Today, I wanted to talk about an important—and often overlooked—area of the craft, and that is narration. I define narration as any part of the story that’s told by the narrator. This narrator can be a character in the story (as in first person) or they can be an entity outside the story looking in and recounting the events (i.e. third person).
Essentially, narration is a combination of the voice and the point of view. I’ve written about voice and point of view in the past, and today, I wanted to talk about how these two elements work to create a seamless story experience for the reader.
But first, we need to address the big question…
Why do we even care about narration? What’s the big deal?
In my opinion, narration is the single most important aspect of your story. It carries more weight than plot and matters more than your characters. Why is narration so crucial?
The answer is simple: narration forms a direct line between the story and the reader. It is the element of the story that draws the reader in and keeps them engaged long enough to fall in love with the characters or be intrigued by the plot. Without narration, we would have a stage play or a movie script, where all aspects of the story are conveyed by what the characters say and do. Narration is what makes reading different from watching a play or a movie. It’s the vehicle through which the reader engages with the story.
Most of the time, we don’t even notice the narration is there. We’re so focused on what’s happening to the characters that we don’t pay attention to the way the story is being told to us. But whether we notice it or not, there is still artistry in the telling. That artistry comes from choices the author makes with regard to the voice and the point of view. Let’s start by addressing some questions about point of view.
How do we choose the “right” point of view?
First and foremost, it’s important to acknowledge that there is no one “right” answer when it comes to point of view. You could choose any number of different options and they could all work. In fact, different point of view options have different advantages and disadvantages, and it’s important to understand all the choices so you can select the one that works best for your story.
Point of view is actually quite technical and a lot of choices the writer needs to make focus on the logistics of the storytelling. It all boils down to the sphere of knowledge—the pool of information and the worldview that a particular character or narrator has. Depending on what sphere of knowledge you need access to, that’s going to dictate which point of view choices you can use.
For example, suppose you are writing a thriller and you need to show the villain doing villainous things. In that scenario, you might need a multiple point of view option so you can show the hero being heroic in some scenes and the villain doing their evil deeds in others. Romance also tends to rely heavily on multiple points of view, with many books oscillating between the perspectives of each member of the couple.
When choosing the point of view, you need to ask yourself: “What sphere(s) of knowledge do I need access to? And what scenes do I need to be able to show in my story?” Depending on what information you need access to or need to show, that will impact your story’s point of view.
First person vs. third person… which one’s better?
The important thing to understand is that first and third person narrators relate to the story in different ways. The first person point of view (or “I” narrator) means that the narrator is a character within the story. This means that the narrator is experiencing the events of the story as they occur, and those events will impact how that narrator tells the story. If the narrator is also a character, they have skin in the game and the stakes of the story will influence that narrator.
The third person (or “he/she/they” narrator”) implies that the narrator is an entity outside the story. This means that the third person narrator may not actually be a person per se. In fact, in most stories, we don’t even know who that third person narrator is, we just know that someone (or thing) outside the story is recounting the events. This quality gives the third person an air of objectivity, like the narrator is observing the story but isn’t really involved.
Then, of course, there’s the second person (or “you” narrator) which presents its own set of challenges. This narrator is talking directly to the reader, pushing the reader into a role in the story. “You walk down the street and go to a bar where you sit on your usual barstool. You order your usual drink from Darryl, who’s been tending bar for as long as you’ve been coming here. Etc. etc..” In this type of narration the “you” isn’t necessarily the reader themselves but a character, except now the reader is being forced into that role. We see the second person a lot in self-help texts, where the author is instructing the reader about the topic at hand. In fiction, this point of view is hard to sustain, so we’re more likely to see it in short fiction than in book-length work.
So, if first and third person are the two main choices in front of us, how do we choose? First we need to go with our gut and try the point of view that feels right to us. Some writers love the first person (I happen to be one of them) because they enjoy the immediacy of it. It feels like the reader is hearing the story directly from the narrating character and that can pull the reader into the story in a very visceral way.
Third person, on the other hand, allows for more flexibility. You can play with narrative distance in a way that you can’t do with first person. In first person, that narrative distance is locked in and you’re up close and personal with the narrating character the whole way through the story. With third person, the narrative distance is more flexible and you can zoom in or out with more ease. Think of it like a movie camera, where you can zoom out to a panoramic view, or zoom in where you’re right up close to the focal character’s thoughts.
At the end of the day, there’s no better or worse option between first and third person, but each type of point of view accomplishes different things. We need to understand the pros and cons of both choices so we can select the one that will work best for our story.
What about voice? Where does that come in?
When I talk about voice, I refer to it as being your literary DNA. A lot of writing teachers say you have to “find your voice,” as if it’s loose change stuck between couch cushions. Voice isn’t something you find, it’s something you already have. You just have to hone it and make it fit the story you want to tell. I’ve said this before: just as you can’t grow roses from sunflower seeds, you can’t make your voice into something that it’s not. Yet, with a lot of sunshine and plenty of water and plant food, you can grow some pretty awesome sunflowers. Similarly, when you cultivate your voice, you can make it better and stronger.
What we have to remember is that voice isn’t one-dimensional. It has layers. The most fundamental layer of voice is that of the characters speaking in dialogue. At that layer, your primary concern is making sure your characters sound distinct, like different individuals.
The second layer of voice is that of the narrator. Here is where voice and point of view overlap. If you’re writing in first person, then the voice of the narrator will be the same as the voice of the character telling the story (because narrator and character are one and the same). That said, even though the character and narrator are the same person, the voice of the narration might be slightly different from how that character speaks in dialogue. This is because the narration in first person essentially amounts to the character’s thoughts, and we all know that people don’t always say and think the exact same things.
In third person, on the other hand, the narration comes from a different entity outside the story and that entity has a voice all its own. Sometimes that voice is very in-your-face and opinionated, sometimes it’s nearly invisible. Regardless, the voice of the narrator and the voice of the characters can range from very similar to wildly different. These are all choices that the author must make when crafting their story.
What if you choose the “wrong” voice or point of view?
If this happens, don’t panic. You can always reboot the scenes of your story in a new voice or point of view. The key is not to try and tinker with the text. Don’t just go in and change the “he/she/theys” to “I” and call it a day. If you do that, you’ll squash your voice and make the point of view feel stilted and artificial. Instead, I recommend doing what I call a “scene reboot.” Read the original version of the scene, then set it aside and rewrite it from memory. Don’t worry that you might forget some important detail. Your brain will hang on to the essential components of that scene and let go of anything else you don’t need.
The advantage of rebooting a scene is that it keeps your voice fresh. It captures that energy you feel when you’ve just written a draft, but because you already wrote the scene before, you’re now rewriting it with a direction in mind. Your brain will preserve the important parts while still capturing that just-wrote-this energy of drafting for the first time.
How do you get started?
When you first start drafting a story, don’t worry too much about voice and point of view. Work more by intuition than by method. Just write in the voice and point of view that feels right to you. This will give your narration energy and spark. Then, once you’ve got around 15,000-20,000 words, pause and assess. Ask yourself the following questions:
- Is the narration working? Does it hook the reader?
- Does the point of view accomplish what I need it to?
- Are there any logistical reasons why I might need a different point of view?
- Does the voice sparkle? Is it uniquely me, or does it feel derivative?
At this stage, you may want to experiment with the narration and write a couple of scenes in a different point of view or voice. Don’t just think through the options in your head, actually put words on the page and see if they work. If something works better, great. If it doesn’t, just go back to the previous version of the narration.
From here, keep writing forward until you get to the end of the manuscript. Don’t go back and tinker with the voice and point of view. Not yet. Instead, write forward until you get to “The End,” then go back and reboot any scenes that need it.
At the end of the day, narration tends to take care of itself by the end of the first draft. Your job during that draft is to try out different options and find the version of the narration that works best for your story.
Until next time, keep writing and keep being awesome!
P.S. For more info on Gabriela Pereira, the founder and instigator of DIY MFA, check out her profile page.
