I’m a writer blog

Guidelines for writing Poems, Stories and Tales

How can I avoid overusing “I” and “I’m” in a first person short story?



Try recasting sentences that start with ‘I’ more objectively, so that the focus is on the what – the emotion, the object, the person, the action and so on – rather than the sense being used to experience it or the I-narrator doing the experience. Use the principles of free indirect speech to reduce your ‘I’ count.

What can I say instead of I in first person?

First person is often used in personal narrative – when the writer is telling a story or relating an experience. This perspective is the writer’s point of view, and the writer becomes the focal point. First person pronouns: I, we, me, us, my, mine, our, and ours.

How do I stop saying I all the time?

Try doing the following:

  1. Dig deeper into the character’s voice. A first person narration should sound as though it’s coming from the character, not the author. …
  2. Dig deeper into the character’s viewpoint. Really put yourself in your character’s shoes. …
  3. Include more observations. …
  4. Include more inner monologue.





How do you avoid using I when writing a book?

To avoid beginning every sentence with “I,” I rearranged a few words, putting the end phrase at the beginning. More importantly, the new arrangements put the important part of the sentence where it has the most impact—at the beginning or the end.

What should you avoid in a first person narrative?

3 Things to Avoid When Writing in First-Person

  • Avoid obvious tags. …
  • Don’t start every sentence with “I.” Starting every line with “I” can become repetitive; vary your sentences by illustrating thoughts or feelings. …
  • Your main character doesn’t always have to narrate.




What can I write instead of I?



To be more specific, words to replace personal pronouns like “I” include “one”, the viewer”, “the author”, “the reader”, “readers”, or something similar. However, avoid overusing those words because your essay will seem stiff and awkward.

How can I start a sentence without using I?

One possibility is to use “my” now and then: instead of “I am experienced in …”, write “My fields of experience include …”. Another possibility is to use references to previous sentences: instead of writing “I developed the method of … . I applied it to the problem of … .” write “I developed … .

How do you state your opinion without using I?

Informal English Phrases

  1. “In my opinion, + [your sentence]”
  2. “I believe that + [your sentence]”
  3. “In my mind, + [your sentence]”
  4. “It would seem that + [your sentence]”
  5. “It could be argued that + [your sentence]”
  6. “This suggests that + [your sentence]”
  7. “This proves that + [your sentence]”

How do you avoid using too much in first person?

Try recasting sentences that start with ‘I’ more objectively, so that the focus is on the what – the emotion, the object, the person, the action and so on – rather than the sense being used to experience it or the I-narrator doing the experience. Use the principles of free indirect speech to reduce your ‘I’ count.

Why should you avoid writing in first person?

When should first person point of view be avoided? Writing from the first person point of view can, at times, weaken the credibility of the writer in research and argument papers. When the paper is written in first person, the work may sound like it is based only on personal opinion.

Why is first person point of view bad?

Limited Viewpoint



A piece written in first person can include only what that main character sees. This limits the amount of information or background in the story. The reader doesn’t get to see the action from any other character’s point of view.

What can I use instead of I in academic writing?

In academic writing, first-person pronouns (“I,” “we”) may be used depending on your field. Second person pronouns (you, yours) should almost always be avoided. Third person pronouns (“he,” “she,” “they”) should be used in a way that avoids gender bias.



How do you write in 3rd person?

When you are writing in the third person, the story is about other people. Not yourself or the reader. Use the character’s name or pronouns such as ‘he’ or ‘she’. “He sneakily crept up on them.

How do you avoid first person?

Try recasting sentences that start with ‘I’ more objectively, so that the focus is on the what – the emotion, the object, the person, the action and so on – rather than the sense being used to experience it or the I-narrator doing the experience. Use the principles of free indirect speech to reduce your ‘I’ count.

How do you start a story in first person example?

In first person, you’re in the head of the point of view character, and you’re using the pronoun “I.” Say we’re writing a book about a woman named Sally, for example. If this story is in first person, you would be writing the book from Sally’s perspective as if from inside Sally’s head.