I've been trying to get my narrator down but its very hard. I'm trying to have a third person limited narrator where the reader will see things from the perspective of one character in a scene (I'm going to have a couple of POV characters).
Here's my problem: While writing the narration, it seems almost impossible to use the narrator the way I want. Instead, everything I write seems to be physical-only, like a movie. I find it hard to use narration to reveal what my POV character is thinking/feeling/etc.
anyone have any pointers for me?
Posted by ChrisOwens (Member # 1955) on :
Maybe you can post a sample of a trouble spot to F&F...
Posted by Christine (Member # 1646) on :
I guess the first question that comes to mind is...Do *you* know what your character is thinking and feeling? If not, it will be impossible to write it. Write it down, all of it. What she/he is thinking, feeling, desiring, and not in general terms but specific for the scene you are writing.
Posted by wbriggs (Member # 2267) on :
I don't follow the difficulty. Here's a way to show what the POV character is thinking and feeling, with narration.
John was furious. She'd planned this; he was sure of it.
Posted by Survivor (Member # 213) on :
This does seem like an odd question. But the truth is that it's a fairly common problem. The only way to get around it is to do as Christine suggests, ask yourself what the POV character thinks/feels about the situation. Do it often. If the POV character is going to do something, ask yourself why, and write down the answer.
Posted by Alynia (Member # 2358) on :
I agree with Survivor!
One thing to try (and it's a common trick when writing mysteries) is an interview with the narrator - sometimes conducting the interview through another character will help clarify their relationship.
But, I am wondering if maybe your real problem is that the character voice you've chosen to narrate the story doesn't want to.