![]() This doesn’t mean that every verb tense in a novel is always past tense or always present tense. Stories are typically told as if events are happening now, present tense, or in the past, using primarily the simple past tense. We’ve also covered narrative tense but at its most basic, it conveys the when of story. There’s quite a range of options for third-person narration. The narrator may know what happens only when the viewpoint character(s) learns about events, or the narrator may know everything that goes on in the world. Or he may have no knowledge of character thoughts at all. The narrator may be able to report what goes on in one character’s thoughts, or in the thoughts of several characters, or in the minds of all characters. The narrator in third-person may know only the experiences of a single character or may know what happens to all characters. Third person, where the narrator refers to characters as she and he, never as I. Second Person, where you, the reader, or some general you, is the focus of the narrator’s story. And the narrator is virtually always a character in the story (allowances for stories told by a narrator who says that another person first relayed the story to him). Also, a story could feature multiple first-person narrators. Usually this is the protagonist, but that’s not a requirement. ![]() The narrator is typically a character in the story whose identity is quite clear (think first-person narrators), or a nameless and unidentified observer who may, from time to time, convey his own opinions about characters or story events (think omniscient narrator with a personality, one who may or may not have access to the thoughts of the characters), or a completely unknown and unnoticed observer who simply relates story events as they unfold (a neutral omniscient narrator with or without access to the thoughts and minds of one or more characters).Īt the most basic, POV options used to convey story events include:įirst Person, where the narrator refers to him or herself as I. The POV reveals who is telling the story and points out the narrator’s relationship to the story events and characters. ![]() The narrative point of view is the way of linking the narrator to the unfolding story. We’ve covered point of view (POV)in depth, but for a quick review: Let’s touch on these briefly before focusing on the specific modes. In general terms, narrative mode could encompass some basic storytelling elements (it’s these that some writers would include as narrative modes and others would not)-narrative point of view, narrative tense, and narrative voice. Narrative modes in fiction are the methods that writers use to tell their stories. My focus, however, is on those specific elements and tools that fiction writers use to convey plot. But the types of narrative mode I wanted to cover are not the only ones listed by others who discuss this topic and since I don’t ever want to give you only partial information, I’ve included those other options for narrative mode as well. I’d intended this article on narrative modes to be quick and simple, maybe in list form with a bit of detail included. In-depth coverage of the elements of fiction and writing basics. This article is part of Writing Essentials, Jby Fiction Editor Beth Hill last modified June 25, 2013
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