How Old Is The Voice? ~ Narrators Series #1
A narrator's age can deeply affect how readers connect with the text. This article explores how word choice and sentence structure can show specific characteristics of the narrating character.
Every story has a narrator.
Sometimes, they are loud and unforgettable; other times, they are almost invisible, letting the story tell itself. Sometimes they can be incredibly annoying, or so compelling and heartbreaking that we love the book simply because of how it is narrated.
Yet regardless the form, narrators do more than just report events—they are the point of view telling the story and thus deciding how we see, what we believe, and who we trust. It can be a character or a non-character (in the case of omniscient voices), it can be narrating now (present tense) or retelling (past tense)…
Yet it remains so incredibly important that, sometimes, all it takes for a story to flow is just a change or tweak in the narrator.
My series on Narrators is an exploration of that voice behind the voice.
I’m not here to define terms, determine what is ‘best suited’ to specific cases, or even help you pick a narrator. Instead, I want to look at the nuanced, practical, often subtle mechanics of narration as it actually appears in stories.
We’ll see how specific words and sentence structures can affect tone and setting, sometimes hinting at who’s narrating. We’ll analyse what happens when the narrator encounters something they ignore but that the reader knows (or can discover). We’ll ponder about unreliable or biased narration, non-human perspectives, and contradictory points-of-view within the same story. We’ll discuss how narrators affect immersion, how it can misguide the reader, or build a connection with them… and so much more.
Ultimately, the narrator is never just a tool for storytelling. In fiction especially, the narrator is a fundamental piece of it, and understanding that voice might just be the key to understanding everything else.
The narrator’s age is fundamental…
—especially when the narrative voice is shaped by a specific character’s perspective and thoughts. This holds true regardless of tense (past or present) or person (first, second, or third) chosen for the text.
In these cases, the word choice and sentence structure become essential tools to implement the fabled show don’t tell advice. Why? Because by combining these two elements you can reveal key characteristics of the narrating character without stating them outright. Thus, the point-of-view itself because part of a mystery the reader can unravel on their own… and that process of discovery can, in turn, help the reader feel closer to the narrating character.
Let us revisit some examples, each from different books and genres (science fiction and fantasy) to learn by example.
