A quick note
I’ll be taking some time off next week, including from writing. I always try to take time off when my school is closed for winter break, whether I need it or not. And boy, this year I need it!
You won’t get any TP Diaries for the next two weeks, but you will get a special Writing Workshop Wednesday post next week. If you want to start out the new year with full access to Truant Pen and all of my updates, consider going paid! Between now and December 31, you can get 40% your subscription. That’s $4.80/ month or $48 for a full year.
I’m looking forward to my long winter’s nap, spending time with family, and of course, lots of reading. Whatever you celebrate, or don’t, I hope you too find some time during these darkest of days to take a deep breath, and take it all in.
And now, back to the program…
Who is telling this story?
The unreliable narrator is a popular trope, especially in thrillers.
I totally get it: it is delightfully shocking as a reader to discover part way through the book that the person telling you this story has been lying all along.
Here’s the thing.
All narrators are unreliable, to a certain extent. Because all narrators filter the story through their own experiences and only show the reader what you, the author, want them to see in any given moment. Picking your narrator is an important choice. Here are just some of the options you can consider when choosing your narrator and point of view.
Standard Options for Point of View (POV)
First person (past or present tense): the character tells the story in their own words using I/me/my pronouns. This option puts the reader directly into your POV character’s skin, but, the narrative will be limited to information that character knows. Present tense may give a greater feeling of immediacy to the reader, while past tense allows for opportunities for the narrator to reflect on events they have already experienced.
Third person close: The narrative stays close to the internal thoughts/feelings/actions of the POV character, but is slightly filtered through a narrator using third person pronouns (she/he/they, etc.). The narrative remains mostly limited to what that one character knows.
Third person omniscient: The narrator knows everything and can share the thoughts/feelings/actions of other characters as well as information that the hero is not privy to. Omniscient narrators are usually just the voice telling the story, but there is room to play with this convention. Consider Alexis Hall’s Mortal Follies, narrated by Robin Goodfellow (of Shakespearean fame). Robin/Puck is mostly a third-person omniscient narrator for the story of Maelys Mitchelmore but occasionally jumps in with first person commentary.
Traditionally, third person narratives (omniscient or close) are in past tense, however, there are some novels where a third person narration is in the present tense. Some recent, well-regarded examples of this can be seen in Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston and The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab
Some More Unusual POV Options
There are also some less standard POV choices, which can be highly effective too, but, rely on advanced writing techniques and can be more challenging to pull off.
Second Person: The story is told primarily with you/your/yours pronouns. This choice is best suited to video game, tabletop game, or choose-your-own adventure narratives.
Epistolary or Found Object: The story may have one narrator or several, but the story is told through a series of artifacts such as letters, diaries, advertisements etc. Some of my favorites in this style are Regarding the Fountain and Dracula.
Split or Multiple POV: You have more than one character filtering the story through their POV instead of primarily or exclusively focusing on one character. This can be highly effective and satisfying but is also very challenging. Should you choose to write a multiple POV story, it is a good idea to still have one main character.
All of these POV options can be great. The important thing is to be consistent throughout your story, and to consciously make the choice that best suits the story you are trying to tell.
Often, the POV character (whether in first or third person) is also the hero but not always. The Great Gatsby and the Sherlock Holmes stories are famously narrated by a character other than the eponymous one. One might argue that John Watson and Nick Carraway are the actual heroes of those stories.
Keep an eye on your inbox for next week’s edition where I’ll do a deeper dive into stories where the narrator is someone other than the main character.
Journal Time! Identify Your Narrator
Identify who is telling the story, and from what point in time. (As it is happening? Ten years later?)
Why is this the best narrator and the best way to tell this particular story? If you aren’t sure, try re-writing a scene or two from a different POV and consider how that changes the story.
If you add, drop, or change POVs part way through the story, is there a story-specific reason? If not, how can you change the POV to make it consistent?
Want help deciding which POV best meets your story’s needs?
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