2-1: The Author and Characters

Reading 2-1: The Author and Characters

The writer is called the author of a story. The Characters are the people in the story.

 The writer/author gives the reader all of the information. There are different ways the author can give information.

1. First-person: I

The author sometimes writes about themselves and their personal experiences.

Ex.

I went downtown yesterday. I saw many people. They were shopping.

The author uses the pronoun I because they are telling the reader a story about themselves. The author is inside the story. The author is a character.

Notice the last sentence: “They were shopping.” The author is telling the reader what they saw. I is not needed for every sentence. The author tells the reader “many people” are shopping, but the author is not shopping.

2. Second-person: you

The author sometimes writes like they are talking to the reader.

Ex.

You should eat breakfast every day.

The author uses you to give advice to the reader.

The author does not always use you. Sometimes the sentences will begin with a verb.

Example: Eat breakfast every day.

In this example, the author is giving an order or very strong advice.

3. Third-person: he/she/it

The author sometimes writes about other people.

Ex.

Jonas was tired. He had been studying all day.

The author uses he/she/it to tell a story about someone else. The author is outside this story. The author is not a character.

Notice that the author gives the name of the person first: “Jonas” comes before “He”. The reader knows “He” is “Jonas”.

The author can mix first-person I and third-person he/she/it.

Ex.

I went to the restaurant. I saw Janie. She was eating.

Because the author uses I about themselves. The author is telling the reader everything that they did and sensed. The author and Janie are both characters in this story.

The next sentence is different.

Ex.

Janie was at the restaurant. She was eating.

Because there is no I, only the character name “Janie” and “she”, it is about that character. The author is not a character. This is a story about Janie.

It is strange to mix you with I and he/she/it.

Example: I went to the restaurant with you. We saw Janie.

It is okay if quotation marks (“   “) are used.

Example: I went to Janie’s house. She opened the door. “You can come in,” Janie said.

Here, Janie is talking to the author, not the reader.

There are more pronouns, but this list will help you understand the relationships between authors, readers, and characters.