Creative Writing For Dummies, 2nd Edition

Chapter 6

Choosing a Narrator

IN THIS CHAPTER

Numbering the voices you can choose from

Deciding on a perspective for your story

Considering how close to be to your main character

Using more than one narrator

One of the fundamental issues in writing any fiction, narrative nonfiction, or poetry is finding the right point of view for your story. Autobiography naturally makes use of the first-person viewpoint, but using this perspective is a common technique in fiction and poetry, too. The third-person voice is extremely flexible and includes a range of options that enable your reader to close in on the thoughts and feelings of the main characters – a common device in fiction – or to step back and listen to a more distant, authoritative voice, as is the case with much biography and nonfiction.

Being consistent about the point of view is one of the main elements in creative writing that enables your narrative to be clear and to connect to the reader. Inconsistency in the point of view, rapid shifts from one character’s consciousness to another, being too distant or being too close are ...