I would stand by my words, when I had said the First Person Perspective is easiest, but it does involve a certain degree of involvement in writing. You must have, at least the bare basics in acting, or at the very least, in my opinion that you know that upon taking the voice of the "I," you, or for the sake of being technically correct your narrator is no longer just a narrator. No longer a spectator but the actual "I." I don't think it's that complicated really. It's pretty simple but you do need to spend some time "getting into character."

I always had great respect for good actors, and though my experience on being one is limited to several small roles during high school, I think it helps a good deal. One thing that's imperative is you understand your character and why s/he thinks, acts and responds in a certain manner. If you must create a history why s/he is this kind of person. There is always a reason for a person to be the way s/he is. We'd like to think that we are who we are but I believe that experience shape us and knowing your character would reveal so many things about her/him. So it does take a lot of involvement but like I said it's the easiest because it had boundaries. It limits itself on the me and everything else becomes secondary. I'm not an expert but I believe the key to first person is actually being the character. I know a lot of writers are afraid of self projection but life is generally understood through yourself and writing is basically living through words. So, perhaps the biggest hurdle in writing first person is getting rid of the aversion of self insert because that is how it is. But take comfort in knowing that the "I" is not you but a character as you understand them. There's no fault in that, I think.

Another challenge of the first person perspective is being descriptive. All stories aim to show not tell and as an "I" you have now more access to the five senses, but what comes when? How much is too much? This is where thinking like an actor comes to play. So say this "I" is on a bus, take this as cue... you have been in a bus before. Replay it in your head. So you're sitting with your back leaning against the cushioned seat. Close your eyes. Internalize. What is the first thing you notice. Write it down. Experience it in your head then describe it in your narrative. I don't know how to elaborate really. But remember that descriptions should be just the right quantity. Quality versus quantity maybe a bit cliche but it is true. Perhaps the seat is stiff, if it gives you much discomfort it will be at the forefront of your senses. It does not matter if it's green, red, or blue. We experience much less visually than we think. But if you want to dwell on the setting (keep in mind that the setting isn't just necessarily the place but also the atmosphere), give it a bit of an anchor to the self. Do not go "I enter a room with a plush carpet," go for a more descriptive feel. Think how you would experience your environment. Say this plush carpeted room is a study, I would go: "I step into a room" what do you experience first? Sight? "and was welcomed by dark mahogany shelves." Smell? "In the room dwells a hint of paper and a the secret that each paper holds." Hearing? Touch? "As I walk, my steps were muffled by the soft carpeting that went from one corner to the next." personally, I don't dwell much on color. I don't know why... I know I could have described the carpet as gray or dark blue but it would be off. I guess the biggest tip in constructing a descriptive sentence is limiting it to one of the five senses. But like anything else there are exemptions and that would be an artistic judgment call.

I don't like POV shifts to be honest and really the limitations in the first person is a luxury. All of it will be perception and everyone is a mystique, I think it's quite exciting.  You don't need to try to explain the why but that doesn't mean your other character's would be neglected. The "I" does get the spotlight. This is how you live everyday but you interact with others. This is how you explain it. Say a significant other dwell on the details but limit it to how you would understand another person. I don't really think there's much to say about it.

I do dwell a lot on the "I," I like saying I in my narrative but there are certain variations you could go for. One of the challenges of writing first person is the repetative pronoun. So you could, if it's for practice, catch all the I's and try to reword the sentence where the word dwells.

(1) I tripped over a rock.

(2) The rock tripped me over.

Depending on where you want the focus on, that should be the subject of your sentence. It isn't really about the "I" all the time.

(1) I saw him enter the room.

(2) He enters the room.

Shush, the "I" once in a while.

Keep in mind that the first person perspective is a very limited narrator. The narrator lives in the self and experiences the story. Be more alert that there are certain things that this narrator will not know. Take for example, blushing. You can't really say, "I blushed." because how do we perceive blushing? Through sight, you cannot blush by saying it. I blushed would work so much better if you say "I felt my cheeks grow warm."

In ending this, I would say that there are crucial things in writing first person perspective and that are (1) being in character and (2) being consistent with limitations. Both meaning, that it should be focused and with conscious thought.

Well, I hope this helps in some ways. And like everything else, practice makes perfect... or really, really close to it... or not at all but... ummm... but some would say after a while it would become more natural to you. I would suggest re-reading it and experiencing the scenario for the second time. Act it  in your head, mind the sequence. Remember you can't, in real life or fiction, know and experience everything at one moment.

Happy Writing!

Yours,

secretseven