Can Writing Be Like Method Acting?

Bets wrote an interesting post last week about pitfalls of the first person POV. While I agree first person POV has pitfalls, I think it can also hold the key to better writing. Why? The criticism many beginning writers face is that the reader does not feel "in the head" of the POV character.  I have found that the best cure to this writing problem is to get into the head of your protagonist the same way a method actor "becomes" the character he or she is playing. A method actor playing Hamlet, for example, does not wonder "how would Hamlet react" and then try to portray that reaction on stage; instead, the actor "becomes" Hamlet and lets the reactions come naturally. Similarly, the author needs to become his POV character, and then put on the page how that character reacts to and feels about the events of the plot. 

I find that it is easier to do "method writing" using first person POV rather than third person. It is easier to get into a character's head when it is the "I" being portrayed rather than the "he" or "she." Even when I write in third person, I try to think in first person and then translate the thought from first person to third. I was not able to do this type of translation until I did quite a bit of first person POV storytelling. 

So, while it is important not to "cheat" in first person POV as suggested by Bets, it is also important to keep in mind that first person POV may be the answer if you need to learn how to get in your character's head.