Bisky's Twitterling's Scribbles! discussion
Books/Characters
>
Unreliable Narrator
date
newest »
newest »
I struggle the most with omniscient, maybe because I can't get comfortable with the balance between not being zoomed all the way into someone's head and being too zoomed out. I really think it's the toughest POV to do well, from what I've observed in my reading pursuits. Head hopping needs to be seamless.In contrast, I find first person easiest. I kept a journal for years, so I'm used to writing in first. But of course, that comes with its own challenges!
I love first person perspective because you can surprise your character and the audience at the same time. You can put your character on this roller coaster and the reader is right there with them. I've gotten into the habit of only sharing what the character sees and notices. It makes for some nice reveals down the road. I try to think of what all of the other characters are doing at each point in time behind the scenes, but the main character is stuck in their own little world not knowing what others have planned.
I like the narrator who is dominant to everything and every time. He decides what to tell and when it is suitable time to tell something. I won't probably write a story with first person narrator.
When it comes to reading, I don't really have a preference. I love reading things with unreliable 1st person narrators, if it's done well. One example "Among others" by Jo Walton where you (or at least I) are left convinced that at least some of the events in the book must've been the main character's imagination, but it's done in such a way that you don't feel "robbed" of anything. But like I said, I don't have a preference. I think most the books I read are 3rd person or have a more classic reliable narrator but I think the unreliable ones sort of stand out because it's not as common.When it comes to writing, I mostly write 3rd person. I just find it easier. I do tend to write with a focalization on a particular character, or jumping back and forth between characters, rather than doing the omniscient narrator, though. Lately I've been working a bit more on 1st person writing but it's still a bit new to me and I don't have any big projects right now that are in the 1st person. I do have an upcoming project which will be written in 3rd person present tense with a heavy focalization on an unreliable, or at least uninformed and biased, narrator. So that'll be interesting.
@Brian. You make an interesting point about surprising both reader and character at the same time. I agree; it brings an element of suspense into the narrative. On the other hand, though, dramatic irony is a good tool for creating suspense as well.
@Emma. I agree with you that writing 3rd person is easier. But I find it difficult to have a focalization on one character. I tend to describe a lot what every character thinks, that's why I prefer the omniscient narrator. Yet, I love reading books with unreliable, uninformed or biased narrators of any sort.
@Emma. I agree with you that writing 3rd person is easier. But I find it difficult to have a focalization on one character. I tend to describe a lot what every character thinks, that's why I prefer the omniscient narrator. Yet, I love reading books with unreliable, uninformed or biased narrators of any sort.
@Sandrine, I find third person easier as well. I have the same problem as you, trying to describe things that others see. I think it is good practice to force myself to think only from the POV of that specific person.I enjoy reading first person, but it is so difficult to write. At least for me.
If you're interested in an unreliable first person narrator, I have to say that Engleby by Sebastian Faulks is an absolute masterclass in the form.
Thanks Andrew! I'll check it out as soon as I have time.
Mod
@A.J. Do you sound angry, or is it just my imagination? A clarification then: I'm not being "rigid about POVs and temporal concerns." I was just asking anyone's opinion and giving my own personal one. And I never said one POV was better than another.
Oh, OK. Sorry ^.^ English is not my mother tongue, so sometimes I misinterpret comments when I don't have the person facing me. But I'm working on getting better :D
I think all first person narration is unreliable (to different degrees). That's part of the beauty and humanity of it. No-one's a mystery except to themselves.
I was wondering if anyone else loves unreliable narrators. That is to say, in first person narratives, someone who lies or does not say everything. A narrator like Jekyll in his "Full Statement of the Case" for instance (The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, R.L. Stevenson, 1886).
I love reading first person narratives, and I've recently started writing in that way too. I think it's more difficult because there are a lot of things you can't say as the narrator is not omniscient (unless you write from the viewpoint of God ^^). In the case of unreliable narrators, it's hard to give enough details to guide the reader without becoming obvious by giving too much stuff.
Do you like reading/writing in the first person?
Do you like having to analyse the narrative to find what's going on because the narrator doesn't say all?