Welcome to the cKotch.Com blog. I’m Christopher Kotcher, and this is Kotcher’s Pen. Time to delve into my writing’s inner workings.
Who Will Tell the Tale?
Narrators are critical to stories told in the written word. Their voices are the vehicles for readers to enter the story’s world.
The right narrator can make daily life an extraordinary adventure. The wrong narrator can make the most splendid fantasy boring.
Of course, the right or wrong narrator will depend on the purpose of any particular piece. Some stories are simply told better through some voices than others.
Fantasy epics with multiple warring factions all given equal pages may not work best being told through a single main character’s diary.
Deep psychological probes of a descent into madness may not best be conveyed by a distant all-knowing narrator merely describing events rather than living them.
Today, let’s learn about the three main types of narrators. You may have heard of them before. Most English literature classes will feature them as key terms at least once.
However, I do aim to give a deeper dive into these concepts. I want to examine why writers use them and what makes them suitable or not with different types of stories.
As per usual, I also want to relay some of my own experience with these styles. Hopefully, you’ll be able to see some good examples of the principles outlined through this post.
The First Style: “Jack and Jill Ran Up the Hill”
We begin with probably the most common narrator style, third-person omniscient.
These would be stories told from a God’s eye view. The narrator knows everything which happens in the story’s world and is relaying events to you perfectly.
Many of these works will be the kind where readers feel there is no narrator. The presence of character traits in this voice may be largely absent.
Not to knock the style, but this would be the reason why many starting writers may adopt this type of narrator early on. You don’t have to worry about maintaining a consistent voice. You just tell things as they are.
I know this is certainly how I started out.
My earliest tales were basically lists of everything the characters did with some dialogue thrown in to help spice things up. Telling things from a perspective that knew everything worked well.
However, there is a danger in not giving a narrator a sense of character.
Readers will need to depend that much more on other elements, setting, characterization, dialogue, you name it.
If you can satisfy in these areas, then go ahead, use a third-person omniscient narrator.
However, these factors indicate the style may not be as accommodating as beginners may think. You need to be certain that the other aspects of the story can carry it.
All that being said, there are times when third-person omniscient narrators are appropriate.
That God’s eye view would work very well for stories which jump between numerous groups of characters at any given time.
Also, the third-person omniscient style works well with stories and worlds that benefit from sweeping descriptions of the landscape or history that characters may not know themselves.
The Second Style: “Jack saw Jill Ran Up the Hill”
Staying with the third-person, we move onto the next narrator style, third-person limited.
Here, the narrator has more of a character. They have a perspective on the events unfolding in a story.
The view of this narrator is limited by the combination of a focus on a specific point of view, possibly with a specific attitude to the narrator’s own voice.
These narrators do not speak a character’s own voice, but they likely represent it.
There may be some slight moments of omniscience to set a scene.
The narrator may describe a landscape beyond what a character can see, but the narration is always ultimately brought back to an approximation of the character’s perspective.
Honestly, my favorite example of a third-person limited narrator doesn’t actually come from a book. It would have to be the narrator from the original Powerpuff Girls cartoon.
That guy would being every episode by introducing the city of Townsville where the show was set.
However, he would quickly focus in on the main character for the episode. Typically, this would be the Powerpuff Girls themselves, but the focus would shift to villains if the episode starred them.
Once this focus is established, any other instance of the narrator tends to focus on the star of the episode.
The narrator has a moral center. You expect him to praise the girls and scold the villains. You know what to expect of him, and you know would know if he were out of character.
Ultimately, my experience shows third-person limited to be a good, balanced type of narrator. This style has become the default for much of my writing.
Third-person limited is best for including commentary in a story that may need to step away from its main character here and there.
The ability to inject personality into these narrators can also help readers become more quickly attached to a story’s world. Personality allows narrators to be guides in addition to vehicles.
The Third Style: “Jill and I Ran Up the Hill”
Let’s close with first-person narrators. These would be characters within a story. They may be the main character, a side character, or a close observer.
These narrators will refer to themselves as me, myself, or I. If they do something with another character, then we’re talking about a we or us situation.
First-person tends to work best with works focused on relaying characters’ experiences first and foremost. The focus should be on thoughts and regarding events than the events themselves.
One known flaw in first-person narrators is their general inability to report on events they were not present for. However, there are ways to mitigate this issue and even make it a strength.
Time is the key consideration here. When is the first-person narrator telling the story? Are these events happening as they are being narrated, or are they reflections on distant memories?
If a first-person narrator is talking in the future, they could relay a few simple events they did not attend, provided they could reasonably learn about these events before telling the story.
Another notable factor of first-person narrators is reliability. Can you trust what this character says?
Most stories with first-person narration want you to assume the reliability of the narrator, but there are many which hinge upon distrusting your window into the world.
My go-to examples are two of Edgar Allan Poe’s greatest short stories, The Cask of Amontillado and The Tell-Tale Heart.
These are works are desperate please from unreliable narrators to the reader. These characters, both murderers, are begging to be considered sane. They want to be justified in their actions.
Of course, reliability can be used for more than madness. It can be used to build powerful twists based in subverting the narrator’s limited observations and expectations.
First-person narration has proven the style I’ve been most reluctant to use. I’m somewhat embarrassed to admit this hesitance hasn’t actually emerged from the style’s challenges.
You see, my biggest issue with accepting first-person narration has been the fear of overusing the word “I.” I didn’t want to risk “I” to become the subject of every sentence.
Thankfully, I’m working on moving past these hang-ups.
My short story collection Five Strange Stories features a story told in first-person, “The Dragon in the Mansion.” The style worked wonders for the story.
Currently, I’m experimenting more with seeing where first-person narration may fit well with my works.
I don’t have too much to say about these tests currently, but I’m hoping they will prove fruitful.
Discussion Time!
These have been the three styles of narration, third-person omniscient, third-person limited, and first-person. They all have their proper pieces to feature them.
Finding the right style of narrator for a work is crucial for ensuring the reader has the best vehicle into a story’s world.
What do you think of the three styles? What are some of your favorite stories to use each?
Do you agree with my deep dive into the purposes of each narrator style? Did I cover something you haven’t heard before? Is there something you feel I missed?
Kotcher’s Call to Action
Since I mentioned “The Dragon in the Mansion” earlier in this post, how about I link to a post discussing the history of the story? You can find it here.
Also, if you like my content and wish to see more, you could check out my books Five Strange Stories and Good Stuff: 50 Poems from Youth on Amazon. They are enrolled in the Kindle Matchbook program, so anyone who buys the paperbacks can also get the eBooks for free.
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