Unreliable Narrators

First of all, congratulations to the winner of VANQUISHED: Nikkihasabookshelf!

Amy asked a couple of weeks ago to see a post on unreliable narrators and I thought that was a great idea.

First we need to understand what an unreliable narrator is. Does that mean the MC lies? Well, it can. But it can mean more than that as well. No matter who is telling a story, his own perceptions, memories, and feelings will influence what he recalls or even if he recalls what actually happened. So as a writer when I write in first person, I have to find the character's voice and experience everything from her perspective.

What am I saying? Character is everything in this situation. That and filtering through the character's eyes. If your MC is conceited, for example, a great way to show that is to have her make an obviously neutral situation all about her. 

But if you're writing a story that needs an unreliable narrator for plot purposes here are some rules to remember:

• Don't keep vital information from your readers. That will only frustrate them. That doesn't mean you have to spill everything up front, but don't deliberately keep them out of the loop just so you can surprise them later. Plant clues by making it clear that the narrator may not be trustworthy. Drip in the real info like you do backstory.
• Stay true to your character. Don't take a truthful MC and suddenly have her lie for no good reason just because you need a way to do something. It's true characters can do surprising things, but if you've done a good job getting into his head, you will also have planted enough info that makes that unconventional act/decision natural and understandable to the reader.
• Have fun! Unreliable narrators can be a blast to write. It's a great opportunity to exercise that illusive voice. In fact, it's not a bad idea to go ahead and practice just for an exercise. Who knows? Maybe you'll end up falling in love and writing a whole book. ;D

Any other tips? Examples? Share!!

Pay No Attention To the Unicorn In the Corner

Do you have a twist in your book? Something that you want to surprise the reader at a key moment? Have you dropped clues along the way?

"Wait!" you say. "I don't want it to be obvious. I want it to come as a surprise."

Well of course you do, but you can't blindside the reader. Throughout the book you are building a relationship with the reader. You earn her trust, and if you throw it away by pulling something - say a unicorn - out of left field, you'll lose that relationship.

So how do you do it? How do you put a unicorn in the corner, but not let the reader realize they've seen it until the right moment?

The answer is - be a magician. Remember my post on filtering through character? If not you should check it out. This is yet another example of how that can help your manuscript. If your MC doesn't pay attention to the unicorn even though you've made it clear he's there (by say putting glittering hoofprints on the floor in an earlier scene), then chances are your readers will ignore it too.

What? Glittering hoofprints and the MC didn't notice? Maybe she was too distracted by the dragon at the time. The dragon who we find out in another scene has talons, not hoofs. Yes, the reader MAY still see what's happening. But if you are careful enough with your slight of hand/distraction techniques, they may be more invested in whether your MC will figure it out on time. And at least to this writer that's a better alternative than breaking the reader's trust.

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Filtering Through Character

If you filter everything through your character you:

• Build voice. If your character were to walk into the room right now, what would he notice? What wouldn't he? How would HE describe it? What does that say about him?
• Keep things fresh. If your character isn't cliche (which he better not be) then the way he views the world won't be either.
• Won't meander. If it doesn't effect your MC or his struggle in some way, it probably shouldn't be in there.

Let's look at an example, shall we?

Suppose we have a... oh I don't know... GHOST. And let's say our ghost is a jealous girlfriend watching her ex go to prom with someone else. Now let's see what happens when he arrives to pick up the new girl. (Off the top of my head so my apologies if it's not perfect)

Non-filtered paragraph:

I watched with baited breath, unsure if I'd be able to stop from interfering as promised. Erik clutched the corsage as he walked in the door. His date made her grand entrance from the living room, stumbling toward him a little, unused to such high heels. She tugged at her black velvet gown, revealing another inch of cleavage. The dim light from the chandelier above cast a romantic glow on the happy couple.

Filtered paragraph:

The second the skank walked in the room I knew I'd never be able to keep my promise not to interfere. She might as well have shoved her boobs right in Erik's face. Could she have picked a tighter dress? And those heels - she looked drunk. She couldn't even walk a straight line.

See a difference? Which is better? What else is accomplished through filtering through character?

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