Deciding on a Narrative Voice
October 25, 2008 by John Hewitt
There are many ways to tell a story and you will need to choose which one will work best for your novel. Here is a quick rundown of the basic narrative points-of-view.
Third Person
A third person narrative tells the story from a perspective outside of any one particular character. It discusses the events from a slightly removed position. “Billy went to the store to get beer.” Some of the decisions involved with third person include whether or not the narrator has access to the character’s thoughts or merely their actions, and whether or not the narrator has a point of view about the actions happening in the story. Finally, there is the decision of whether or not to follow more than one character. A narrative can be in the third person, but still only focus on the actions of a single character.
First Person
First person is told from the perspective of a character within the story, usually the lead character but sometimes a peripheral character that happens to know most of the events either through observation, participation or through someone else telling them what happened. “I went to the store to get beer.” It is also possible to have multiple first-person narratives, with the perspective shifting by chapter or by scene from one storyteller to another.
Reliable or Unreliable Narrators
In first person narratives, the character sees everything from their own point of view. This means that they cannot know what happens unless they observe it or are told it, and the way they observe the story may be pretty close to the facts or skewed by their own perceptions. A story narrated by a pathological liar or a child, for example, may not accurately reflect the reality of what is going around them. Third person narrators are usually not unreliable, but it is possible to do this as well.
What Ar Your Needs?
Choosing which type of narrator to have can be difficult. You want the narrator that is going to best reflect the needs and goals of your story. A story with twenty different characters, for example, may need a third person narrator simply because a single character within the story may not be able to observe or even be told all of the things that occur. A first person narrator, however, generally adds a level of immediacy to the story, and the fact that they are seeing what happens from the character’s perspective may increase the reader’s feeling of connection to the story.
Once you choose a voice though, especially if you are trying to work quickly for a deadline like Nanowrimo, you need to stick with your first choice. Changing the narrative voice requires a great deal of editing and can take quite a lot of time.
Related links
- There is no Right Way to Write a Novel (1.000)
- How Setting Influences Story (1.000)
- Maintaining your Novel's Pace-Time Continuum (0.773)
- Writing an Action Outline (0.728)
- How to Write a 50,000 Word Novel in a Month (0.603)
Contact John Hewitt
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A third person point of view always turns me off in a novel. It’s like a big satellite camera recording everything objectively.
However, a first person narrating opens the way for the nitty gritty of the character’s mental processes.
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Good point about how a first person narrator increases imemdiacy and connection. I used to write in third person and I found that too distant (though it was probably due to insufficient character development and poor writing). Now I favor first person. As far as I can remember (I have a faulty memory), I have never written a story from several perspectives. I would like to try it someday.
You could try reading My Name is Red by Orhan Pamuk. The narrator changes in every chapter, and it’s not necessarily a human being. Using varying narrators could be a tough job, but might create wonders when implemented well.
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Help! I am not sure which one! I obviously need to decide. I have a basic 2- maybe 3 main characters and i want to follow them throughout the book closely and it maybe switch back in forth so do you think i should go with a third person?
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I have a good grasp on third person, but one thing is troubling me. When i describe the actions of my characters should i use the present tense or past tense of verbs. like:
She is walking down the corridor and just then she noticed something move in the shadows.
or
She was walking down the corridor when she saw something move in the shadow
when I start writing it i end up in the past tense and then i think maybe i want the reader to follow it as if it was happening now. What is the opinion of other writers on this subject?
Present tense gives a sense of immediacy to a narrative, but it can often sound a little forced and it gives very little room for introspection because you are in the moment with the character. Past tense is easier and more traditional, but that doesn’t make it better. In the end you have to pick what you are comfortable with and think makes the most sense for your story.
thanks I have been troubled about it, but you have given me a bit more insite and i’ll go with my gut on this one.