Narration for Writers

I could describe for you the meaning of each narration style, but than you may or may not understand. So I have instead written each of the following using the style itself, so that you can see how each style is used. Some styles are similar, for example, both the second person account and the choose your own adventure are written using second person account, however, the format is slightly different.

Most every book you read is written using the third person account. It is the easiest to write and the easiest to read, it is used in both fiction and nonfiction stories.

Also common, is the first person account. This style is used most often in books were the main character is a child, teen, or young adult. True romance stories are often written in this style. The first person account is used in both fiction and nonfiction stories.

A monologue is a type of first person account, usually seen in script writing for comic books and movies. A monologue is a long wordy style that uses a ton of unnecessary words, and often has the character arguing with their own inner conscience. This style is commonly used when the villain is the main character. It is also used by nearly every villain in super hero comic books as a way of speaking.

The most difficult and rarely used style is the second person account. Most every book written in this style is a mystery novel, as this is the perfect genre for second person accounts, though other genres sometimes use it as well. The reader is the main character%u2026the narrator of this story has no name, no age, no gender, no personality, or any other identifiable traits written into the story. By doing this the reader is able to take on the identity of the main character. The secondary characters, the plot, and the scenes are vividly described to make up for not describing the main character. Physical scenes, emotions, and sub conscious thoughts a described with crystal clarity. The reader must feel everything the main character feels, smell everything the main character smells, taste, hear, and touch everything the main character does. It's a grueling style to write, too difficult for the average writer to pull of convincingly, but when well written the second person account can be the most enjoyable style writing for the reader. Common types to use this style are: Choose Your Own Adventure, Murder Mysteries, Role Playing Novels, and Role Playing Games.

When I write in first person account, I am telling you the story like it is, the way I saw it happen. I'm telling you this because this is how it affected my family and me. The world has a right to know what happened to us. I am writing this to you in the first person.

You are sitting at your desk ready to write. You are a very good writer, you know this, but you can't understand why writing a second person account is so difficult. You decide to call one of your writing buddies to ask. The phone rings. No one answers. You hang up the receiver and decide to move on to a different writing style. You are tired of writing in second person.

If you decide to call you friend back turn to page 12.

If you decide to continue writing turn to the next page.

If you decide to try writing in third person turn to page 37.

When Harry writes a book, this is the style he uses most often, because it is the easiest style in which to write. He had tried writing in other styles but this proved to be the easiest format, and so it is the one he uses for almost every book he writes now. He loves to write in third person.

Dear Readers, I am keeping this account of my life, as I'm sure you will soon learn, because a terrible injustice has been done. I must write down these events so that when I am gone the world my learn from my mistakes. I am writing my personal record in the first person narration, so that you know I am the one who wrote it. Please dear reader, do not make the same mistakes I made.

You dare ask ME!

Me, the great overlord of all life!

Me! Your captor!

Me, the almighty one!

You DARE ask me, why I write using this style!

The impotence! The audacity! The ignorance! You fool!

Must I explain everything to your puny incompetent brain? I write like this because it is part of my master plan to destroy the world! BWAHAHAHAHAHA!

Soon, I shall control the universe! It'll be mine I tell you!

Mine! All mine! Mwa_HAHAHAhahah heh heh heh eh?

Wait...could it be that this is wrong? Could there be another way for me to gain control of the universe without violence? What am I saying? I love violence! And you! You incompetent little worm! You shall be my first victim. BWaHAHAHAHA!

It was a dark and stormy night. You shudder as the lightening clatters outside your window. You are tired and want desperately to go to bed, but your report is due by morning, so you must continue to type away. You must not be bothered by the sounds around you. Suddenly you hear a crash outside your window.

If you think it was just a falling limb, than keep on typing to the next page.

If you think it was a car accident than grab your raincoat and turn to page 10 to go outside and find out.

If you think is was a ghost in your attic, than get a flashlight and turn to page 33.

The narrator is just as important as the narration. Just as there are several types of narration, there are several types of narrators as well. I shall explain them here.

The narrator of this story is the hero or main character of the tale. He tells you the story through a first person account. This style is common with super hero comic books, and many books written for teens and young adults.

The narrator of this story is the adversary or villain of the tale. He tells you the story through a first person account, usually with a grim outlook, and a bitter dislike for the hero of the story. The villain, and not the hero, may often be the main character. This style is common with super hero comic books.

The narrator of this story is one of the tales secondary characters, often the main character's sidekick. The most popular series told in this fashion are The Hound of the Baskervilles and other Sherlock Holmes mysteries, all of which are told from Dr. Watson's point of view.

In this story the narrator is someone from the outside. A casual witness to the tale, who never takes part in the story himself. Most works of fiction are written using this style. Most famous of course, is Harry Potter.

A type of External Observer. In this story the narrator is someone from the outside. A casual witness to the tale, who never takes part in the story himself. The story begins and ends with the narrator telling the story or reading a book. The Tales From the Crypt comic books and TV shows are written in this style.

Common in non-fiction but rarely seen in fiction, the author tells the story, adding in their own comments and views from time to time. When used in fiction, it is most often seen in comic books and graphic novels. Don Rosa often uses this style when writing Uncle Scrooge comic books.

A combination of The External Observer and The Author styles. This type of narrator is a fictional author of the book, and may ever have his name listed as the author on the cover of the book. The most popular series written in this fashion is the Series of Unfortunate Events, written and told by the fictional author Lemony Snicket.

Here the narrator is unbiased, totally devoid of personality or opinion, and simply tells the story based on the facts. There seems to be no one telling the story. This is most often seen in newspaper articles.

Two or more characters tell this story. Chapter One of the tale may be told in a first person account by the villain. Than in Chapter Two the reader sees that during the same time frame as chapter one, the hero is giving a first person account of his own actions. While in Chapter Three a nonentity narrator is describing the war that's been battled for years, were later on the hero and villain shall meet. This style is common among sci-fi and fantasy writers.

A difficult and uncommon style. A Written Record narration is a fictional account that has been written with the grueling details and accuracy of a history textbook. It tells the events of a historical race, war, events, etc, only the race, war, or event never existed at all. Most popular series written like this are the DK Eyewitness Books, which chronicles the history of George Lucas's Star Wars universe. The Written Record may be told as though written by more than one author, or it may in fact be a compilation of works by several authors whom together act as disciples of a single belief system. The most common use of this style is religious texts: the Bible, the Book of Mormon, and the stories of Greek Mythology. This style is also used when writing a hoax.

The content of this lens was created by Wendy C. Allen compiled from posts on EK's Star Log, the official blog of author, publisher, and artist Wendy C. Allen, a.k.a. EelKat. Reprinted here on Squidoo with permission.

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