One thing I forgot to mention - even though I like 3rd person better than 1st person, there is one way I really do like using 1st person. Sometimes if I am struggling with a particular scene or story, it helps to open a new word document or get a fresh piece of paper, and rewrite a 3rd person scene in 1st person. For some reason, just looking at the "I" instead of "he/she" shakes it up enough for me to spot problem bits or see where I can pare away unnecessary fluff (which, for RC "Purple Prose" Barrett, is a good thing

Don't know why, but it seems to help.