If you fancy a good argument on social media, go to a book group on Facebook and
ask what people think about "the annoying trend for psychological thrillers to be written in the first person".
Actually, please don't.
It's the literary equivalent of walking into a strange bar, climbing on the table and raising a glass to toast Margaret Thatcher/Boris Johnson/ Tony Blair/Winston Churchill/Gordon Brown/Pitt the Younger, "the best Prime Minister this country's ever had."
It doesn't take long for the metaphorical bar stools to start being thrown and the poor moderators have to close the comments section and spend the next two days comforting frightened patrons.
I'll save my views on the various merits of different styles for a proper blog post, but choosing whether to tell your story in 1st, 2nd or 3rd person is an important decision. And more importantly, is rather good fun as a writing activity.

The exercise is simple. Write the same scene three times, each time using a different "voice". The exercise can be used as a warm-up to get your creative juices flowing, or can be used to test ideas out for your own project. Some big name authors have chosen to switch voices for a new book to try telling the story in a different way. Some authors also switch perspectives throughout the same book, perhaps telling flashbacks in 1st person and the main narrative in 3rd.

A reminder of the three basic points of view:
First Person: The narrator is a character in the book. The prose is written in the style of "I did this...", "I felt this...", "I thought this...".
It's probably the second most popular style used (depending on the genre).
Third Person: The narrator is not part of the action. It is more akin to reportage - the narrator is a bystander telling you what's happening. This is sometimes described as "omnipotent" - in other words, the narrator can choose to describe what's happening to more than one character (hence the omnipotence) or can follow one character throughout. They have access to the character(s)' inner monologues and feelings if the author wishes, and the writer can choose how dispassionate the narrator is.
Scenes are described using "he did this...", "Jake felt that...", "Karen though that...".
This is probably the most widely used voice by writers, because of its flexibility.
Second Person: I've left this to last, as this is the most rarely used style, in part because it can be tricky to pull off for extended periods of time.
For this voice, you are instructing the reader what to feel, as if they are part of the story. It's usually told in the present tense, "You are doing this...", "You feel this...", "You think...".

Here is a brief example of the same passage told in all three voices.
1st person:
I stood on the platform, waiting for the train. It's arrival was heralded by the humming and clicking of the rails, getting steadily louder as it approached. The woman beside me clapped her hands over her ears as the driver applied the brakes, the metal on metal an unbearable screech.
3rd person:
Warren stood on the platform, waiting for the train. The humming and clicking of the rails heralded its arrival, getting steadily louder until the driver applied the brakes. The woman next to him clapped her hands over her ears, unable to bear the screech of metal on metal.
2nd person:
You stand on the platform, waiting for your train. In the distance, you hear the humming and clicking of the rails as it approaches, the noise getting louder and louder. The driver applies the brakes and the woman beside you claps her hands over ears to block out the unbearable screech of metal on metal.

The exercise, therefore, is to tell the same short story or narrate the same scene three times, using a different point of view each time.
Remember the rules:

• Set yourself a time limit.
• Write without stopping, editing or overthinking.
• Write whatever comes to mind and don't worry if it doesn't make sense.
• It doesn't matter if it has nothing to do with the scene that you are stuck on.

Do you have any ideas for busting writer's block? If so, share them below or on social media.
Until next time, happy writing.
Paul

This activity is a staple of creative writing classes, and can be really good fun.
The aim is to rewrite a scene that you know well, or a story that you are familiar with from the point of view of a different character.
If you never intend for anyone else to read this, then choose whatever you want. If you are going to be sharing what you've written with an audience, it works best if you choose a well-known story or scene; that way they can enjoy the subversion of the familiar tale.
The stories that we are most familiar have usually been defined in terms of who the protagonist is and we tend to see it from their perspective. Take the traditional tale of Little Red Riding Hood. Usually, we see the story either through Red Riding Hood's eyes, or if it is told by an omnipotent narrator, from the position that she is the hero of the tale.

• But what about telling the story from the perspective of the big (allegedly) bad wolf?
• What is the shark thinking in Jaws as it relentlessly pursues the three men on the boat that insist on attacking it?
• What does ET actually think of Elliot?
• And how does poor old Darth Vader feel when his beloved son rejects his attempts to reconnect after he was stolen from him at birth, and he's forced to cut off Luke's hand to defend himself? 

The point of this exercise is to practise placing ourselves in unfamiliar shoes. By forcing ourself to see something from the other's side, we can bring all of our characters to life, not just the hero. You might never use anything that you write here in your project, but knowing why your villain is doing what they are doing can help you describe their actions more realistically.
Remember the rules:

• Set yourself a time limit.
• Write without stopping, editing or overthinking.
• Write whatever comes to mind and don't worry if it doesn't make sense.
• It doesn't matter if it has nothing to do with the scene that you are stuck on.

Do you have any ideas for busting writer's block? If so, share them below or on social media.
Until next time, happy writing.
Paul