If you are aware of the onset of madness, are you truly mad? Does self-awareness of degrading mental health accelerate or stymie recovery?
A quick writing practice, 1st person reflective.
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Anonymole - apocryphal agitators 
I love the first person reflective, albeit I prefer actual real stories from real people (hence love of blogging and reading them).
What you are describing is sometimes know as insight https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Insight#Psychiatry Generally, a good thing
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A competing opinion — excellent. Perhaps biography lends itself well to 1st person. If the author possesses a sense of humility and empathy — even if that empathy is grounds for cruelty, I can see the technique working.
The style does not come naturally, to me at least. As I commented to Phil, I can see me using it to practice emotional expose’, something I tend to lack, and not only in my writing.
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Completely, it’s a personal thing. And I love Gatsby
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Writing fokusses yer mynd tuh theenk and ryte gooderer, doan it? FIRST PERSON. the ME WORLD! MEMOIRS! ARRRRRRRRRRRRRRR…talk about madness…First person narrator, okay. Gatsby. But I did this and I did that and I saw the moon take a dump on Saturn and the truth is I don’t give a damn. Unless it’s a great story. And even those can be relegated to a person or thing not in the room. “This old fart Bob used to…” is a way better hook than “I used to…” becasue even if Meyers Briggs is wrong, 25% of people don’t or won’t like the “you that I” represents. But that crazy fart old Bob? Even comedians who use I either drive home an absurd commonality or the ridiculous. Characters tell better stories that “we” do. Personal opinion. See? there’s that I thing.
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Fair point. I don’t much care for 1st person. As an experiment, it does help realize internal dialog. I’m reminded that my characters, in general, blunder through the story absent reflection or reaction. Exposing the the “I” does help tune one to what thoughts and feelings are evident.
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Riddle me this doppleganger: Why do people read books at all? Things are the questions I ponder as I teach myself to become a better writer. Why do people read? What is your answer?
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I would say that there are two halves to that answer for me. The first is to escape this life, for a time, to wish this world away. The second is to be entertained while still remaining in this mundane life. I long for the first, but rarely find it. More often, I settle for the second.
For both, I’d add I’d like to be treated to the unknown, learn something, be amazed by something, be dazzled by the prose, marvel at the skill of the writer.
You?
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Everything I do is writing practice. But to answer your question: yes. Neither. But you can observe yourself during the process and slowly say goodby to that which you love…for you may wake up tomorrow and not recognize it. Are you truly going mad…or is everyone else already mad?
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