I hear from writers who say they’ve been criticized for using the word “I” too often. Mainly (in my little opinion) this is a holdover from a previous era when being personal was discouraged and most nonfiction and even fiction held the camera farther away.
Writing Tip for Today: If you are writing in first person, using “I” is inevitable. Don’t worry so much, especially in the early drafts. If “I” still makes you uneasy, try these things:

• Be Honest. Try a bit of your work in both first and third person. Which speaks to you? Are you more comfortable with one or the other?
• Read a LOT. Read contemporary published work–what do you find in terms of “I” usage? Does it feel intrusive? If so why?
• Rearrange Sentences. If you just can’t stand to see a row of “I”s down the left hand of the page, rearrange some of your sentences so that a clause occasionally begins sentences. EX: The stove was still on high, so I turned down the heat.
• Weed Out Observing Consciousness. If you are in the first person point of view, you don’t need to add that “I watched,” I saw, I heard, I knew, I realized, etc. The reader is already in the POV, so these additions are unnecessary and will cut down on the number of “I”s the reader sees.

Heads Up! Tomorrow! I’ll feature another writer. I’m excited to introduce Cheryl Linn Martin, who will tell us how she recently landed her first contract (for a 3 book middle grade series) at ACFW. So exciting! Don’t miss it.