The Places You’ll Go in Your Writing With Second Person POV

by PeggySue Wells @PeggySueWells

The flavor of Second Person POV is distinctive. 

One familiar example is found in the book most often given as a gift to high school and college graduates, Oh, The Places You'll Go! 

Popular children's books author Dr. Seuss used Second Person POV in this classic when he wrote

“You have brains in your head.

You have feet in your shoes.

You can steer yourself any direction you choose.

You're on your own.

And you know what you know.

And YOU are the one who'll decide where to go...”

Second Person POV uses the pronouns You, Yours, and Yourself. 

In this POV, the reader is part of the story. The narrator describes the readers' actions, background, feelings, and thoughts.

Cowboys

This perspective is not often used in fiction writing because it is hard to maintain consistently over time. Readers enjoy feeling immersed in a story, but it’s hard for them to suspend their disbelief completely and become a part of the action. For instance, your reader may enjoy hearing about the life of a cowboy, explorer, or hostage, but imagining being in that position for an extended period can be exhaustive. 

Similarly, Second Person POV shows up when people speak about themselves without taking personal responsibility. 

This sounds like, "You know when you try to go to sleep at night but thinking about the next day's test keeps you awake?" 

Or authors who write, "You feel abandoned by God when your prayers are not answered." Such generalities are off-putting for readers who don't feel the way the writer described. The connection the writer hoped to establish with the reader instead resulted in a lack of shared experience. 

After all, some folks do not have a sleepless night prior to a test. Some readers may not feel abandoned by God while waiting for answers to prayers. But the reader may feel like the writer does not understand them and is speaking out of turn on their behalf. Those examples may be better written as “Thinking about the next day’s test keeps me awake all night.” Or “When I don’t see an immediate answer to my prayer, I feel abandoned by God. Perhaps you feel the same way.”

For instructional writing, second-person point of view can seem accusatory and suggest that you’re looking down on your reader when combined with phrases like you should, you need to, or you have to. 

Yet, Second Person perspective is particularly useful in shorter pieces. Most often, Second Person POV is effective in flash fiction, poetry, short stories, song lyrics, video games, and writing for children. 

Marketing

A second-person narrative voice can appeal to a specific type of customer when applied in marketing.

Greeting cards frequently use this point of view with sentiments such as 

• You are four years old today!

• You did it! Congratulations.

• Aw, you shouldn't have. But you did!

Advertisements commonly use Second Person POV as an inclusive sales tactic. This style creates a personal connection to the product, makes the slogan easy to memorize, and often serves to nurture trust in the product for the consumer.

• Allstate: "You're in Good Hands" 

• Apple: "Think Different" 

• Burger King: "Have it your way" 

• Budweiser: "For all you do, this Bud's for you" 

• Lay's Potato Chips: "Betcha Can't Eat Just One" 

• L'Oréal Paris: "Because You're Worth It" 

• Nike: "Just Do It"

Second Person POV serves as an effective hook for marketing.

• Looking for a mystery suspense novel to take on vacation?

• Be sure to check out the resources at SingleMomCircle.com and live life easier and simpler.

• You have a message or a story you want to share with the world.

Roller Coasters and Films

Disney uses Second Person POV in their immersive rides. Park-goers are more than riders on a roller coaster, they are the hero of their own adventures when they step into a Disney attraction such as 

• Big Thunder Mountain Railroad

• Haunted Mansion

• Indiana Jones

• It's a Small World

• Jungle Cruise

• Pirates of the Caribbean

• Star Tours

Second Person POV is used in TV and films when the character breaks the fourth wall and speaks directly to the viewer. Shows that have employed this include 

• The Office 

• Parks and Recreation

• Trailer for the Star Wars film, The Force Awakens

• Enola Holmes

Second Person POV serves as a hook to bring readers into an article or story.

• Have you ever killed anyone?

• Tired of the same holiday recipes?

• Ever have one of those days?

Speeches commonly include Second Person POV to create an inclusiveness within a cause. 

• You want the best for your children. We all do. That’s why you’re investing in their future.

• You must be the change you wish to see in the world. 

• People do what they do for their own reasons and it rarely has anything to do with you.

While there are exceptions to this as to all other rules, Second Person POV is a unique tool particularly effective when used in smaller projects that contain fewer words than the typical book project.

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The Places You’ll Go in Your Writing With Second Person POV from @PeggySueWells on @EdieMelson (Click to Tweet)

PeggySue Wells is the bestselling author of 40 books and collaborator of many more. Action and adventure, romantic suspense, military romance, and cozy mystery are the page-turning novels by P.S. Wells, including Homeless for the Holidays, Chasing Sunrise, The Patent, and Unnatural Cause. How to live better, easier, and simpler is the focus of her nonfiction including The Ten Best Decisions A Single Mom Can Make. Founder of SingleMomCircle.com, PeggySue coaches writing and speaks at events and conferences. When not writing, she parasails, skydives, snorkels, scuba dives, rides horses, and has taken (but not passed) pilot training. Connect with her at www.PeggySueWells.com, on Facebook at PeggySue Wells, and LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/peggysuewells