There are so many ways to tell a Prisoners of our own web story.

You might write it exactly as you would tell it to your friends, in a stream of consciousness. You might write it from your own perspective, using “I” as your pronoun, in the first person. You may use second person perspective, using “you,” or third person, when you are an outside observer of people’s story.

Many novels are typically written in the third person, whereas most people tell their stories to their friends in the first person, and give advice in the second person point of view.

Then there is the “tone” or “voice” of the story. Is this strict and formal, is it conversational and informal, is it more of a factual reporter’s tone or a fable/story? There are so many ways to tell a story!

I sometimes get too reporter-like and just casually report the facts of a story, which is not the most interesting thing to read! I often have to stop and think about what I’m trying to say, in order to make it a more interesting story to read, and really think about the scene I want to describe. Good storytelling is so powerful!

Let’s have an example of two very different ways to tell the same story.

Here is a straightforward story:

On Monday, May 1, 2017, Jyssica was walking down the street near her apartment in Brooklyn when a sudden gust of wind took her hat and tossed it down the block. As she ran after it, Jyssica tripped and fell. Hurting but not seriously injured, she was able to get back up and limp home, counting the hat as lost.

So, it’s technically telling a story, but not in an altogether interesting way. One way I could retell it in a more interesting, more storytelling-type of way is this:

It was an overcast Monday in Brooklyn. The tree limbs shook their leaves off, and gusts of wind were pushing people toward or away from their destinations with such determination. As Jyssica fought her way home, dreaming of her warm apartment and the book she was so close to finishing, her hat was torn from her head and carried away. Looking up, she watched the wind dance her hat further away with each breath, and she gave chase. An uneven bit of sidewalk blocked her way, and Jyssica tripped and tumbled to the ground in what could only be called inelegant and a toast to her uncoordinated style. Though not seriously injured, Jyssica gave up the battle, said goodbye to her cap, and limped her way down the final block home. Defeated, she curled up with tea, her cat, and a book to revive her spirits.

To me, this was a much more fun way to read the same story. It feels more real, has more depth, and describes the scene in a way that I can see it more clearly. That is an example of third person storytelling, in both examples.

This same story could be reported, described, and written in prose in first or second person perspective, or in any way you can think of.

Life is a story, it’s all about how you tell it!

Are you a storyteller? What perspectives do you use? How did you hone your skills? Do you have a better way of telling the same story as above? I’d love to discuss the pros and cons of different perspectives and how you use them!