Narration: Time

or When a Story is Told

PAST:

The Past Tense is the most common in storytelling. It describes the story and the events from a point in the past.

The past tense is simple yet complicated. It can cause problems with writers that can’t use all the past tenses.

On the other hand, it is something the reader expects to see in a story, which makes it invisible. Sometimes when a story has a format that is too weird, it can take the reader out of it. So Past Tense Narration is a safe bet, because it is what readers are used to, what they have seen time and time again.

Great with character backstories and building tension and conflict, the past tense is an easy go-to for most writers, no matter the Point of View or the Voice.

PRESENT:

The second most common tense in storytelling, the Present Tense is simple and uncomplicated. Everything that happens, happens now, in the moment and the Narrator is the vessel through which the reader experiences everything. It is spontaneous, and most times it’s used with the First Person PoV. It is intimate and can be fast-paced.

But the Present Tense can be tricky because it doesn’t fall back on other tenses, so sometimes it can be difficult to convey conflict and tension. Many writers fall into the trap of adding trivial little details and happenings in their story, just because the Present Tense allows it.

FUTURE:

The least used tenses for Narration, are the Future Tenses. The events are happening at some point in the future and the story takes an almost prophetic tone.

~Harris

Intro | View | Voice | Time

Narration: Voice

Or How The Story Is Told.

It is really no surprise that View and Voice and intertwined a lot, since voice is how the story itself is told. Apart from the similarities though, there are some different formats.

A STREAM OF CONSCIOUSNESS:

In contrast with the other narrative formats, SoC doesn’t follow the typical style and instead it has a unique way of telling events and actions as they happen. SoC is filled with inner monologues in an attempt to replicate the thought process. SoC is full of personal desires and motivations and the occasional, inconvenient incomplete thoughts.
SoC is best expressed in First Person and it is an easy way to show the audience thoughts and motivations that the rest of characters in the story don’t hear or get to know.

A CHARACTER’S VOICE:

One of the most common formats, when the voice of the Narrator and the Voice of a character are one and the same. Either in first person or third, it creates a nice atmosphere for a relatable, realistic character/narrator that the reader can follow around.
But it can also be a biased, unreliable narrator that can lead the reader astray. Or it can be a detached narrator that is just retelling the events taking place.

AN UNRELIABLE NARRATOR:

An untrustworthy narrator aims to give a sense of mystery and suspicion to every bit of information given. There are many reasons why a narrator can be untrustworthy. Mental disorders, drugs, naivete and simple innocence.
Usually done in First Person, for that something extra.

A 3RD PERSON OMNISCIENT NARRATOR:

A narrator that is good for epics and big cast of characters, the Omniscient Narrator knows all, sees all, hears all. It is the most reliable of the Voices because of the knowledge he holds and sometimes he can offer judgement and his opinion on matters, or even foreshadow events that are to happen in a more outspoken manner.

A 3RD PERSON OBJECTIVE NARRATOR:

The Objective Narrator is very good with Drama. He is unbiased and objective and conveys only the events and the actions, while he leaves out the thoughts, the opinions and the feelings of the characters,
He is the perfect Narrator to display all sides in any story in a way that allows the audience to decide who is the good and who is the bad guy, what is right and wrong. It also gives the characters the chance to act out their feelings, instead of just keeping them in their thoughts, where the audience can’t know about them.

A 3RD PERSON SUBJECTIVE NARRATOR:

Unlike the Objective Narrator, the Subjective Narrator is all about the feelings and the thoughts and the personal, inner opinions of the characters. The Narrator can jump between characters and present all different sides in a matter. Most commonly, it is used with main characters, or the Narrator can even jump between characters.

What is your favourite Voice to use? What are you most comfortable with? What would you like to experiment with?

~Harris

Intro | View | Voice | Time

All about Narration : Introduction

What is Narration?

Narration is the writing of a story. It is the way the words come together. It is all the little choices a writer makes. The narrator, the tense, the person.
There are a lot of different combinations a writer can use to get the best result for the story. A narrator who is also a character and tells the story in first person and present tense? An omniscient narrator in third person and past tense?

There are a many different combinations and it all comes down to the writer and what his story wants to tell.

What makes up Narration though?

First, it’s the Point of View (PoV) or the Narrator. The person telling the story.

Secondly, it’s Voice. Or, How the story is conveyed to the audience?
And Lastly, it’s Time. Past, Present and Future tenses can give a completely different feel to a story.

~ Harris

Intro | View | Voice | Time