In my writing, I’ve noticed I use the word “I” a lot.
At first, I thought it was because I’m egotistical. Everything I write starts as a thought in my head. So if my thoughts are about myself, then it makes sense that the singular first-person pronoun would be appearing often in my writing.
For example, it’s happening right now. I’ve had this thought about how I use “I” a lot in my writing and now I’m writing about it. I used “I” four times just in that last sentence!
When I first noticed this, I started to make a conscious effort to write about things that had nothing to do with me. In doing so, I had to rely more on my senses and less on my abstract thoughts. When I could no longer write about what was going on inside my head, it forced me to become aware of the world around me.
I would start by asking myself: What am I seeing? What am I hearing? What am I feeling? Those three took precedence over my senses of taste and smell, which rarely offer anything interesting to write about, unless I’m eating or walking through a field of flowers.
I might see the blue pen sitting on my desk and describe its visual details. Or I might hear the mower going in the lawn outside and describe how it sounds.
Writing that is about my sensory experience of the world around me is different from writing that includes the word “I” and is about my identity: my memories, my beliefs, my emotions, my preferences. What I am currently writing (and what you are now reading) belongs to the latter category.
I propose that, when using the word “I”, there are two different types of writing: observing and identifying.
When you are writing about your sensory experience of the world around you, you are observing. When you are writing about your abstract mental-emotional contents, you are identifying.
When you are using “I” in your capacity as an observer, there is less of your presence in the writing. In other words, if I were to right the sentence: I see that the pen is blue. And then you were to write the same sentence: I see that the pen is blue. Those sentences are the exact same as far as what they convey. You and I are both humans. We can both see. Without any context, it doesn’t really matter which one of us saw that the pen was blue.
On the other hand, when you are using “I” in your capacity as an identifier, there is more of your presence in the writing. I might write: Blue pens remind me of taking essay exams in college. But your memories are different than mine, so you might write: Blue pens remind me of signing legal documents. Those sentences convey different things because we are different people with different identities and, therefore, even with the same sensory inputs, we don’t have the exact same experiences.
For a writer, it helps to know whether you are observing or identifying when using the word “I”.
If writing is like conversation, readers would have a hard time with writers who do nothing but talk about themselves, especially when what they’re saying about themselves isn’t all that interesting. Then again, some writers write successful memoirs that are mostly about their own lives.
On the other hand, nothing but details about the physical world can be boring too. We seem to enjoy stories best when they have characters in them. And often those characters are human. Even if the characters are animals, they are anthropomorphized.
So what’s the right balance? How much of yourself should you allow to seep into your writing? How much should you observe versus identify?
The use of "I" in writing
Thought-provoking. When writing in first-person, it is hard to avoid using I. It doesn't bother me as it is appropriate and perfectly natural if you are writing about yourself. Using literary gymnastics to avoid using I seems unnecessary to me. But if using I frequently bothers you, and is necessary for your own well-being, then you should do what you have to do. You do you.
I also find lengthy detailed descriptions boring most of the time. For me, the characters and the story are the draw, and more important than any commonly-accepted grammar "rules" or formulas. If you need to use I, use I. I don't care. I really don't. I won't be offended. I am fine with I. I like I. I am an I. I am rambling. I will stop. 😉
I'm wondering if I partially inspired this piece by my use of the 2nd person in some of my writing. I certainly notice when I overuse the word 'I' like I am in this sentence. I especially notice it when I start two sentences in a row with 'I' like I just did too.