The first person narrative is often based around one character. The reader bases their understanding of what is described through the character’s perspective, experiences and feelings.

Because Health Affairs is a health policy journal, Narrative Matters essays have a policy tie-in to their stories. It’s this policy aspect that makes first-person stories into policy narratives.

And that is it. Anything else probably will not much resemble narration; it may be closer to poetry, or prose-poetry. In reality, we are stuck with third- and first-person narration. The common idea ...