The 7 Narrator Types

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The The 7 Narra Narrattor Type ypes: and You Tho Thought The There Were Were Only Two! wo! – bekin kindrewri rewritte

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The 7 Narrator Types: and and You Thought Tho ught There Were Only Only Two! BY STE STEP PHANIE ORGES

SEPTEMBER 9, 2011

WRITING TIPS

Photo by Charles Hutchins

There are all kinds of narrators–going way beyond simple first or third person. Here’s a little litt le study of the different types.

First Person 1. The Protagonist Relatively straightforward, this is a story the hero narrates. He’ll narrate the same way he talks, but with http://beki nd ndr ew ewr itite.com /2 /2011/09/09/the- 77- na nar ra rator -t -types- an and- yo you- th thought- th ther ee- we wer ee- on onl yy- tw two/

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more description and perhaps better grammar. The reader is privy to all his thoughts and opinions, which means we get to know the hero faster, and often relate to him more easily. Example:

…I take up my pen in the year of grace 17–, and go back to the time when my father kept the “Admiral Benbow” inn, and the brown old seaman, with the saber cut, first took up his lodging under our roof. Jim Hawkins in Treasure Island, by Robert Robert Louis Stevenson

2. The Secondary Character Someone close to the protagonist, but not the main hero. The same things in the above type apply to this type, but the focus of the story moves away from the narrator. Example:

“Dr. Watson, Mr. Sherlock Holmes,” said Stamford, introducing us. “How are you?” he said cordially, gripping my hand with a strength for which I should hardly have given him credit. “You have been in Afghanistan, I perceive.” “How on earth did you know that?” I asked in astonishment. “Never mind,” said he, chuckling to himself. Watson in A Study in Scarlet, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Third Person http://beki nd ndr ew ewr itite.com /2 /2011/09/09/the- 77- na nar ra rator -t -types- an and- yo you- th thought- th ther ee- we wer ee- on onl yy- tw two/

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more description and perhaps better grammar. The reader is privy to all his thoughts and opinions, which means we get to know the hero faster, and often relate to him more easily. Example:

…I take up my pen in the year of grace 17–, and go back to the time when my father kept the “Admiral Benbow” inn, and the brown old seaman, with the saber cut, first took up his lodging under our roof. Jim Hawkins in Treasure Island, by Robert Robert Louis Stevenson

2. The Secondary Character Someone close to the protagonist, but not the main hero. The same things in the above type apply to this type, but the focus of the story moves away from the narrator. Example:

“Dr. Watson, Mr. Sherlock Holmes,” said Stamford, introducing us. “How are you?” he said cordially, gripping my hand with a strength for which I should hardly have given him credit. “You have been in Afghanistan, I perceive.” “How on earth did you know that?” I asked in astonishment. “Never mind,” said he, chuckling to himself. Watson in A Study in Scarlet, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Third Person http://beki nd ndr ew ewr itite.com /2 /2011/09/09/the- 77- na nar ra rator -t -types- an and- yo you- th thought- th ther ee- we wer ee- on onl yy- tw two/

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Third person omniscient This type knows all, peeking into the lives of major and minor characters, reading everyone’s thoughts. This enables the writer to explore multiple facets of the story in depth. Cornelia Funke’s Inkheart trilogy, trilogy, for example. Third person limited This type knows only what the main character, or characters, know. This is more restrictive, but increases suspense and intrigue, because the reader only solves the mystery at the same time the characters do. 1984, by George Orwell, is a good example. The following types can fall into either omniscient or limited:

3. The Detached Observer A detached third person narrator sticks to telling the story, and never inserts his own opinions—never slips in an “I” or a “me” except in direct dialogue. You You probably won’t notice voice at all. It’s fruitless to give an excerpt showing what a writer didn’t do, but Orwell’s 1984 is, again, a good example.

4. The Commentator This type never physically enters the story, but freely adds in his own amusing commentary. Allows voice without the complication of using an existing character. Example:

The curtains of his bed were drawn aside; and Scrooge, starting up into a half‐recumbent attitude, found himself face‐to‐face with the unearthly visitor who drew them: as close to it as I am now to you, and I am standing in the

http://beki nd ndr ew ewr itite.com /2 /2011/09/09/the- 77- na nar ra rator -t -types- an and- yo you- th thought- th ther ee- we wer ee- on onl yy- tw two/

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spirit at your elbow. A Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens

Somewhere in Between Or maybe the narrator isn’t a strict “third person,” but is involved in the story in some way.

5. The Interviewer This type has collected the details of the story after it happened, such as by interviewing the characters. This lends a sense of reality to the story. Example:

It brought both a smell and a sound, a musical sound. Edmund and Eustace would never talk about it afterwards. Lucy could only say, “It would break your heart.” “Why,” said I, “was it so sad?” “Sad! No,” said Lucy. The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, by C.S. Lewis

6. The Secret Character Sometimes a narrator only pretends to removed from the story—they may refer to themselves in third person right up to the end, but will eventually be mentioned by some other character, or revealed to be a major character, even the villain, for an extra‐pleasing plot twist. Example:

“Lemony?” Violet repeated. “They would have named me Lemony? Where did they get that idea?” “From someone who died, presumably,” Klaus http://beki nd ndr ew ewr itite.com /2 /2011/09/09/the- 77- na nar ra rator -t -types- an and- yo you- th thought- th ther ee- we wer ee- on onl yy- tw two/

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The 7 Narrator Types: and You Thought There Were Only Two! – bekindrewrite

said. The End, by Lemony Snicket

7. The Unreliable Narrator Usually first person, but occasionally third, an unreliable narrator has a flawed point of view. That is, the writer intentionally made him biased, misinformed, insane, etc. Examples include Nelly in Wuthering Heights, by Emily Brontë, or Holden Caulfield in The Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger. Here’s one from Poe. Example:

“If still you think me mad, you will think no longer when I describe the wise precautions I took for the concealment of the body. The night waned, and I worked hastily, but in silence. First of all I dismembered the corpse.” The Tell‐Tale Heart, by Edgar Allen Poe

— Some of these such as the Unreliable Narrator are established terms, while I’ve coined many of them myself. Can you think of any other types? What type are you using in your work in progress? —

1. 5 ways to find your voice…in 5 voices 2. The 300th Post: Featuring the Top 10 3. A Made‐up Word That Will Add Depth to Your Characters

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About Stephanie Orges Stephanie is an award‐winning copywriter, aspiring novelist, and barely passable ukulele player. Here, she offers writing prompts, tips, and moderate‐to‐deep philosophical discussions. You can also find her on Google+ and Pinterest. View all posts by Stephanie Orges →

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89 Comments Pink Woods September 10, 2011 at 3:53 am

What type are you using in your work in progress? Oh, this is hard. When I was really a beginner, I only knew of a first‐person perspective the protagonist , then soon I learned of the third POV I usually used the limited type then I http://beki ndr ewr ite.com /2011/09/09/the- 7- nar rator -types- and- you- thought- ther e- wer e- onl y- two/

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sometimes I combined it with a commentator or interviewer narrator type. REPLY

bekindrewrite September 12, 2011 at 7:46 pm

Limited is hard! I’ll try to write limited, but find myself wanting to say things I couldn’t possibly know. REPLY

joanna September 23, 2013 at 2:08 am

I’m in the same boat. I want to write a story from the perspective of the son of the one of the characters, but even the style is cramping me up. Mainly since the story is written from back to current. Just THINKING about it is giving me a headache. At the same time, I want there to be some connection to the character. Third person omniscient would give me more lee‐way but wouldn’t feel as close. Decisions, decisions. And I HATE re‐ writes. So I’m gonna have to plough through this long‐ hand, until I have an idea. …. REPLY http://beki ndr ewr ite.com /2011/09/09/the- 7- nar rator -types- and- you- thought- ther e- wer e- onl y- two/

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Stephanie Orges September 23, 2013 at 10:16 pm

Hmm. Is the son writing the story years after it happened? If so, he may know some things about the story now he didn’t then. There could be scenes he personally remembers, and scenes he’s retelling that he heard from his father mother? or others. That would give you some more leeway without being totally third person. REPLY

Writer of Riders June 21, 2013 at 6:58 pm

How you write it is important. Though the thing I read for the most is content. It depends what subject you value most. Since we are led to believe one thing is better than another. REPLY

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Stephanie Orges June 21, 2013 at 7:56 pm

Which thing is that? Can you clarify? REPLY

Brigitta M January 15, 2014 at 10:01 am

When I write my first draft, it’s always third‐person limited. For me, this is an easy style to write in while at the same time stopping me from wandering all over the place and not getting what I’m working on done. After that? Well, then I have fun. A ghost story I’ve previously written is going to have a campfire storytelling style. I know it’s not one you mentioned and the term is my own , but I’ve seen it a number of times in horror tales and not really outside of it. It’s a meandering type of POV, occasionally comments, but the commentary style drops off completely during the climax. My WiP though is going to be pure commentary. It’s a horror‐comedy‐sf adventure thing. The voice I’m going for is a new one for me, but it’s classic Folk Lore storytelling style where it’s heavy‐handed commentary and everything is said matter‐of‐fact as if “Of course time travel and vampires exist, where have you been?” REPLY http://beki ndr ewr ite.com /2011/09/09/the- 7- nar rator -types- and- you- thought- ther e- wer e- onl y- two/

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Stephanie Orges January 17, 2014 at 8:08 pm

Haha, the matter‐of‐fact voice sounds hilarious! Sounds like a good policy to start with third person limited, too. Seems like that’s the only one that would allow you to easily switch to first person, or expand to omniscient. if you decided you wanted to. REPLY

Blanca Ramirez December 13, 2015 at 5:19 pm

Not what i wanted REPLY

Drew Lane Composer September 10, 2011 at 6:19 am

Hey BeKind … another truly excellent post. You are an inspiration and a wonderful mentor. Thank you! REPLY


Thank YOU. REPLY

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laurastanfill September 10, 2011 at 7:16 am

What a wonderful list! I’ve been writing my historical novel in third‐person omniscient and I love how you broke that category into subcategories. My narrator is definitely a commentator. REPLY


Commentators are fun. It’s almost like one of the characters is gossiping in your ear about the story. REPLY

laurastanfill September 12, 2011 at 9:01 pm

Totally! I love that you broke it out as its own POV option. I’m having so much fun with that “psst–listen to this!” style, even though I’ve only ever written first person protagonist before. REPLY

Story Sage June 23, 2013 at 2:25 pm

I love how Charles Dickens ‘A Christmas Carol’ was http://beki ndr ew ri te.com /2011/09/09/the- 7- nar rator -ty pes -and- you- thought- ther e- wer e- onl y- tw o/

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used as the example for commentators. He’s truly the king of engaging narrating! He mocks nearly everything and is always providing useful and humorous insights about the story. At some point I want to try to write using a commentating narrator, but I don’t think I’m ready to be that clever yet! REPLY


He is fantastic. You should give it a go! You may be surprised. : REPLY

writingsprint September 10, 2011 at 9:11 am

I’ve heard that in “Bright Lights, Big City” the author used second person to make the main character more immediate to the reader — “You are not the kind of guy who would be at a place like this…” I’m a big fan of the unreliable narrator. It gives the story a flavor that 3rd person omniscient just doesn’t have. When you change perspectives, you get to change tone and how


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the story feels. This is exactly what I plan to do during Voice Week! REPLY


I think I heard that somewhere, too. I’ll have to look that book up. Choose Your Own Adventure books use second person. It seems like it would be cumbersome in large doses. Good point on the flavor of an unreliable narration. It definitely adds interest. Voice Week! So excited! REPLY

Paul February 21, 2014 at 8:43 pm

Lorrie Moore has a collection of stories written in the second person, entitled Self Help they may not all be second person . My favorite of them is “How to Become a Writer.” Tom Robbins also has a novel written in the second person. REPLY

Stephanie Orges February 24, 2014 at 10:18 pm

Thanks for those examples! REPLY


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romancingforthrills September 11, 2011 at 1:34 pm

Wow, so many! I tend to use first person or third person alternating pov. I never realised there are so many. Thanks for sharing REPLY


Alternating POVs can be very cool. TragicPete, my brother, is writing a book that actually switches from first person to third person–which is insane, of course, but it works. Mostly because the main character is insane. : REPLY

4amWriter September 11, 2011 at 7:34 pm

I love how you sort out the different points of view and give examples for us more visual learners. I, myself, prefer the first‐person or third‐person limited, although I have been tempted to play around with the unreliable narrator just to see what happens. Matter of fact, your post comes at the most opportune time for me as I’m in the process of blogging about my latest experience with POV issues. I will be citing your helpful information in my post. REPLY


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September 12, 2011 at 8:35 pm

Sweet! Thanks for sharing! REPLY

jahumm September 12, 2011 at 3:36 pm

Great post — thanks! My personal favourite is the unreliable narrator… they are the best fun to create. Really enjoyed John Hewitt’s blog article too, so thank you for signposting to that. REPLY


You’re very welcome! Thanks for reading. : REPLY

Tom McCranie October 2, 2011 at 3:06 pm

Thank you. I’ll make sure the others in my writing groups know about this essay and your newsletter. I often write my first draft in first person and then change to Limited. My most recent attempt started in first and then changed to Limited. As a writing exercise, I tried a very short story in second person and found it very difficult. Perhaps the difficulty in writing second person is the reason you didn’t http://beki ndr ew ri te.com /2011/09/09/the- 7- nar rator -ty pes -and- you- thought- ther e- wer e- onl y- tw o/

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mention it, although some very good stories have used it. Thank you for your thought provoking and information laden newsletter. REPLY

bekindrewrite October 3, 2011 at 8:11 pm

Thanks for spreading the word! Yeah, I considered mentioning 2nd, but it is so rare and limiting, I decided not to. The Choose Your Own Adventure books are one example, and as writingsprint mentions above, Bright Lights, Big

City is apparently entirely second person. I’ll have to read that one, if only as a learning experience. REPLY

chriswhitewrites October 3, 2011 at 2:47 am

Trying to write my novella in the first person past tense…although it is getting harder to keep from revealling things the character knows because of his timeline, and the reader finding out too much of the story to make it uninteresting. May go to seperate styles in each chapter instead… too much to think about, too many styles to try. To the short stories this way my wife thinks I’m still serious writing, not having fun! REPLY


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bekindrewrite October 3, 2011 at 8:08 pm

Haha. Yeah, it’s difficult to find a balance between giving too much away and being obvious about hiding something from your readers. It’s probably best to state only the facts you have to state, and let the readers draw conclusions themselves–until all is revealed at the end! REPLY

littlewonder2 September 2, 2012 at 8:21 am

My WIP uses the Interviewer. She’s really the character that ties the overall big picture in together, actually. The story starts in one extreme and ends in the other, through a chain of characters, so… she’s the one who takes it through to the end. REPLY


Sounds really cool. I use the Interviewer myself! REPLY

Gus Sanchez September 10, 2012 at 9:19 am


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The unreliable narrator is actually kind of fun to write. I’m employing this narrative device on my current project. The best example of the unreliable narrator is Raskolnikov Crime and Punishment . REPLY

';ljhgfddddddsasdfty November 19, 2012 at 3:42 pm

you forgot omnicien narrator REPLY

bekindrewrite November 19, 2012 at 9:53 pm

Omniscient is directly under the “Third Person” heading – third person omniscient. Though I suppose a first‐person omniscient would be a fascinating narrator! REPLY

Rod Griffiths November 27, 2014 at 9:01 am

I am currently writing what I hope will be a novel. part is written first person omniscient. The character concerned is a ghost and sees into everyone. As I may submit this for my MA I would be interested to http://beki ndr ew ri te.com /2011/09/09/the- 7- nar rator -ty pes -and- you- thought- ther e- wer e- onl y- tw o/

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know of other first person omniscient stories. So far I am sure about “The Book Thief”, Zusak Markus, the narrator is Death . “The Lovely Bones” Alice Sebold the narrator is a ghost . “Blackberry Wine”, Joanne Harris the narrator is a bottle of wine . In each case a somewhat unusual narrator, but judging by the sales of those books it can work. REPLY

Stephanie Orges December 1, 2014 at 10:01 pm

Unusual narrators are the best! The Book Thief is a great example; I haven’t read the other two. But a third person omniscient doesn’t have to be “unusual” per se. Ender’s Game, Inkheart, and Battlefield Earth all have fairly straightforward third person omniscient narrators. http://beki ndr ew ri te.com /2011/09/09/the- 7- nar rator -ty pes -and- you- thought- ther e- wer e- onl y- tw o/

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Jerry Slauter March 22, 2013 at 3:21 pm

How about http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antonio_Salieri for an unrealiable narrator in Amadeous? Antonio Salieri was played by f. Murray Abraham. REPLY

Stephanie Orges March 22, 2013 at 9:08 pm

I haven’t seen it, but it does indeed look like a good example. Thank you, Jerry! REPLY

Matt Smith April 15, 2013 at 2:53 pm

Welp, thanks for ruining then end of series of unfortunate events… REPLY

Stephanie Orges April 15, 2013 at 11:44 pm

I didn’t ruin it at all. Klaus assumed the name came from somebody who died, that doesn’t mean he was right. http://beki ndr ew ri te.com /2011/09/09/the- 7- nar rator -ty pes -and- you- thought- ther e- wer e- onl y- tw o/

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How could Lemony be writing the story if he died??? When I do give away the endings of things, I always try to give fair warning with spoiler alerts. REPLY

Izzi Skyy May 28, 2013 at 10:49 am

Great post! A good example of the Unreliable Narrator is Fyodor Dostoyevsky’s “Notes from Underground.” The Underground Man narrator of the work often contradicts himself and oftentimes seems mentally ill during the duration of the book. Notes from Underground is also separated into two halves: the first, a collection of the Underground Man’s personal thoughts; the second, a story. The first half displays more of his unreliability, but either way, anybody interested in learning more uses for the Unreliable Narrator may be interested in reading “Notes from Underground,” along with many of Dostoyevsky’s other works. REPLY

Stephanie Orges May 31, 2013 at 5:49 pm

Awesome example; thank you! REPLY

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October 18, 2013 at 12:38 am

Is this an example of an unreliable narrator? “Bullroarer charged the ranks of the goblins of Mount Gram in the Battle of the Green Fields, and knocked their king Golfimbul’s head clean off with a wooden club. It sailed a hundred yards through the air and went down a rabbit‐ hole, and in this way the battle was won and the game of Golf invented at the same time moment.” REPLY

Stephanie Orges October 18, 2013 at 8:41 am

One of my favorite quotes from The Hobbit! And yes, I think it can be an example of an unreliable narrator – as someone who is perhaps telling a tall tale though who are we to say what really happens in Middle Earth? . Thanks for commenting with that! REPLY

Sunny October 26, 2013 at 2:25 pm

Is the narrator of the book “Daisy Miller” an example of an unreliable narrator. He usually has thoughts influenced by his aunt’s gossip and the jealousy he holds when the protagonist is having an affair with another person. REPLY http://beki ndr ew ri te.com /2011/09/09/the- 7- nar rator -ty pes -and- you- thought- ther e- wer e- onl y- tw o/

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Stephanie Orges October 26, 2013 at 6:47 pm

Sounds like a great example! I haven’t read it. REPLY

Stephanie February 14, 2014 at 12:01 am

Guys, I really need your help. I am writing a story in 3rd person.However I bring forth the protagonist’s POV also who is a mom telling her story to her daughter . She goes in flashback mode and tells the story. However in flashback‐I have two characters‐ Mom herself and a subplot character. I want to write a couple of chapters in that subplot character’s POV. Please suggest how to do this? Thanks a lot for your help!!! REPLY

Stephanie Orges February 15, 2014 at 11:38 am

Hi, fellow Stephanie! If I’m reading this right, it sounds like you have three POVs – the third person narrator, the mom, and the subplot character. It will depend on how much of the story is in each POV. The trick is to think of your third person narrator as a character, too. Who is s/he? How does he know


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all these stories and why does he care? 1. The narrator could be an existing character – the daughter, perhaps. She could be recording what her mother is telling her, and she could also interview Mr. Subplot for his story. She needn’t reveal that she is the narrator and thus slip from third into first person until the end. Could make a cool plot twist, even. 2. The narrator could be a new character you create who knows Mom, daughter, and Subplot. Someone in the position to learn their stories. For instance, someone who overheard Mom telling daughter her story, or someone who got the story from daughter secondhand, later on, and who collected Subplot’s story in a similar way. 3. Consider the possibility of telling the entire flashback from Mom’s POV, including Subplot’s parts. There may be things that happen to Subplot that Mom doesn’t see – brainstorm some ways those events could be revealed as plot twists later. But don’t force it – if it doesn’t work, it doesn’t work. 4. Or maybe your narrator was secretly Subplot all along??? For a good example of layered narration, check out some of P.G. http://beki ndr ew ri te.com /2011/09/09/the- 7- nar rator -ty pes -and- you- thought- ther e- wer e- onl y- tw o/

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Wodehouse’s “Mr. Mulliner” stories. They all start with a first person narrator sitting in a pub. Mr. Mulliner is also in the pub, and starts telling a story about one of his relatives, for which he usually switches into third person. You can read one free here, although the weird formatting makes it difficult. Does that help? REPLY

Bryan Ens April 9, 2014 at 2:46 pm

Looks like Writingspring already said what I was going to mention…2nd person narrative. It’s rather rare, but an interesting technique if the author wants to make the reader the main character. When I was a kid, I read a lot of “Choose Your Own Adventure” books. These were written in 2nd person. REPLY

Stephanie Orges April 14, 2014 at 9:44 pm

I loved Choose Your Own Adventure books! Somehow I always ended up dying somehow, though. Second person is definitely worth a mention, albeit difficult to pull off in long form prose. Admittedly, though, the more I think about it, the more I want to try it! REPLY


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A.M. Writer November 17, 2014 at 11:46 am

I might still categorize my newest work as First Person, but with a twist you may find interesting. My main character suffers from Multiple Personality Disorder. Each “person” is written in First, and each talks about the others as Thirds…as if they are aware of these other “people” but believe they are real individuals with their own bodies. Oh, and of course there’s a murder. REPLY

Stephanie Orges November 17, 2014 at 6:53 pm

That sounds like a LOT of fun! REPLY

Gila November 25, 2014 at 10:40 am

Thank you for writing this! I’m writing a novel with ten different points of view, all first person, and two of them are unreliable narrators which I had actually never heard of . I put the link to this article in my story it’s online and gave you all credit. I hope that’s okay. Thanks! REPLY


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December 1, 2014 at 9:40 pm

That’s totally fine – thanks! REPLY

Barabi January 19, 2015 at 12:36 pm

There’s one particular fantasy that I’ve been writing with #6, The Secret Character, kind of blended with the commentator/unreliable. He’s basically a “third person omniscient” in the form of a bird that follows the main character around telling what’s happening. The whole story is like his confessional, and his sly narrative comments gradually reveal how everything started because of his own actions. The readers won’t know who the narrator is or how literal he’s meant to be taken until late in the story. It’s a weird POV to work with, but it’s a ton of fun to write. I’m glad to finally have a word for it haha REPLY


One of my favorite kinds of narrator! They are SOO much fun. REPLY

Elizabeth March 26, 2015 at 9:04 am


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I’m doing a similar one. REPLY

Georgia April 30, 2015 at 7:03 pm

Thanks Ms. Stephanie Orges for sharing this list with us. I’ll surely share this to my students as well. it is indeed very helpful and clearly stated. REPLY

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D.S. June 26, 2015 at 12:53 am

I appreciate this list. I’ve regrettably forgotten some things from highschool literature. For the story that I’m working on, I’m a little torn between third‐person omniscient and third‐person limited. I feel like I want the narrator to be able to give fine details on the thoughts and feelings of all the characters as it will give them greater depth and paint a clearer picture of the world, so omnicient seems the obvious choice. On the other hand, if my narrator is omnicient, I feel like they are obliged or rather that readers would expect them to divulge information which would solve the mysteries for them ahead of time, before the characters would or could understand what’s truly at play. Otherwise, the narrator is either non‐omnicient or is being cagey with the http://beki ndr ew ri te.com /2011/09/09/the- 7- nar rator -ty pes -and- you- thought- ther e- wer e- onl y- tw o/

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reader, thus giving him a motive and personality all his own and I don’t want that. I know it’s my story and I can write how I choose, but you all know how these things go: the story begins to take on a life of its own. My gut feeling is to switch to a first person narration only by my main character and only briefly, when it best suits the advancement of the story. Anyone else have suggestions? REPLY


Switching between first and third person can be tricky and confusing, unless you have a specific in‐story explanation for why it switches. Maintaining mystery in third person omniscient is tricky, but it can be done without being annoying, especially if you follow the “show, don’t tell” rule – the narrator may KNOW everything, but they’re not just going to TELL us with a bunch of exposition. For instance, you can write a scene focused on the killer, what he’s doing, and what he’s thinking, without saying his name or what he looks like. Think of how they do it in movies; you may see the killer snipping letters out of newspapers for his ransom note, but never see his face until the end. You enjoy http://beki ndr ew ri te.com /2011/09/09/the- 7- nar rator -ty pes -and- you- thought- ther e- wer e- onl y- tw o/

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guessing his identity based on the other clues you see, rather than feeling like someone is intentionally hiding something from you. REPLY

Sarah Taylor June 29, 2015 at 2:10 am

What about 2nd person…? REPLY


A few other people have mentioned that. I didn’t list it because it’s so rare except in Choose Your Own Adventure Books – and especially difficult to work with – but perhaps I should have! REPLY

Robert Blanchett August 12, 2015 at 7:21 pm

Wow Stephanie, this post certainly has legs: almost four years later and people are still commenting at length! The idea of 10 narrators is a bit mind‐blowing. I shall try to find Gila’s story online. You are right to say that 2nd person is difficult to work with. I started a novel in which I wanted to make the reader the killer, but I gave it up as too contrived. Do you think, http://beki ndr ew ri te.com /2011/09/09/the- 7- nar rator -ty pes -and- you- thought- ther e- wer e- onl y- tw o/

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however, that the most successful use of the unreliable narrator comes when the reader is frequently directly addressed by the narrator? REPLY

Stephanie Orges August 17, 2015 at 7:09 pm

Not necessarily; I think the unreliable narrator is more likely to be lying about himself or other characters than around the reader. It could work well whether or not he refers to the reader directly. REPLY

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Billybob Smith September 2, 2015 at 1:12 pm

this is was grait for my children REPLY

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In The Cornfield

Maggie November 13, 2015 at 3:08 pm

Is there a type or sub‐type where you write from past to future or even future to past! and at some point change tense? Or is that the Unreliable Narrator one? REPLY


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Tina January 3, 2016 at 5:47 pm

Hi Guys, I need help and lots of it. My first chapter starts with a young adult gathering information to write a book once she has all her information the second chapter begins in the 1800’s with the protagonist. My question is can I have the narrator be the young adult in the first chapter without revealing who she is? Meaning, can my narrator be totally uninvolved with the other characters? Do I have to tell the readers who my narrator is? REPLY


Hi Tina, Sounds interesting! My answers are yes, yes, and no. You don’t have to reveal the narrator as a character at all, if you don’t want to. But it sounds like you want her to be a character, just not a character in the main story. You can certainly keep her identity a secret – I think it would be cool to reveal it later, perhaps along with a little of her own story and why the story she’s telling about the 1800s characters is relevant to her. REPLY

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February 2, 2016 at 12:26 pm

I am recounting a story about my dad’s sailboat cruise with 3 other guys in 1948‐50 based on conversations with him, letters, pictures, and a ships log about 200 pages now . I am toying with having the boat be the narrator – When they first find the boat, it is in poor condition, but they fix her up and set off down the coast. Over the next 2 years the they encounter may obstacles while he guys work to raise money, and learn how to repair her and what changes need to be made to make her faster etc… REPLY

Stephanie Orges February 8, 2016 at 8:02 pm

The boat as narrator is a fascinating idea, but it would be tricky, and might strike too whimsical a tone for a true story. Considering all the supporting materials you have for the book, I’d go for a more personal note. First person – from your own perspective. Sort of half‐scrapbook, half‐memoir, with quotes from your father as well as your own personal thoughts about the story and why you want to tell it. How does the story exemplify your dad as you know him? How did it change your perspective of your father? How does your father’s life mirror the story of the boat trip – or how does YOUR life mirror the story? http://beki ndr ew ri te.com /2011/09/09/the- 7- nar rator -ty pes -and- you- thought- ther e- wer e- onl y- tw o/

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I get the sense you’ve got something really special here, and my best advice is to be as raw and real as you can. Look up chapter 12 in William Zinsser’s “On Writing Well”; he has some great advice on letting go and giving yourself permission to write about yourself. REPLY

Matthew Nace March 24, 2016 at 5:03 pm

I am not sure if this is ever noted or discussed in literary circles, but I have observed that there is a fuzzy kind of category of third person narrator somewhere between omniscient and the usual sense of limited, and I would love to know if there is a standard name or discussion of it. What I noticed is that a third person omniscient narrator is supposed to know everything that is happening on all sides AND everything that all the characters are thinking. However, although many perhaps most third person omniscient narrators will frequently shift from place to place, showing what is happening to different characters, and what different characters are thinking, they will typically limit themselves to the thoughts of a single character at a time – they will not typically shift from head to head in a single scene. As I said, I think this may actually be the more common case, because I did not even become aware of the distinction until I encountered a book in which the narrator did provide insights into the thoughts of several http://beki ndr ew ri te.com /2011/09/09/the- 7- nar rator -ty pes -and- you- thought- ther e- wer e- onl y- tw o/

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characters in rapid succession, which I found to be rather disorienting. Perhaps someone could let me know if a term already exists for this? If not, may I suggest third person flexible indicating a partially limited narrator whose limited viewpoint periodically shifts ? REPLY

Stephanie Orges March 28, 2016 at 7:50 pm

I haven’t heard a term to differentiate the two; I’d consider them different styles of the same narrator type. But very few writers use the method you describe – one that shows thoughts of various characters in quick succession – for the exact reason you mention; it’s disorienting. It can be hard to tell who is thinking what. The only time I’ve seen it done well is in comedic TV when you hear the characters’ thoughts in echo‐y voice‐overs. The voices and camera angles differentiate them there. REPLY

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Narration – Little Siberia

Danielis http://beki ndr ew ri te.com /2011/09/09/the- 7- nar rator -ty pes -and- you- thought- ther e- wer e- onl y- tw o/

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September 20, 2016 at 2:37 pm

This website is so good for kids who doesn’t know what does a narrative need to include REPLY

Shawn Davis November 2, 2016 at 1:35 pm

Thanks for the info it was great for 1 of my classes REPLY

Shawn Davis November 2, 2016 at 1:37 pm

Thanks for the info it was great for 1 of my classes and its was great with my teacher helping me find this

REPLY

Ivetta "Sam" January 17, 2017 at 7:27 pm

Haha, i thought my story was fated to be doomed because i used a weird narrator! In a story i’m working at i have a narrator that is not part of the story, but it has opinions. Opinions such as I’m gonna quote now “There’s also an empty fridge. ‘Why is it even there?’ You ask, for the aesthetic. This room is pretty boring. White walls, a pimple looking ceiling light, and wooden floors that are probably not even real wood.” This narrator talks like it’s a real person, but it’s not, it’s just http://beki ndr ew ri te.com /2011/09/09/the- 7- nar rator -ty pes -and- you- thought- ther e- wer e- onl y- tw o/

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like a little, invisible, floating head that follows the main character like a third person omniscient, but with a personality. I’m not sure if that’s ok in fiction, but i wanna keep it that way REPLY


That’s totally OK in fiction! In fact, it’s encouraged. What you’re describing is “voice.” Be sure to check out some of the articles on this blog about that. : REPLY

Bella February 2, 2017 at 12:51 pm

I like this website REPLY

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EVERYBODY’S READING IT The 7 Narrator Types: and You Thought There Were Only Two!


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5 fantastic examples of voice The 21 Best Tips for Writing Your Opening Scene 6 ways first person narrators can describe themselves 4 steps to convince people they NEED to read your novel

PICK A TOPIC Copywriting 13 Marketing 5 Fiction philosophy 38 Getting published 16 Inspiration Monday 310 Life 6 My work 38 Resources 5 Reviews 13 Uncategorized 25 Voice Week 33 Wallpapers 10 Writing tips 93 Character development 15 Editing 11 Plot 5 Show, don't tell 13 Voice 8


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INSPIRATION MONDAY GETTING PUBLISHED

WRITING TIPS

FICTION PHILOSOPHY

MY WORK

VOICE WEEK

COPYWRITING

Copyright © 2013 S.M. Orges POWERED BY PARABOLA & WORDPRESS.


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The 7 Narrator Types

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