Help With Writing a Novel Needed.

Hello

Can anyone help please... when writing a novel how does one format character thoughts as opposed to general narration...

For example if a character is describing what's happening in his thoughts to the reader but then he gets involved with the action how would one show the difference as general narration kicks in?

I hope that's clear

I'll have a little go at this.

You've got a basic, fundamental choice to make when choosing how to narrate your story. If your narrator is one of your characters, however you choose to voice that narrator, you stick with what that narrator does know or could know. That is sometimes used as a way to obscure details by some writers, so the things the narrator tells the reader are not 100% guaranteed to be the truth.

The voice of the character can be whatever you choose. Your characters determine what they would say, and how they would say it. Edward Strelley, for example, is thoughtful and precise:

I stared at Grindal. I noted his focused, steady gaze and his semi-ecclesiastical garb, that of the educated academic, and concluded that he might be a useful ally. I offered him a greeting hand.

If your narrative voice is not one of the characters, you then choose from a few options. Either the narrator knows all the things that are happening internally with the characters, in which case you can describe internal processes in much the same way as you describe action. All you need to be is be clear to the reader that this is what you're doing. For example:

Strelley stares at Grindal. He measures the old man, taking in his semi-ecclesiastical garb and his steady eyes. A helpful ally, he thinks. He stands and offers him a greeting hand.

Or you ban yourself from this kind of access to the internal processes and you attempt to show, by things going on, what the characters are thinking.

Strelley stares at Grindal. He smiles as his eyes flick over the old man's ecclesiastical garb and steady expression. He holds out his hand in a warm gesture of greeting.

The second way is harder on the reader - because things can remain a bit vague - and is a bit more demanding in terms of how you express yourself. You have to choose what action to highlight to show the point. I don't think I have made myself as clear in the second version as in the first, but the conversation that follows might be able to make the point more clearly.

If you've watched The Wire, this second way of impersonal narration is their style of storytelling in drama. The characters don't tell you the plot, they don't speak directly about their thoughts and feelings, and so you as a consumer have to work it out for yourself.

Try a few paragraphs all the ways round. If you're early in your work, or you've got a lot of editing to do, it's helpful - in my opinion - to find the voice before you commit a lot of effort to the project which then needs a lot of fiddling afterwards. Other contributors to the forum make the key and telling point that you get better at writing by writing, so don't expect your first stab to be spot on. I'm on about my fourth go at most of my book, and some of it still doesn't satisfy me.

Your question seems to imply that you want to switch from first-person narration of internal processes to impersonal narration of action. This is a bit of a tough ask in terms of consistency. Is your character telling me the story - in which case he should be telling me the action - or is your narrator (not the character) able to tell us about the character's thoughts?

Does this help? I'm not an expert in fiction writing, but I am keen to discuss the techniques involved because it all helps!

Andy

I'll have a little go at this.

 

You've got a basic, fundamental choice to make when choosing how to narrate your story. If your narrator is one of your characters, however you choose to voice that narrator, you stick with what that narrator does know or could know. That is sometimes used as a way to obscure details by some writers, so the things the narrator tells the reader are not 100% guaranteed to be the truth.

 

The voice of the character can be whatever you choose. Your characters determine what they would say, and how they would say it. Edward Strelley, for example, is thoughtful and precise:

 

I stared at Grindal. I noted his focused, steady gaze and his semi-ecclesiastical garb, that of the educated academic, and concluded that he might be a useful ally. I offered him a greeting hand.

 

If your narrative voice is not one of the characters, you then choose from a few options. Either the narrator knows all the things that are happening internally with the characters, in which case you can describe internal processes in much the same way as you describe action. All you need to be is be clear to the reader that this is what you're doing. For example:

 

Strelley stares at Grindal. He measures the old man, taking in his semi-ecclesiastical garb and his steady eyes. A helpful ally, he thinks. He stands and offers him a greeting hand.

 

Or you ban yourself from this kind of access to the internal processes and you attempt to show, by things going on, what the characters are thinking.

 

Strelley stares at Grindal. He smiles as his eyes flick over the old man's ecclesiastical garb and steady expression. He holds out his hand in a warm gesture of greeting.

 

The second way is harder on the reader - because things can remain a bit vague - and is a bit more demanding in terms of how you express yourself. You have to choose what action to highlight to show the point. I don't think I have made myself as clear in the second version as in the first, but the conversation that follows might be able to make the point more clearly.

 

If you've watched The Wire, this second way of impersonal narration is their style of storytelling in drama. The characters don't tell you the plot, they don't speak directly about their thoughts and feelings, and so you as a consumer have to work it out for yourself.

 

Try a few paragraphs all the ways round. If you're early in your work, or you've got a lot of editing to do, it's helpful - in my opinion - to find the voice before you commit a lot of effort to the project which then needs a lot of fiddling afterwards. Other contributors to the forum make the key and telling point that you get better at writing by writing, so don't expect your first stab to be spot on. I'm on about my fourth go at most of my book, and some of it still doesn't satisfy me.

 

Your question seems to imply that you want to switch from first-person narration of internal processes to impersonal narration of action. This is a bit of a tough ask in terms of consistency. Is your character telling me the story - in which case he should be telling me the action - or is your narrator (not the character) able to tell us about the character's thoughts?

 

Does this help? I'm not an expert in fiction writing, but I am keen to discuss the techniques involved because it all helps!

 

Andy

Ok thanks that does help... it is a bit complicated. I have one of the characters setting the scene, introducing himself and the other characters etc.. I suddenly realised that when he is conversing with other characters and i want to describe something I may need a different font to advise the reader who is narrating at this point... or am I just getting in a muddle!

If you're changing narrator by using a different font, you should ask yourself: if the reader wasn't given such a hint, would it still be clear? If not, then have a think about how you could make it obvious in what is written. It's very rare to see different fonts used for anything other than extended quotation.

Go back to the original question, though. Is this character the narrator of that particular chunk of writing (whether or not the whole book)? It's common practice to adopt a first-person narrative for a chapter at a time, and unusual to see switching between that and a third-person style within a chunk. You could try it, but be aware that it might confuse your readers. If you want that character to be in charge, then see if (s)he tells the story adequately. If not, can you get what you want in a different way?

Don't attempt if not sure, but DO write from the heart.

If you're changing narrator by using a different font, you should ask yourself: if the reader wasn't given such a hint, would it still be clear? If not, then have a think about how you could make it obvious in what is written. It's very rare to see different fonts used for anything other than extended quotation.

 

Go back to the original question, though. Is this character the narrator of that particular chunk of writing (whether or not the whole book)? It's common practice to adopt a first-person narrative for a chapter at a time, and unusual to see switching between that and a third-person style within a chunk. You could try it, but be aware that it might confuse your readers. If you want that character to be in charge, then see if (s)he tells the story adequately. If not, can you get what you want in a different way?

Don't attempt if not sure, but DO write from the heart.

Thanks guys I've thought about it and he is now redundant as the narrator. I'm going to change it to one narrator and forget about using two methods its too complicated...