Second-person narrative takes place from the reader’s perspective using the pronoun “you”. Essentially, the reader is either the character or standing in the character’s shoes. If the reader is the main character, then the author is writing from the perspective of someone they’ve never seen, don’t know. Because of this, the link between the reader and the position as main character is very easily severed.

Interactive stories are almost always written in second-person. It’s one of the main things that makes them so immersive and enjoyable. However, that enjoyment is a fickle thing when the reader stops believing the story is about them, and realizes it’s about a whole other character oddly named “you”.

Here are some tips to avoid ruining the immersion: