I am, You are, She is.

Perspective

First Person Perspective

It was one of those sweltering hot afternoons in Singapore, and all I could think about was sinking my spoon into a refreshing mountain of ice kachang. I could almost taste the sweet syrup, the crushed ice, and the delightful surprises hidden within. I knew I had to have one.

“Mom, can we go get some ice kachang?” I asked, for what must have been the tenth time that day. She gave me a knowing smile and said, “Alright, let’s go.” My excitement bubbled over as we made our way to the nearby coffee shop.

As soon as we stepped inside, the familiar scents of the bustling hawker center greeted me – the smoky aroma of satay, the tangy fragrance of laksa, and the comforting smell of freshly brewed kopi. The coffee shop was alive with the chatter of people enjoying their meals, and the clanging of woks and pots from the various food stalls.

We approached the dessert stall, and my eyes locked onto the mountainous ice kachang on display. I watched in awe as the vendor expertly shaved a heap of ice and drenched it in an array of colorful syrups – pink rose, green pandan, and brown gula melaka. He then sprinkled sweet corn, red beans, and atap chee onto the ice before adding a generous scoop of palm seed and grass jelly. Finally, he drizzled the masterpiece with a generous amount of evaporated milk.

As my mom handed me the bowl, my eyes widened with anticipation. I could hardly contain my excitement as I dug my spoon into the icy creation. The first bite was a burst of flavor – the sweet, fragrant syrups combined with the slightly salty taste of the evaporated milk, creating a perfect harmony in my mouth.

I felt the icy chill of the crushed ice against my tongue, followed by the satisfying crunch as I bit into it. I continued to explore the treasure trove of ingredients hidden beneath the ice – the chewy, earthy red beans, the soft, starchy sweet corn, and the refreshing crunch of the palm seed. The jelly-like texture of the grass jelly and the tender atap chee added another layer of excitement to each mouthful.

As I savored my ice kachang, I couldn’t help but feel grateful for my mom’s willingness to indulge my cravings. The dessert seemed to make the sweltering heat outside fade away, and for a moment, everything was perfect. The laughter and conversation of the coffee shop patrons around me seemed to merge into a symphony of happiness, and I knew that this was a memory I would cherish forever.

With a contented sigh, I finally finished my ice kachang, scraping the last bits of syrup and ice from the bottom of the bowl. As I looked up at my mom, our eyes met, and we shared a smile that said it all – sometimes, all you need is a little ice kachang to make everything feel just right.

Or go back to our main Creative Writing article here to learn more.

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Third Perspective

It was one of those sweltering hot afternoons in Singapore, and all the little girl could think about was sinking her spoon into a refreshing mountain of ice kachang. She could almost taste the sweet syrup, the crushed ice, and the delightful surprises hidden within. She knew she had to have one.

“Mom, can we go get some ice kachang?” she asked, for what must have been the tenth time that day. Her mother gave her a knowing smile and said, “Alright, let’s go.” The girl’s excitement bubbled over as they made their way to the nearby coffee shop.

As soon as they stepped inside, the familiar scents of the bustling hawker center greeted them – the smoky aroma of satay, the tangy fragrance of laksa, and the comforting smell of freshly brewed kopi. The coffee shop was alive with the chatter of people enjoying their meals, and the clanging of woks and pots from the various food stalls.

They approached the dessert stall, and the girl’s eyes locked onto the mountainous ice kachang on display. She watched in awe as the vendor expertly shaved a heap of ice and drenched it in an array of colorful syrups – pink rose, green pandan, and brown gula melaka. He then sprinkled sweet corn, red beans, and atap chee onto the ice before adding a generous scoop of palm seed and grass jelly. Finally, he drizzled the masterpiece with a generous amount of evaporated milk.

As her mother handed her the bowl, the girl’s eyes widened with anticipation. She could hardly contain her excitement as she dug her spoon into the icy creation. The first bite was a burst of flavor – the sweet, fragrant syrups combined with the slightly salty taste of the evaporated milk, creating a perfect harmony in her mouth.

She felt the icy chill of the crushed ice against her tongue, followed by the satisfying crunch as she bit into it. She continued to explore the treasure trove of ingredients hidden beneath the ice – the chewy, earthy red beans, the soft, starchy sweet corn, and the refreshing crunch of the palm seed. The jelly-like texture of the grass jelly and the tender atap chee added another layer of excitement to each mouthful.

As she savored her ice kachang, she couldn’t help but feel grateful for her mother’s willingness to indulge her cravings. The dessert seemed to make the sweltering heat outside fade away, and for a moment, everything was perfect. The laughter and conversation of the coffee shop patrons around them seemed to merge into a symphony of happiness, and the girl knew that this was a memory she would cherish forever.

With a contented sigh, she finally finished her ice kachang, scraping the last bits of syrup and ice from the bottom of the bowl. As she looked up at her mother, their eyes met, and they shared a smile that said it all – sometimes, all you need is a little ice kachang to make everything feel just right.

In Summary

First-person perspective writing is a powerful tool for learners in creative writing, as it allows them to immerse themselves in their character’s thoughts, emotions, and experiences. This perspective can make a story feel more personal and engaging. To master first-person perspective writing, learners should focus on developing the following skills:

1. Voice and tone: A strong, authentic voice is crucial for first-person writing. Learners should practice writing in different voices, including those of characters with varying ages, backgrounds, and personalities. Experiment with dialects, speech patterns, and vocabulary to create distinct voices.
2. Character development: In first-person writing, the protagonist’s thoughts and emotions drive the story. Learners should work on building well-rounded, believable characters with clear motivations, desires, and conflicts.
3. Sensory description: To create an immersive experience for the reader, learners should practice writing vivid descriptions that appeal to all five senses. This will help readers feel as if they are experiencing the story alongside the protagonist.
4. Emotional connection: First-person writing is an excellent opportunity to explore a character’s emotions in depth. Learners should focus on showing rather than telling how their characters feel, using body language, inner thoughts, and dialogue to convey emotions.
5. Interior monologue: A key aspect of first-person writing is conveying the character’s inner thoughts and reflections. Learners should practice writing interior monologues that reveal the character’s thought processes, feelings, and reactions to events in the story.
6. Point of view and perspective: First-person writing is inherently limited by the protagonist’s point of view. Learners should explore how this limitation affects the story and practice writing from different characters’ perspectives to gain a deeper understanding of the narrative.
7. Show, don’t tell: In first-person writing, it’s important to let the character’s actions and thoughts reveal their personality and motivations. Learners should focus on showing the reader what the character is like rather than explicitly stating it.
8. Balancing dialogue and narration: Learners should practice weaving dialogue and narration together seamlessly, ensuring that both elements contribute to the story’s pacing and development.
9. Pacing and structure: First-person writing can sometimes feel introspective and slow-paced. Learners should focus on maintaining a strong narrative structure, with a clear beginning, middle, and end, to keep the reader engaged.
10. Revision and editing: Finally, learners should develop their skills in revising and editing their work, ensuring that their first-person narrative is clear, engaging, and free of errors or inconsistencies.

Third-person perspective writing is another essential narrative mode for learners in creative writing. This perspective allows writers to describe events and characters from an external viewpoint. To master third-person perspective writing, learners should focus on developing the following skills:

1. Voice and tone: In third-person writing, the narrator’s voice should be distinct and consistent throughout the story. Learners should practice finding the appropriate voice and tone that suits the story, whether it’s formal, informal, or somewhere in between.
2. Character development: Third-person writing offers more flexibility in exploring multiple characters’ thoughts and emotions. Learners should work on creating well-rounded, believable characters and delving into their motivations, desires, and conflicts.
3. Sensory description: Like in first-person writing, vivid descriptions that appeal to all five senses are crucial to immerse readers in the story.
4. Emotional connection: In third-person writing, learners should still focus on showing characters’ emotions through body language, dialogue, and actions, creating an emotional connection between the reader and the characters.
5. Point of view and perspective: Third-person writing can be either omniscient (the narrator knows everything about all characters) or limited (the narrator focuses on one character’s thoughts and experiences). Learners should practice writing in both third-person omniscient and limited perspectives to understand the narrative possibilities of each.
6. Show, don’t tell: As in first-person writing, learners should focus on showing the reader what characters are like through their actions, thoughts, and dialogue, rather than explicitly stating it.
7. Balancing dialogue and narration: Learners should practice integrating dialogue and narration effectively in third-person writing, ensuring both elements contribute to the story’s pacing and development.
8. Pacing and structure: Third-person writing should maintain a strong narrative structure, with a clear beginning, middle, and end, to keep the reader engaged.
9. Revision and editing: Developing skills in revising and editing work is crucial in third-person writing as well, ensuring that the narrative is clear, engaging, and free of errors or inconsistencies.

Comparison between first-person and third-person perspectives:

1. Perspective: First-person writing uses the “I” pronoun and immerses the reader in the character’s thoughts and experiences, while third-person writing uses “he,” “she,” or “they” and provides an external viewpoint on events and characters.
2. Emotional connection: First-person writing can create a more intimate emotional connection with the protagonist, while third-person writing allows for exploration of multiple characters’ emotions and thoughts.
3. Point of view limitations: First-person writing is limited to the protagonist’s point of view, while third-person writing can either explore multiple perspectives (omniscient) or focus on one character’s perspective (limited).
4. Flexibility: Third-person writing offers more flexibility in exploring multiple characters and plotlines, while first-person writing provides a more focused, introspective look at the protagonist’s experiences.
5. Voice and tone: First-person writing requires a strong, authentic character voice, while third-person writing allows for a more neutral or flexible narrative voice.

Ultimately, the choice between first-person and third-person perspective depends on the goals and needs of the story being written. Both perspectives offer unique advantages and opportunities for learners in creative writing.