As part of MNN’s monthly series, John Wilkerson invites you to give journaling a try in The Journal Speaks Back.
I used to teach writing at writer’s and science fiction conventions. Comparing the two groups of people is like having conversations with different species of other-worldly aliens.
Writers at writing conventions are driven by word count and punctuation, whiskey too, and revenge. They all have a book or story they want to tell you about, and if you stand still long enough, you become awash in their protagonists’ quest for salvation.
Sci-fi fans would rather walk around in flamboyant costumes and weave tales that speak to the duality of their lives and make you question your own grasp of normalcy.
One of the panels I hosted at a convention dealt with first-person perspective and the power of “I.” The “I” story or self-revelation is simple to manifest. It’s time-linear to how we live our lives and mimics how we communicate in spoken language.
From the reader’s perspective, “I” allows immersion into a story in a way no other point of view can equal. The depths to which the writer can explore their own psyche are near limitless. It does have a drawback.
I’d like to present a different approach to the use of “I.” Skip the first-person narrative and instead move to “you.” Something refreshing happens when your thoughts are presented as if they are someone else’s. The stress of being honest evaporates, as does the need to litter the paper with too many words.
Don’t worry about verbs and sentence structure, just shift the mind’s position in the story. Instead of writing, “I spilled coffee on the cat,” write, “you spilled coffee on the cat.” Why? This grants the writer the ability to speak as an observer and teacher. No longer do they have to own what is said.
Distance is what you are looking for, distance between you as the writer and the person the story is about. It’s like picking up shells on the beach. If you face the water with the sun to your back, you gain one impression, but if you have the sound of the water behind you and the sun in your face, the experience is still rooted in the shell, but the warmth comes from a different direction.
Unsettling voices are the uncomfortable point of no return for a self-conscious writer. Experiences that are difficult to name feel lighter when ownership shifts, even briefly. When the page says, “you failed at…” or “you can’t because…,” the weight moves just enough to let the words exist.
The opposite is true for life’s successes. Saying, “you are expecting your first child,” or “you achieved…” carries just as much weight as its challenges. “You” is a powerful way to look in the mirror and have the mirror gaze over your shoulder without judgment.
Second person is not a disguise. It is a form of distance that makes honesty possible. You may be surprised by what finally agrees to be written.
Today’s Assignment
Write your journal entry today using “you.” Let the shift happen as if you are sitting beside this other person.
What advice would they give, or what stories would they tell about the real you?
