In a post on DIY MFA, Gabriela Pereira examines the importance of narration in storytelling. “I define narration as any part of the story that’s told by the narrator,” she explains. “This narrator can be a character in the story (as in first person) or they can be an entity outside the story looking in and recounting the events (i.e. third person).”
Why is narration so important? “Narration forms a direct line between the story and the reader,” Pereira writes. “Without narration, we would have a stage play or a movie script, where all aspects of the story are conveyed by what the characters say and do.” In other words, narration is how we tell the story.
The exact method of narration depends on our choice of point of view. Are you writing in first person, close third, or omniscient POV, or are you using multiple POVs? The best POV is whichever works for your story. To choose, Pereira suggests considering the “sphere of knowledge” you need to access to tell your story. Ask which character has the right information you need to tell the story, and whether you need more than one sphere of knowledge.
How do you choose between first and third (or second, if you’re bold)? First person brings the reader directly into the narrator’s head, while third person implies that someone outside the story is watching and conveying vital information. First person provides more immediacy, but third person may be more flexible. Some writers prefer one or the other, but sometimes a story will pull you towards one choice.
Narration also plays into your voice. In first person, the voice of the narrator is the voice of the protagonist. However, the narrative voice may still differ from dialogue. “This is because the narration in first person essentially amounts to the character’s thoughts, and we all know that people don’t always say and think the exact same things,” Pereira says. Third person again provides more flexibility. The narration may be somber, snarky, or melancholy, depending on your needs.
