Your Questions Answered: First-Person NarratorQ.
I have a few questions that I’ve not quite found an answer to, and I would be very grateful for any help you may have on it. 1) I’m writing my first novel and am debating how much the main character (also the narrator) should use action beats when in dialogue with others. More specifically, I have placed an action beat in nearly every dialogue the main character has with others, and I worry this makes my main character seem omnipotent, which is not what he is (he’s just an average Joe). So (in general) how often should I use action beats to refer to what others are doing when in dialogue with the main character? 2) I heard that my book has a feel of 3rd-person in parts when I intended it to be 1st-person. So naturally, I want to increase the 1st-person narrator feel of the book, and am wondering if changing what I describe in my previous question will help accomplish that. 3) You mention several times about
info dumps, and I also wonder if some of my main character’s internal struggle may feel to the reader like it’s from a narrator rather than the main character talking to himself. A.
In regards to your first two questions, I have a couple posts you might find useful: “How Not to Use Speaker Tags and Action Beats” and “Is Your First-Person Narrator Overpowering Your Story?". But to sum up, action beats are there only to clarify the dialogue, the characters’ physical actions while talking, and the narrator’s reaction to the
dialogue. You don’t want to avoid beats to the point that you end up with “talking head” or “white wall syndrome,” but, generally, less is more. You want your dialogue to be able to stand on its own. The second question is hard to answer without seeing the specifics of what people are finding problematic. But the key thing to remember about writing a
first-person narrative is to let that character’s unique voice come through in every line you write. Same goes for the info dumps. Don’t just tell readers the info, let the narrator share the information in a way that reflects his voice and offers insight into his personality. Here’s another post on that subject: “The #1 Factor to Consider When Choosing POV Characters.” Contact Me Have a writing question you’d like answered? I respond to all emails and will publish one question a month in this e-letter. Email Me
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