Writing is a very cheap creative medium (In terms of physical resources, since you only need to open a Word or a notebook and pencil). But also, super accessible for anyone who wants to bring a world, character or story to life, since… Who doesn’t know how to write nowadays? However, if your intention is to stand out with a good story, you should put a little more effort. To know and master concepts and writing techniques that every professional novelist should know. Among which lies present the types of narrator.
If your intention is to create a good immersion for the reader, or to find the best way to tell your story. You will need to understand very well how the types of narrator work, and discover which one is the most suitable for the type of story you write. It is not just about writing for the sake of writing, it is important to understand how you are going to write, that is what differentiates a professional from an amateur writer.
In this post we will explain how the three main (or best known) types of narrator work. So that you discover what are the characteristics of each one and their differences, in order to find the right one for your story, story or novel.
First person narrators.
First-person narrators stand out for being those that allow a story to be told from the point of view of the protagonist, or failing that, a relevant character in the plot. This is ideal when you want the reader to become attached to a certain character. Or that he feels identified, since his thoughts, dialogues and feelings can be better expressed. Well, by telling everything from his perception, it is inevitable that with the development of the plot, the reader will go deeper into the character.
As such, there are three types of first-person narrator, which we discuss below:
- Protagonist Narrator. As mentioned before, in this type of narrator the whole story is told from the point of view of the protagonist.
- Internal monologue. In this type of narrator we only perceive the conscience and thoughts of the protagonist in the raw. Here the dialogues are not present, only thoughts and emotions. Obviously it is used for certain short scenes, because by itself it cannot sustain a very long story.
- Witness Narrator. This type of narrator is a kind of intermediate between the first person and the third person narrator. Since the story is narrated adopting an indirect role, where the facts and events of third parties are told, where in turn this narrator can become involved, telling everything from his own perception.
It is advisable to use this type of narrator when your story focuses on a certain character, or you want the reader to sympathize with the protagonist.
Types of narrator: Second person.
This type of narrator is the least used by writers. Mainly because its use is somewhat complex, and requires a good understanding of how to use it so as not to cause confusion for the reader. This type of narrator seeks to involve the reader in the story, and trying to request her attention. Have you seen those movies or stories where the narrator tells the story, but there are moments where he requests the viewer’s attention? For example with phrases like… “I’m going to tell you the story of how I became a prince.” As you can see, the narrator would be the protagonist of this story, and he is addressing the reader directly in that sentence, by saying “I’m going to tell you”. Assuming that he has a chat with the reader.
Third person narrator.
This is the most popular type of narrator used in commercial writing and film. Given how easy it is to understand and its easy adaptation to any story. Well, in itself, you can tell any type of story, story, novel or written in the third person, which makes it a very dynamic narrative.
This type of narration consists of the narrator telling the story as a “Spectator” or “God”. Which not only knows what events occurred, occur or will happen, but also understands the emotions, feelings and thoughts of the characters.
What we have discussed is specifically known as an omniscient narrator, and it is, as its name suggests. A kind of being that knows everything and is present everywhere, without necessarily being a character involved in the story.
There is also another type of third-person narrator known as a poor narrator. And he is the one who does not know everything, but if he is able to collect a certain amount of information according to certain events. He basically brings another opinion to the story presented.