Choosing the Right Narrative Voice for your Novel: How POV and your Story’s Message Weigh In
To totally steal from last week’s intro article to this topic: “The narrator’s voice is your greatest asset– and your greatest drawback.” – Orson Scott Card Choosing the right narrative voice for your novel really comes down to the message you want to send to your reader. And the message will depend greatly on the POV you choose. Why? Because the character(s) you choose to tell the story are the characters your reader will sympathize with. Where Do I Begin? First off, weigh your POV options while you outline your story, not while you write it. It helps if you write down the names of characters you feel would be fab candidates for your story’s POV, plus why they would frame your story’s narrative sensationally. In fact, why not try that right now? Got that handy lil list o’ pretty possibilities all set? Awesome. Now, keep that list beside you while we dissect a simple story idea and see how selecting a POV and a narrative voice drastically changes the story’s message: Danny Harrison’s twin brother Pete was shot to death by Benny Feng, notorious leader of the Black Tiger Gang. Danny’s dying father, John, looks to Danny to right the wrongs committed against their family. POV Options: We have three strong candidates here for POV options (even four candidates, if we want the option of a somber aftermath retelling from Pete’s past tense POV.) POV #1: Last heir to the “throne” Danny Harrison is at a crossroads: fulfill family obligation? Or pursue personal ambitions? POV #2: Gang leader Benny Feng...
The 3 Narrative Voices: What are they? How do you tell them apart?
“The narrator’s voice is your greatest asset– and your greatest drawback.” – Orson Scott Card Choosing the narrative voice for your novel determines who the reader will sympathize with. That means the entire story hangs on the choice of your narrative voice. It can be very difficult to choose the right narrator for your book especially if you aren’t sure what each voice truly does. I don’t know about you, but trying to figure out the difference between the narrative options gave me a headache for years. But after intense reading and research, I discovered the gold points every author should know and needs to know to properly identify the narrative voice. If you’re reading this now, it’s because you want to figure out what those narrative voice options are and which you should choose for your story. So, let’s break down what your three options as a fiction writer are and how these voices work: 1. Omniscient Third Person Narrator The omniscient third-person narrator flits like an invisible bird from place to place, sharing a distant, unemotional perspective of each character’s POV. Orson Scott Card put it best when he said, “The O.T.P narrator sees the world through the wrong end of the binoculars– readers can see everything but it all looks very small and far away.” We sit back and watch the lives play out from a distance as if we are a “god” looking down on the lives of mortals. There’s no emotional attachment, simply straightforward presentation of the facts. We watch what the characters do, we don’t experience it. Easiest way to identify...
Discover Yourself Through Writing
Yesterday, I took a walk through my favorite park- the park my parents have taken me to since I was a small child. I’ve walked through this gorgeous tree-peppered park about a thousand times. Every river, rock-laden path, golden field, tree tattooed with random initials I thought I knew like the back of my hand. After all, twenty-seven years should grant a girl the confidence of being an expert on her childhood park. But yesterday, everything changed. I discovered something brand new, and it blew me away. What did I discover? And why did I discover it just now? Why didn’t I discover it, say, fifteen years ago? Well, stay tuned for the answers, friend. For now, I want you to think about your life in a similar light. You’ve walked the same paths a thousand times over. Your daily routine, your schedule- it’s all been one reliable beat- no surprises (or at least, you hope for none). So why are you here, reading this post right now? Something drew you to this page. Something inside you is yearning for a change in the status quo, some little voice inside is crying out. So what is it crying out for? Discovery. Humans are in a constant state of change no matter how much we ignore it or don’t see it. It’s only when that little voice inside becomes so overwhelmingly loud that you finally realize you need a change- a revolution within. You wish to branch out into uncharted territory and discover a new aspect of yourself. Can I be a writer? How do I even begin this journey? I don’t know how to...
Finding the Strength to Write When You’re Coping With Illness
So, I have to let you in on a little secret: I’ve been battling a regularly occurring illness for some time now, and it totally sucks. There are some days that my body is in so much pain, I can hardly move from my bed at all. Then, there are days when I am working full speed and winning at life like a champ. What I’ve discovered is this: modesty and a little routine called “counting my strengths” keeps me motivated to write and just be a human on my toughest days. Are you coping with a serious illness too? Are you undergoing regularly occurring health problems that throw your life-train off the tracks too? Just know that you’re not alone. Know that your struggle is not in vain. Also, know that you’re courageous as heck and you’re capable of, not just coping with your illness, but living your life despite the pain. For those of you who may not suffer illness, I’ll tell you honestly that it feels like the heaviest ball and chain, or the most frustrating prison in the world. You feel like you have no control and that’s the hardest part of all. These simple things that we all take for granted are taken away from you: Freedom Independence Energy Strength Social life Productivity Focus And sometimes, even more than that. For me, it has even greatly affected my workflow and my time spent writing. See, when you’re suffering illness, you don’t want to acknowledge that you’re not quite the same person any longer. Anything that acknowledges your weakened state may trigger all sorts of fears. At least, it did for me. First, I became forced to accept my limitations....
4 Ways To Revolutionize Female Villains
Why do female villains tend to act and look the same? Why don’t we take female villains seriously? Why do so few female villains actually terrify us? Male villains have made a 180 degree turn over the last few years. That guy with the curly mustache who ties the damsel to the train tracks simply doesn’t cut it anymore. Villains like Heath Ledger’s Joker, James Moriarty, and others have revolutionized evil. On the other hand, female villains haven’t evolved equally. If we think about the classic line-up of female villains, they share about 3 similarities: They wear the same ridiculous, theatrical or super sexy get-up meant to focus all attention on their hot bod instead of their personal goal. They have the same “I’M PURE EVIL!” laughter. They use overtly sexualized “tricks up their sleeves” to get the job done. But worst of all, villainesses tend to lack a profound motive which makes their personal conflict seem more like a hissy fit instead of a threat to be taken seriously. In fact, villainesses tend to be given the same three motives for their actions: Petty revenge Spurned or unrequited love Jealousy But what’s so wrong about these motives anyway? In it of itself, those motives aren’t completely heinous but when villainesses are consistently put into these three categories and not much else, then we have a problem. How? Because these motives narrow her potential, trivialize her goals, and worst of all, they create a caricature of evil. Now granted, there are a few exceptions that we could stand to learn from. First, there’s Stephen King’s crazed super-fan, Annie Wilkes, played by the master, Kathy Bates. Then there’s the bloodthirsty...I’m Rae Elliott: Author, Blogger, Geek
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