--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: How should I write this? In third person…" description: "\"“How should I write this? In third person so it becomes just a story? In second so that you can pretend you were there too? In first, so that I can dro..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/722/jo-treggiari-47036_drown_how-should-i-write-this-in-third-person_3049082.jpg" --- # How should I write this? In third person so it becomes… ![“How should I write this? In third person so it becomes just a story? In second so that you can pretend you were there too? In first, so that I can drown in a tidal wave of sorrow, sink under the weight of it, remember what it feels like to be utterly lost? First person it is.” quote by Jo Treggiari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/722/jo-treggiari-47036_drown_how-should-i-write-this-in-third-person_3049082.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/722/jo-treggiari-47036_drown_how-should-i-write-this-in-third-person_3049082.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/722/jo-treggiari-47036_drown_how-should-i-write-this-in-third-person_3049082.jpg) > ““How should I write this? In third person so it becomes just a story? In second so that you can pretend you were there too? In first, so that I can drown in a tidal wave of sorrow, sink under the weight of it, remember what it feels like to be utterly lost? First person it is.”” [Jo Treggiari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jo-treggiari/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. She debates narrative perspective, choosing first person to fully experience sorrow. **In simple terms:** She picks first person to feel deep sorrow. Key Takeaway Choose narrative voice that matches emotional intent. Themes writing narrative voice emotion storytelling Mood introspective creative confessional Type literary psychological When to use this quote - writing workshops - literary analysis - therapy writing Key Concepts novels memoirs creative writing Questions to Reflect On - Which voice best serves your story? - How does perspective shape reader empathy? A Different Perspective First person can limit broader perspective. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [First person](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/first-person/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [I had to pretend to drown. I was underwater, which is scary, and I'm not afraid of water, but people do die underwater.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-thayer/i-had-to-pretend-to-drown-i-was-underwater-which-is-scary-and-i-m-not/) [Maria Thayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-thayer/) > [We should feel sorrow, but not sink under its oppression.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/confucius/we-should-feel-sorrow-but-not-sink-under-its-oppression/) [Confucius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/confucius/) > [When you write in the third person, you get to imagine other people's interiority.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-gould/when-you-write-in-the-third-person-you-get-to-imagine-other-people-s/) [Emily Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-gould/) > [It's harder to write in the third person but the advantage is you move around better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/it-s-harder-to-write-in-the-third-person-but-the-advantage-is-you/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [“Daniel had one more question. He hated asking it, but her answer would be exceedingly important to him. The knot in his throat had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tessa-bailey/daniel-had-one-more-question-he-hated-asking-it-but-her-answer-would/) [Tessa Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tessa-bailey/) > [It is always character first and story second.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-wachtel/it-is-always-character-first-and-story-second/) Jeff Wachtel > [I write in the first person because I have always wanted to make my life more interesting than it was.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-wakoski/i-write-in-the-first-person-because-i-have-always-wanted-to-make-my/) [Diane Wakoski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-wakoski/) > [I want to write so well that a person is 30 or 40 pages in a book of mine ... before she realizes she's reading.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/i-want-to-write-so-well-that-a-person-is-30-or-40-pages-in-a-book-of/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [I find it hard to write in the first person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michiko-kakutani/i-find-it-hard-to-write-in-the-first-person/) [Michiko Kakutani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michiko-kakutani/) > [I almost always urge people to write in the first person. ... Writing is an act of ego and you might as well admit it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-zinsser/i-almost-always-urge-people-to-write-in-the-first-person-writing-is/) [William Zinsser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-zinsser/) > [A lot of the time when I write about the person that I love, I feel like I'm writing about New York.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lana-del-rey/a-lot-of-the-time-when-i-write-about-the-person-that-i-love-i-feel/) [Lana Del Rey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lana-del-rey/) > [Write to one person, not a million.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fairfax-m-cone/write-to-one-person-not-a-million/) [Fairfax M. Cone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fairfax-m-cone/) > [I always find something in common with my protagonist, particularly when I write in the first person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-giffin/i-always-find-something-in-common-with-my-protagonist-particularly/) [Emily Giffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-giffin/) > [Perhaps I write for no one. Perhaps for the same person children are writing for when they scrawl their names in the snow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/perhaps-i-write-for-no-one-perhaps-for-the-same-person-children-are/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [I like to write first-person because I like to become the character I'm writing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wally-lamb/i-like-to-write-first-person-because-i-like-to-become-the-character-i/) [Wally Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wally-lamb/) ## More by Jo Treggiari > [“When I first met Billy I thought about sucking his eyes right out of their sockets. They’re like turquoise gum drops.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jo-treggiari/when-i-first-met-billy-i-thought-about-sucking-his-eyes-right-out-of/) [Jo Treggiari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jo-treggiari/) > [“There aren't many white people around here, just us kids. Seventeen, eighteen years old and flushed with freedom, we don't care about fitting or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jo-treggiari/there-aren-t-many-white-people-around-here-just-us-kids-seventeen/) [Jo Treggiari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jo-treggiari/) > [“I try to walk around without being noticed but I can’t help attracting attention with my pink Mohawk, black clothing and steel toes, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jo-treggiari/i-try-to-walk-around-without-being-noticed-but-i-can-t-help/) [Jo Treggiari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jo-treggiari/) > [“Trust the little voice”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jo-treggiari/trust-the-little-voice/) [Jo Treggiari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jo-treggiari/) > [“Aidan was nowhere to be seen. She pictured him glowering in the shadows somewhere, breaking sticks or punching walls, or something equally useless.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jo-treggiari/aidan-was-nowhere-to-be-seen-she-pictured-him-glowering-in-the/) [Jo Treggiari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jo-treggiari/) > [“where to next?" Aidan asked. "Down," Lucy replied. He immediately sat.She giggled,ignoring Del's over-the-top eye-rolling.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jo-treggiari/where-to-next-aidan-asked-down-lucy-replied-he-immediately-sat-she/) [Jo Treggiari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jo-treggiari/) > [“I struggle with wanting to observe from a distance and get in people's faces. It's an uneasy contradiction.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jo-treggiari/i-struggle-with-wanting-to-observe-from-a-distance-and-get-in-people/) [Jo Treggiari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jo-treggiari/) [Explore all 8 Jo Treggiari quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jo-treggiari/) ## More Drown quotes > [He tried to drown his troubles but they knew how to swim.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rita-mae-brown/he-tried-to-drown-his-troubles-but-they-knew-how-to-swim/) [Rita Mae Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rita-mae-brown/) > [“Let me love you, girl who came from the sea. Let us swim to the bottom of the ocean where we can be anything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carolee-dean/let-me-love-you-girl-who-came-from-the-sea-let-us-swim-to-the-bottom/) [Carolee Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carolee-dean/) > [As all of us are only too aware, the loud and frantic voices of the outer world easily drown out the small, still loving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/as-all-of-us-are-only-too-aware-the-loud-and-frantic-voices-of-the/) [Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/) > [“Families – can’t live with them – can’t take them down to the river and drown them all in sacks.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-r-green/families-can-t-live-with-them-can-t-take-them-down-to-the-river-and/) [Simon R. Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-r-green/) > [“It's not just like that. I can't just swim away." "Why not?" "I'm afraid I'll drown." He looks up and gives the world's smallest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-moskowitz/it-s-not-just-like-that-i-can-t-just-swim-away-why-not-i-m-afraid-i/) [Hannah Moskowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-moskowitz/) > [There are many ways to drown, only the most obvious wave their arms as they're going under.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-flynn/there-are-many-ways-to-drown-only-the-most-obvious-wave-their-arms-as/) [Nick Flynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-flynn/) > [Drink today, and drown all sorrow; you shall perhaps not do tomorrow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-fletcher/drink-today-and-drown-all-sorrow-you-shall-perhaps-not-do-tomorrow/) [John Fletcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-fletcher/) > [You don't get there the easy way. If you feel sorry for yourself, and you let yourself go down, you will drown.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debbie-reynolds/you-don-t-get-there-the-easy-way-if-you-feel-sorry-for-yourself-and/) [Debbie Reynolds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debbie-reynolds/) > [Once you get into this great stream of history you can't get out. You can drown. Or you can be pulled ashore by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-m-nixon/once-you-get-into-this-great-stream-of-history-you-can-t-get-out-you/) [Richard M. Nixon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-m-nixon/) > [“You're back where you swore yourself you wouldn't be The familiar shackles you can't tell from your own skin Your head's under water when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sanhita-baruah/you-re-back-where-you-swore-yourself-you-wouldn-t-be-the-familiar/) [Sanhita Baruah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sanhita-baruah/) > [“If I fall in, I’m going to drown. The weights upon me are too heavy to stay afloat. My only option is to sink.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-mcgarry/if-i-fall-in-i-m-going-to-drown-the-weights-upon-me-are-too-heavy-to/) [Katie McGarry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-mcgarry/) > [I lead horses to water and if they don't drink, then I drown them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-brown/i-lead-horses-to-water-and-if-they-don-t-drink-then-i-drown-them/) [Mike Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-brown/) > [There is more than one good way to drown.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-plath/there-is-more-than-one-good-way-to-drown/) [Sylvia Plath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-plath/) > [“He couldn't remember the last time human hands had willingly touched him. Not true. Miranda had. She had touched him as if he were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristen-callihan/he-couldn-t-remember-the-last-time-human-hands-had-willingly-touched/) [Kristen Callihan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristen-callihan/) > [“Because at night when others are sleeping, I drown myself in poetry.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kamand-kojouri/because-at-night-when-others-are-sleeping-i-drown-myself-in-poetry/) [Kamand Kojouri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kamand-kojouri/) Browse all 567 Drown quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“How should I write this? In third person so it becomes just a story? In second so that you can pretend you were there too? In first, so that I can drown in a tidal wave of sorrow, sink under the weight of it, remember what it feels like to be utterly lost? 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