able to get through my students is that, how is your textbook written? You become the authority, you marshall the facts and evidence to make a coherent argument.

Kathleen Bell
We talk about using second person as a voice when you're writing, then it's, the pronoun I think that requires the greatest balance. Because "You" can be very familiar when I sit around and I'm talking with you and I know you. And I say, you know, are you going to come over, I'd really like to do this with you, remember when you did this? And that's very pleasant. It's very close. Because it's close, things can be taken personally. So that if your tone changes, and you're instructing, or you're directing someone, then the 'you' becomes almost adversarial. That is, I'm putting myself above you then. When I say "Well if you would please get your ducks in a row, if you would please pay more attention to such and such" that's the tone that comes across then. If I'm admonishing you for something, or I'm trying to get you to do something. And people feel offended, because 'you' is a personal pronoun. Very personal.

Peter Rubie
Point of view can be thought of as a camera lens and it's very interesting where you start off with third person subjective, which is over somebody's shoulder, then you get to, what we were just talking about, which is Frank McCourt; I am here. I am going through this experience. And with each shift of the point of view what you've done is you've brought the camera lens closer and closer to the reader, and therefore you've increased the emotional intensity of the piece.