Question on POV's and Tenses...

jennifer75 · Oct 15, 2008

When I read something, I've discovered that I don't like the author to talk to me, aside from the story, if it's first person and in the present.

What would that be called? I don't want to be filled in by the author of what's going on.

Is that dumb?

OremLK · Oct 15, 2008

If it's a first-person story I don't know if that's called anything in particular. Many first-person narrators address the reader because they're consciously writing for someone else to read the narrative (at least in most cases).

If it's third-person it's probably a form of omniscient.

geardrops · Oct 15, 2008

jennifer75 said:
When I read something, I've discovered that I don't like the author to talk to me, aside from the story, if it's first person and in the present.

What would that be called? I don't want to be filled in by the author of what's going on.

Is that dumb?

Addressing the reader? (And the point here, dear reader...)

Getting "caught" writing? (Little did she know, danger lurked just around the corner!)

All I could think of.

jennifer75 · Oct 15, 2008

OremLK said:
If it's a first-person story I don't know if that's called anything in particular. Many first-person narrators address the reader because they're consciously writing for someone else to read the narrative (at least in most cases).

If it's third-person it's probably a form of omniscient.

It is first person.

jennifer75 · Oct 15, 2008

dempsey said:
Addressing the reader? (And the point here, dear reader...)

Getting "caught" writing? (Little did she know, danger lurked just around the corner!)

All I could think of.

But see, "little did she know..." is third person, isn't it? And that would be Omni. Right?

vixey · Oct 15, 2008

I agree. I feel like they're telling me what to think or maybe lecturing. Though, I keep going back to Catcher in the Rye, which I read for the first time this past spring. I loved that book. But that was probably because Holden was so screwed up and was really on a crazy weekend journey. Having an 18 year old (at the time) I was blown away by what a teenaged boy was able to do in the 50's let loose in NYC.

jennifer75 · Oct 15, 2008

vixey said:
I agree. I feel like they're telling me what to think or maybe lecturing. Though, I keep going back to Catcher in the Rye, which I read for the first time this past spring. I loved that book. But that was probably because Holden was so screwed up and was really on a crazy weekend journey. Having an 18 year old (at the time) I was blown away by what a teenaged boy was able to do in the 50's let loose in NYC.

You didn't just try and derail my thread did you, missy?

vixey · Oct 15, 2008

*chug, chug, chug, chug*

Choo-Choo!

FennelGiraffe · Oct 15, 2008

jennifer75 said:
When I read something, I've discovered that I don't like the author to talk to me, aside from the story, if it's first person and in the present.

What would that be called? I don't want to be filled in by the author of what's going on.

Is that dumb?

I'm not sure I understand your question correctly, but the term for the author talking directly to the reader is 'breaking the fourth wall'.

OremLK · Oct 15, 2008

Except it's not if it's a first-person narrative, because the conceit of the story is that the narrator and (usually) protagonist is actually writing for other people to read his account, within the world of the story. (Hence no breakage of the fourth wall.)

It is in third person though.

Danthia · Oct 16, 2008

I'd call it an "authorial slip" or a "POV shift" or just bad POV technique. I dislike anything that pulls me out of the narrative and reminds me that I'm reading, unless that outside narrator is firmly established from the begining. There are third omni books that have strong narrators and it works. I do find it especially jarring in first person, because first person is so intimate anyway. Everything is from the person's POV, and those asides to the reader really stand out as the author, not the narrator.

I like my narrator integrity no matter what the POV choice.

Julie Worth · Oct 16, 2008

It's sometimes called authorial intrusion. It's effective in some types of writing, eg, comic SF, but most annoying in others.

jennifer75 · Oct 16, 2008

Thanks guys and gals!

Feidb · Oct 16, 2008

It's called author intrusion. The whole point of POV is to be in a character's head. When the character starts thinking or seeing stuff he or she can't possibly see or think, then it's the author intruding his or her view into the story and disrupting the flow. Omniscient is not quite that, in my opinion. If omniscient is the pure POV of the scene, it's not author intrusion. However, if the POV is either first person or third person, and omniscient narrative is mixed in to the scene, THAT'S author intrusion too.

Of course, author intrusion is the whole story! After all, it's you the author writing it. However, to maintain the illusion and immersion into the story, the reader should not be jolted out of the heads of the characters by the author.

Feidb

Question on POV's and Tenses...

jennifer75

SupahStah!

OremLK

geardrops

Good thing I like my day job

jennifer75

SupahStah!

jennifer75

SupahStah!

vixey

C'est la vie!

jennifer75

SupahStah!

vixey

C'est la vie!

FennelGiraffe

It's green they say

OremLK

Danthia

Julie Worth

What? I have a title?

jennifer75

SupahStah!

Feidb

Been Here A While