--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I'm such a first-person writer." description: "\"I'm such a first-person writer.\" — Laura van den Berg" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fdb/laura-van-den-berg-4314_first-person_i-m-such-a-first-person-writer-2348311_2348311.jpg" --- # I'm such a first-person writer. ![“I'm such a first-person writer.” quote by Laura van den Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fdb/laura-van-den-berg-4314_first-person_i-m-such-a-first-person-writer-2348311_2348311.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fdb/laura-van-den-berg-4314_first-person_i-m-such-a-first-person-writer-2348311_2348311.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fdb/laura-van-den-berg-4314_first-person_i-m-such-a-first-person-writer-2348311_2348311.jpg) > “I'm such a first-person writer.” [Laura van den Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-van-den-berg/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The author emphasizes a narrative style focused on personal perspective and immediacy. **In simple terms:** She writes from a first‑person viewpoint. Key Takeaway Embrace personal voice in writing. Themes autobiography subjectivity voice Mood introspective confessional Type literary reflective When to use this quote - memoir - personal essays - blog posts Key Concepts Narrative identity reader intimacy Questions to Reflect On - How does perspective shape story? - When is first‑person most effective? A Different Perspective First‑person can limit broader viewpoints. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [First person](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/first-person/) [Person](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/person/) [Person Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/person-writer-561129/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [I'm surprised how often I'm asked about being a man with a woman narrator. 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If what I write doesn't fulfill something in me, if I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/truman-capote/i-think-the-only-person-a-writer-has-an-obligation-to-is-himself-if/) [Truman Capote](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/truman-capote/) > [I know a lot of people in the city, at all levels, horizontally and vertically - and that to me is a privilege, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandar-hemon/i-know-a-lot-of-people-in-the-city-at-all-levels-horizontally-and/) [Aleksandar Hemon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandar-hemon/) > [I try to have something in common with my protagonists, especially when I'm writing in the first person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-giffin/i-try-to-have-something-in-common-with-my-protagonists-especially/) [Emily Giffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-giffin/) > [There were people who incorporated melody before me, but I would deem myself the first person to successfully rap and sing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drake/there-were-people-who-incorporated-melody-before-me-but-i-would-deem/) [Drake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drake/) > [I'm all about evolution. I'm the first person to judge myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/the-weeknd/i-m-all-about-evolution-i-m-the-first-person-to-judge-myself/) [The Weeknd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/the-weeknd/) ## More by Laura van den Berg > [I was born and raised in Orlando, where the economy and culture has been powerfully shaped by tourism, and so I've long been interested…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-van-den-berg/i-was-born-and-raised-in-orlando-where-the-economy-and-culture-has/) [Laura van den Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-van-den-berg/) > [I lived in Boston for three years, and during that time, I wrote my first collection of stories, 'What the World Will Look Like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-van-den-berg/i-lived-in-boston-for-three-years-and-during-that-time-i-wrote-my/) [Laura van den Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-van-den-berg/) > [I take a pretty expansive view of craft, which is to say I don't see craft as just being technique - it's also process;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-van-den-berg/i-take-a-pretty-expansive-view-of-craft-which-is-to-say-i-don-t-see/) [Laura van den Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-van-den-berg/) > [To me, in general, something that's really rich in terms of identity about transit spaces is that they're so intimate. Especially thinking about long…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-van-den-berg/to-me-in-general-something-that-s-really-rich-in-terms-of-identity/) [Laura van den Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-van-den-berg/) > [To a certain degree, I think both self-narrativizing and selective memory are essential survival skills.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-van-den-berg/to-a-certain-degree-i-think-both-self-narrativizing-and-selective/) [Laura van den Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-van-den-berg/) > [There's the public self that we present to the outer world. There's the private self, which maybe takes more time to access. But ultimately,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-van-den-berg/there-s-the-public-self-that-we-present-to-the-outer-world-there-s/) [Laura van den Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-van-den-berg/) > [I think my concern is I know my voice, and I know the kinds of landscapes that interest me, so my primary concern is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-van-den-berg/i-think-my-concern-is-i-know-my-voice-and-i-know-the-kinds-of/) [Laura van den Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-van-den-berg/) > [My students are often asking me, 'What do you think are the most important qualities for a writer?' And one thing I always tells…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-van-den-berg/my-students-are-often-asking-me-what-do-you-think-are-the-most/) [Laura van den Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-van-den-berg/) > [As a reader, I appreciate a world that feels unsettled and also visceral, inhabitable, so that's a quality I try and bring to my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-van-den-berg/as-a-reader-i-appreciate-a-world-that-feels-unsettled-and-also/) [Laura van den Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-van-den-berg/) > [Youth is such a fascinating and volatile concoction of vulnerability, dependence, restlessness, relentlessness. You're still learning the terms of the world and of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-van-den-berg/youth-is-such-a-fascinating-and-volatile-concoction-of-vulnerability/) [Laura van den Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-van-den-berg/) > [As a genre, the best horror poses central human questions - Who can you trust? What is the cost of our secrets? What is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-van-den-berg/as-a-genre-the-best-horror-poses-central-human-questions-who-can-you/) [Laura van den Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-van-den-berg/) > [Paradoxically, the only thing that helps when I'm feeling despairing about writing is to write.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-van-den-berg/paradoxically-the-only-thing-that-helps-when-i-m-feeling-despairing/) [Laura van den Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-van-den-berg/) > [“Over time, we became less sure we were something the other wanted to hold on to.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-van-den-berg/over-time-we-became-less-sure-we-were-something-the-other-wanted-to/) [Laura van den Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-van-den-berg/) > [Ever since I started writing in college, I have, save for a few short breaks here and there, been working away on something. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-van-den-berg/ever-since-i-started-writing-in-college-i-have-save-for-a-few-short/) [Laura van den Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-van-den-berg/) > [I wager we have a vast amount of literature out there that tends to the stories of men, so I've never really worried too…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-van-den-berg/i-wager-we-have-a-vast-amount-of-literature-out-there-that-tends-to/) [Laura van den Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-van-den-berg/) [Explore all 113 Laura van den Berg quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-van-den-berg/) ## More First person quotes > [I'm all about evolution. I'm the first person to judge myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/the-weeknd/i-m-all-about-evolution-i-m-the-first-person-to-judge-myself/) [The Weeknd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/the-weeknd/) > [There were people who incorporated melody before me, but I would deem myself the first person to successfully rap and sing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drake/there-were-people-who-incorporated-melody-before-me-but-i-would-deem/) [Drake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drake/) > [I try to have something in common with my protagonists, especially when I'm writing in the first person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-giffin/i-try-to-have-something-in-common-with-my-protagonists-especially/) [Emily Giffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-giffin/) > [I was the first person in my family to play baseball.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-yelich/i-was-the-first-person-in-my-family-to-play-baseball/) [Christian Yelich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-yelich/) > [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/) > [The first person who, having enclosed a plot of land, took it into his head to say this is mine and found people simple…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-jacques-rousseau/the-first-person-who-having-enclosed-a-plot-of-land-took-it-into-his/) [Jean-Jacques Rousseau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-jacques-rousseau/) > [I think the first person to call me 'Britain's Obama' was Martin Bright at the New Statesman. Harriet Harman made the comparison once at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuka-umunna/i-think-the-first-person-to-call-me-britain-s-obama-was-martin-bright/) [Chuka Umunna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuka-umunna/) > [“It is said to be the age of the first person singular”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/it-is-said-to-be-the-age-of-the-first-person-singular/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [“A part of a healthy conscience is being able to confront consciencelessness. When you teach your daughter, explicitly or by passive rejection, that she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-stout/a-part-of-a-healthy-conscience-is-being-able-to-confront/) [Martha Stout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-stout/) > [“Columbus was not the first person to discover America, but the last.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pedro-domingos/columbus-was-not-the-first-person-to-discover-america-but-the-last/) [Pedro Domingos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pedro-domingos/) > [I like embracing kind of normal forms but am always trying to approach them as if no one's ever done that before. As if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miranda-july/i-like-embracing-kind-of-normal-forms-but-am-always-trying-to/) [Miranda July](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miranda-july/) > [The whole history of pop music had rested on the first person singular, with occasional intrusions of the second person singular.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-eno/the-whole-history-of-pop-music-had-rested-on-the-first-person/) [Brian Eno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-eno/) > [Alex: Rosie, I wanted you to be the first person to no that I’ve decided to become a heart surgeon! Rosie: Cool, does it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cecelia-ahern/alex-rosie-i-wanted-you-to-be-the-first-person-to-no-that-i-ve/) [Cecelia Ahern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cecelia-ahern/) > [“During that war we had a word for extreme man-made disorder which was fubar, an acronym for 'fucked up beyond all recognition.' Well -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/during-that-war-we-had-a-word-for-extreme-man-made-disorder-which-was/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“September put her hand on the grip of the Rivet Gun. She’d only just gotten it, and she’d promised to take copious notes for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherynne-m-valente/september-put-her-hand-on-the-grip-of-the-rivet-gun-she-d-only-just/) [Catherynne M. Valente](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherynne-m-valente/) [Browse all 835 First person quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/first-person/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I'm such a first-person writer.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Laura van den Berg" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-van-den-berg/i-m-such-a-first-person-writer/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "First person" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-van-den-berg/i-m-such-a-first-person-writer/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fdb/laura-van-den-berg-4314_first-person_i-m-such-a-first-person-writer-2348311_2348311.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fdb/laura-van-den-berg-4314_first-person_i-m-such-a-first-person-writer-2348311_2348311.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fdb/laura-van-den-berg-4314_first-person_i-m-such-a-first-person-writer-2348311_2348311.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I'm such a first-person writer.” — Laura van den Berg", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Laura van den Berg", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-van-den-berg/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I'm such a first-person writer.", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-van-den-berg/i-m-such-a-first-person-writer/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-van-den-berg/i-m-such-a-first-person-writer/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```