A post about narration.
Just to get everyone on the same page...
First person narration uses I and we, and comes from a character we presume is involved in the story. (Think: The Lovely Bones)
Second person speaks directly to the reader, making you part of the story: You turn the corner and face two doors. You consider them both, one bright red, one with chipped blue paint. (Think: Choose Your Own Adventure stories)
Third person uses he, she, and they. The narrative voice here can be distant and omniscient: Little did John know, there was a storm barreling toward his tiny boat. (Think: most fairy tales) It may also be limited, giving the reader only what the main character can perceive. (Think: many mysteries)
The narrative voice I've been using for Briar-Bound is a very tight 3rd-person perspective. In any given scene, the reader has gotten only the information available to that scene's POV character. I even changed the narrative language from chapter to chapter to reflect each POV character: the narration in Stump's chapters is blunt and dark, Jack's have more sarcasm and skepticism, and Peter's have a 6-year-old's innate ADD-ness to them.
The result is a 3rd-person narration that might as well be 1st-person.
This is something I discussed at length with Super Agent Chris last week. I like the narrative voice used for fairy tales, and since my book involves known tales, I want the narration to be appropriately fairy tale-ish. So why wasn't I using it? One reason: I wanted the chapter POVs to be distinct, for the language to create an environment that subconsciously connects the reader to each character. Another reason: 3rd person makes it very easy to tell and not show, and that's a no-no: The bear died. This made Jane very sad.
But when Chris pushed to know why I wasn't taking full advantage of the potential of a 3rd-person narration, I admitted to not wanting to annoy readers with a Listen-up-I'm-telling-you-story-and-don't-you-forget-it voice. I had big trouble reading the first Lemony Snicket book because the narrative voice constantly reminded me I was being told a story. It made me feel trapped, talked down to, and distracted with unwanted information.
None of which I want my readers to feel. Chris pointed out, however, that the Snicket books are an extreme example of narration -- that I can reach for a middle ground that takes advantage of the tools of 3rd person without walking beside the reader, tapping him on the shoulder every few steps, saying, "Hey... Hey... Hey... Guess what happens next!"
So this is one of my challenges in this revision. Fortunately, it's one I relish. On one hand, having some consistency in the narrative voice will turn chapters into a cohesive whole. On the other, finding ways to tailor that voice to each POV character without drowning the reader in atmosphere will only make the book stronger. My biggest obstacle will be getting over the feeling that giving the reader extra information (info the characters don't have) is cheating. It isn't for an omniscient narrator.
Or, as in Briar-Bound, for a narrator telling the story with the benefit of hindsight. So, a declaration: I hereby give myself permission to fully use 3rd person, and promise to wield my power for good.
How do feel about narrative voice? Do you enjoy certain types over others? Do you avoid books written from one of the three perspectives? If you're a writer, do you have a preference in narrative voice for your own stories, or does it depend on the story (if so, what are your rules?)?
[image via I Am Simon]
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Monday, September 7, 2009
Once Upon a Time...
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5 ate pie:
I tend to avoid the second-person style. Something about it just seems cheesy (maybe it was all the Choose-Your-Own-Adventure books I used to read.) So of course, my writing instructors forced me to submit projects in that second-person objective voice. An interesting tactic...
Do you have any good examples of 2nd person?
Vincent - Wikipedia's narrative made page points to McInerney's Bright Lights Big City, Calvino's If on a Winter's Night a Traveler, and Robbins' Half Asleep in Frog Pajamas.
I haven't read these, so I can't say if the narrative mode choice was effective in them.
That should be "Wikipedia's narrative MODE page"
I love posts like this. This is such a clear, succinct way of explaining voice.
Good luck with your revision! Saying something like "fix the voice" is so easy to say, but so hard to do. I hope it goes well with you!
(Now I'm off to look for some Choose Your Own Adventure books...I sure miss those)
I think I erred using the phrase narrative voice, when it's apparently narrative mode, which is what I've tried to address here.
That said, I have some character voice work to o on this draft, too -- I need to make sure the new character is distinct from Jack, and may need to rein in the youngest character's voice (we'll see).
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