Narrative Voice

Lately I’ve been thinking about the narrative voice. In my novel, which I’m currently revising, I have a narrator and a very specific voice I want that narrator to embody. Unfortunately, or rather fortunately, my beta readers informed me that my narrator is inconsistent at best, and most distracting at worst. I don’t want to give up my narrator, but I do want to tell the story in the best way possible. So my friend Madeleine asked me a couple key questions:

1. Who is this narrator?

2. And what is her purpose in the story?

I’ll admit, I don’t have any answers yet. But it’s something I’m working through right now. I want my narrator to serve the story, not distract my readers. The narrator is the reader’s first point of contact with a story. They lead the reader through the fictional tale, acting as a sherpa if you will.

Another important question would be does my narrator serve the story? If not, how can I fix that?

If I can answer these questions, then I can revise my narrative voice so that it’s consistent throughout the novel, and essential. This is quite literally the telling of the story. It’s important to think it through and execute as best I can.

What are your thoughts on narration? Leave them in the comments below!