Hi Phillip,
Thank you for responding.
However, you totally miss the point (which makes me question whether you have actually read the article or are you just responding because the title hit you right in the feels! Sorry, but sarcasm is MY second nature.)
However, you will find the counters to all your points have already been written in the article. Here’s a breakdown.
- “Because my editors…”
First of all, I am specifically talking about bios of writers on Medium. It’s a direct relationship between you and your readers (the readers of your articles here and not (maybe) your books) and I don’t see any editors coming in between. - “snarky reviewer (like me) to add: The guy doesn’t even know enough to write his bio in 3rd person.”
As fulfilling as it is to have a snarky reviewer (like you) read my bio (again, on my profile here), I wouldn’t really want a judgemental reviewer who can jump to conclusions and that too such a petty one (Oh, he has a first person bio, he can’t even write in third person. Judgemental Reviewer: 1, First person writer: 0) - “ Because most of the people I feature in my bios are fictional characters…”
We are talking about writing your own bio on you own profile. I hope you are not fictional too.
Recapping,
If you have written a book, and you bio is published on the back — third person is apt because the publisher of the book is introducing you to the readers (of the book).
If you engaging directly with your reader (like here on Medium) it’s you and your readers. So, at least have the decency to say what you would have said if you met them in person.
Also, to point out, writing in the third person is equally easy as writing in the first person. I don’t know whether you were taught first person in the lower graders and third person in middle school, but I learnt writing both in the same grade.
To conclude, from my bio written in the first person:
Writing… [Doing] is in front of my thoughts… [me].
If English is your first language, maybe YOU suffer from tunnel vision.
Cheers. :)
