The Narrative Voice

## **Finding the Right Narrative Voice**

I'm sure you can think of a time when two people told you about the same incident, but had completely different stories. This doesn't always mean that one or the other was lying, they just had their own point of view. When you're starting a story, you should think about the narrative voice. There are several types of narrative voices. Here they are (don't get put off by the complicated terms, it's pretty simple stuff).

## **Me, Myself, and I: First Person Narrative**

This is when one of the characters in the story is narrating. It can be a main character or one of the minor characters. You can usually recognise first person narrative right away because the narrator uses the pronoun *I*.

For instance:

*I blew out the candles and made a wish. That's when my world turned wonky.*

### **Suggestions**

Here are a few of my suggestions for developing a strong first person narrative, but feel free to add your own:

* Write a diary entry in your narrator's voice (e.g., going to the beach and finding a treasure chest filled with gold).

* If you are basing your character on someone you know, pay lots of attention when they're talking (in a non-creepy way). Notice any unusual phrases they use.

* Record yourself in what you imagine is your narrator's voice.

* Think of three different characters and have each of them narrate the same scene.

## **It's All About You**

This is when the narrator talks about "you" as the subject.

For instance:

*You walked into the bakery and bought a doughnut. After you had devoured it in the store, you told the man behind the counter it was stale and you wanted another one.*

The second person narrative isn't used very much, but it might be interesting to try it. It could work in a story in which someone is telling a story directly to someone else, and that story is about the person listening (like when parents tell their children about something they did as a baby). Or it can have a angry, accusatory sound to it, as in:

*I asked you to the school dance, and you told me you were going to Venezuela for your grandmother's funeral, but here you are slow dancing with Walter McVeety!*

## **Put Yourself in Their Shoes: Third Person Limited**

Here, the story it told from the point of view of a character, but someone else is telling the story. This is a great narrative voice to use when you want to get inside the head of one main character. We are seeing the story through this character's eyes, feeling what he or she feels, thinking what he or she thinks. Third person limited is a powerful way to get your readers to identify with your main character without using the character's voice to tell the story, as in first person narrative. Here's an example.

*Robert smelled the creature's rotted breath as he struggled to free himself. The rough ropes cut into his skin painfully, but he resisted the urge to cry out for help.*

The third person limited can have a distinct personality. You can give the narrative voice personality in several ways. For instance, if you use short sentences, without a lot of description, you give the story a very plain, direct sound. Fast, no muss. Maybe a little hard-edged. If you're writing an action packed story, this tone might work really well. Here's an example.

*Brenda was desperate. Frantic. Her right foot slipped off the edge of the windowsill. She screamed. The people below screamed. Suddenly a hand reached out of the window. It grabbed her ponytail.*

## **Multiple Voices :Third Person Omniscient**

In this narrative voice the story is told from the point of view of multiple characters. The point of view can change each chapter or one chapter can have multiple point of views. This can be helpful when you have more than one main character, want to show the thoughts of other characters.

Here's an example:
"Jane was feeling down today. Her day had be exhausting and somewhat frustrating.

Diego roamed the busy streets of the city, looking around at all the hustle. He wanted to buy something from a shop nearby but he didn't know what to buy."

## **Credits**

Spilling Ink: A Young Writer's Handbook by Anne Mazer and Ellen Potter