There are a number of variations within the third person narrative for us to explore. Third-person narration is hugely popular. Although we might have our writing habits, it’s always good to challenge ourselves and try something different. It’s also a good way of stepping out of our comfort zones. It has the feel of an almost interactive experience. With this technique, the reader is transformed into a character and is addressed with the personal pronoun ‘you’. It might not feel as natural as first and third- person, but you can always alter it when you’re rewriting and editing. This voice seems to be the one most rarely used in fiction. It can also make readers feel like they’re one step ahead, as they become aware of gaps, contradictions or biases within the story being told. The first-person narrative can also be a fun journey for readers, as they try to read between the lines of your story and try to grasp the character’s intentions. A narrator who has an obvious bias, or a narrator who tries to bend the details in their favour, can make for a really interesting story. Something interesting about the first-person is that it can lead to the development of an unreliable narrator. When portraying them to the reader, we want them to feel connected to that character. The key to this voice is to make sure you really know the character you’re speaking through. There is immediacy with this voice too, we are often seeing things as the character does. The reader is almost put in the position of a trusted friend. There’s an air of intimacy and proximity involved, as we’re given access to their thoughts and feelings. It’s a great way of drawing the reader into your character. With this voice, we inhabit our character’s mind. When we think of the first-person, we think of closeness and immersion with a character. Let’s explore some of our options: First-Person There’s plenty of choice when it comes to narrative voice. He explains how ‘ reading your story aloud is a fine way of testing your control of the voice.’ It helps us to check the consistency of our work and identify areas where the voice may fall flat. Jerome Stern offers some great advice on this in Making Shapely Fiction. Jumping from one point of view to another (from one voice to another), without warning the reader can feel jarring and confusing. The most important thing to remember about narrative voice is to maintain consistency throughout the story. As we discussed in the podcast episode 8, What Is The Best Writing Advice You Have Received? - ‘ voice has such a tremendous impact on our writing.’ Voice is a huge indicator of personality in our stories, and it helps determine how the reader feels, it’s something we need to be very conscious about. Through narrative voice, we reveal a lot about character. How much do you want your narrator to know about the other characters, for example? How perceptive do you want them to be? How close do you want the reader to feel to the characters? Is the narrator to be trusted? How does the narrator show us the world of the story? When deciding on which narrative voice to use, there are plenty of things to consider. How do you decide which narrative voice to use?Įach narrative voice offers something different, and it’s important to take time to explore which one will work best for your story. That’s why voice is a vital element in writing. It’s important to remember, the voice you choose will affect the story you tell. There are different types of narrative voice and we explore them more in this post. Sometimes the narrative voice can be referred to as ‘POV’ (point of view) and often it can be a very confusing and complicated part of the writing process. This could be through a character’s eyes, or it could be a narrator telling the story. It’s the eyes your reader sees the story through. Narrative voice is the perspective your story is told from. In fact, the world of our story is projected through the voice we choose.īut what is narrative voice and why is it so important? One of the most crucial parts of our stories is the narrative voice. As Amanda Boulter says, ‘we need to find the story’s voice.’ But there’s another voice that plays a key role too. We know our writer’s voice is undoubtedly important.
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