First, Second, Third Person POV by Patty Blount

 If you’ve read my YA novels, you already know I like to write dual POV stories.  I also like writing from the first person POV because I think it immerses you more fully in character ordeals. 

But some genres have certain conventions. For example, as I write more adult stories these days, those lean to third person. 

It’s one of a writer’s hardest decisions - choosing POV. If you change your mind, you have to rewrite because spellcheck doesn’t work ! 

One thing we don’t see much of is second person POV. Second person is using the YOU convention rather than I.  

I decided to try it in my debut novel, SEND. 

I’m still happy with the emotional punch this scene packs! What do you think? 

  “You can’t imagine how bad it is until it happens to you. You try to apologize, tell them you didn’t know, you didn’t mean it, that you’re not a bad kid, but they don’t listen and lock you up anyway. They put you in with the real bad kids, rapists, gangbangers, murderers. And you think this isn’t real. This can’t be happening—­ it’s a dream, just a bad dream, only you don’t wake up. You’re just a kid, just a stupid kid who clicked Send, but it is real, and it’s your life now. You’re afraid. You’re so friggin’ scared, but there’s nobody to go to, nobody but the kids you’re afraid of.

They come for you. They come for you at night, and they hurt you.”

Second person POV is a great way to show a character trying to disassociate from something traumatic. 

What’s your favorite POV to read?