When you come of with a story idea, there’s always that moment when you go, wait, how am I going to tell this story? Maybe you have a plot, or characters, but so far you’ve just been envisioning it as a movie in your mind, and are uncertain of how it should all go down on paper.Have no fear, I’m here to help. I’ve written in many different narrative styles over the years, as well as read books of all kinds, and have a pretty good grasp of different styles and the stories they fit.(Disclaimer: This is not taking nonfiction into account, merely meant for fiction and fantasy.)
Different Aspects Of Narrative Styles
There are many different narrative styles, but there are a few basic aspects on which they are constructed. And they are…
First Person
First person POV is where the story is narrated from the POV of one of the characters, as if you are in the character’s mind and seeing it through their eyes. This is the ‘I’ POV.
Third Person
Third Person POV is where the story is told from an outside POV, where you are seeing the story as if you are a camera somewhere nearby. You can have either third person limited, where the reader only knows what the main character knows, and you can have third person omniscient, where the narrator knows all and you are not limited to the knowledge of the main character.
Second Person
Second person is rarer, and the ‘you’ POV. It it where you are the main character, and everything in the story I’d happening to you. Similar to first person, except in that case you are only seeing through a character’s eyes and mind, instead of being a character.
Past Tense
Past tense is where everything has already happened, as though it was in the past. Said, walked, ran, ect.
Present Tense
Present tense is where everything in the story is happening right now. Says, instead of said; walks instead of walked; etc.
What Aspects Fit What Stories?
Any story can be written with any of these narrative style choices, but narrative style does change the feel of the story and some stories fit better in certain styles than others.So here are the types of stories that fit each style. (This is all my opinion, you can write however you see fit.)
Third Person Limited, Past Tense
Third person past tense is what my current story is written in, and I thoroughly enjoy writing it. However, it’s not best for every story. So what type of story fits best in this style?Anything where you need a larger view of the story than the mind of a character, but also deal with a lot of internal struggle. Think lower or YA fantasy, when you are learning about a world but also dealing with a lot of internal struggle with the characters.
Third Person Limited, Present Tense
As with past tense, it fits much the same type of stories, however, using present tense really helps amp up the tension if external stakes are high and you want the reader to feel anxious.
Third Person Omniscient, Past Tense
Third Person Omniscient is perfect for stories with a larger scheme, where you need to know about things your main character may not know. Perfect for epic fantasy/sci-fi and mystery.(Again, first person will just make the stakes seem higher and make the reader more anxious.)
First Person, Present Tense
First person, like third person limited, is great for when the stakes are more personal. Huge external stakes also work well, but you must keep in mind the reader only knows what the POV character knows. This can help raise the tension, especially when combined with present tense, where everything is happening right now, and the future is uncertain. Works well for YA, especially fantasy and sci-fi.
First Person, Past Tense
Past tense works for first person in a story with lower external stakes/higher internal stakes. Past Tense gives the impression that the story is being retold later, so the POV characters all make it through okay. Works well for stories such as romance, contemporary, or mystery.
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