u/avalynn-rose

I've been working on a story idea for a while and have gotten to the point where I am beginning to write scenes that I have in my head. As a reader, I tend to prefer third person close, and have always imagined writing this story as third person. However, every time I sit down to write, it's coming out in first person. For a bit, I've was going back and changing it. But it kept happening and now it's taken me aback and I can't decide which POV to go with. I'm not sure if it's the way the story wants to be told, or if it's just a "bad habit" because I haven't written fiction in some years.

How do you typically decide? Do you typically go with your subconscious/instinct or take a more crafted, deliberate approach?

I am interested in how there are choices an individual person can make that, if a majority of people followed, could lead to major changes in society, but these are never able to manifest at scale. Some examples I have in mind are eating less meat, buying less, working from home, or even voting. However, it seems most people discount the impact of individual choices, especially in terms of how some choices could change demand and lead to more systemic changes.

In my historical research, it appeared to me that most changes in daily behavior are actually led by the government through education and PSAs- e.g., wearing seatbelts and reducing smoking. Are there any examples in history of social change being effected in reverse, with individuals making changes that cumulatively affect the systemic level without the motivating factors of material discontent or religious beliefs? Is it human nature to focus largely on our personal lives with little thought given to how we as a species affect the world around us and create the society we live in?