This is a little exercise that I found a few years ago that can really stretch your skills. The basic idea is that most people are drawn to statements that don’t directly reference the speaker in I and Me sorts of statements. The reference to self constantly can come across as narcissistic and can put off some readers. While in the real world, no one expects a first person story to lack I and Me statements, for the purposes of this exercise, you don’t get to make them overall.
Write a 600 word story or scene where the entire thing is written in the first person. You may only use I statements (I, me, mine, we, etc) twice in the entire document. The rest of the time you have to find creative ways of expressing the concept that this is done in the first person without the constant references to self. Fair warning, it is harder than it sounds to do it and still have something understandable and readable. Still, the end result can be a really interesting scene you can use for a story later if you wish.
