When writing a story, it’s hard to be different sometimes. It’s hard to really stand out. You see dozens and dozens of stories told on TV, in comics, books, or even just short stories and you don’t know how to make yours stand out. After all, if there only seven stories to be told it feels almost impossible. However, it’s not. Even if it’s the same old good guy vs bad guy story, people want them. It’s a way to escape reality, you just need to figure out how to make yours stand out and the best way I’ve seen is by changing the narrator.
At first, some people hear narrator and think of someone like Lemony Snicket who is straight up narrating the story but no, it can even be a character who doesn’t know they’re the narrator. In most stories, the main character is the narrator, telling their own stories. It’s been done so many times that most people believe that whoever is telling the story is automatically the narrator, even if the story has nothing to do with them. A good example of this would be the show Sherlock. In this show, it’s obvious Sherlock Holmes is the main character, however it is told by Watson. Changing the narrator can help put an extra mystery and can tell an almost completely different way to tell a story.
Here are three narrators that you could use instead of the main character:
1.Secondary Character/Best Friend
As mentioned above, in the show Sherlock, Watson is the narrator even though the show revolves around Sherlock. This is using a secondary character or the ‘best friend’ in some cases as the narrator. By doing so, we get to see Sherlock in a different, more unbiased way. After all, Sherlock Holmes is incredibly cocky in the show so if we saw the story told by his point of view, we’d never see anything wrong with him. We’d be looking at him through rose coloured glasses. However thanks to Watson, we’re able to see all his flaws and mistakes which helps portray Sherlock in a more realistic way.
Though, using a secondary character does not always mean you’ll see the main character as unbiased. Every character has their own opinions of the main character and if they’re the one telling the story they’ll be sure to show that as well.
2. Bystander
This one is using a complete bystander to tell the story of the main character. This one is generally less biased than using a secondary character but it can easily be seen as less accurate since they were not there to account for everything. An example of this can actually be shown in the Avatar: The Last Airbender tv series. In one of the last episodes, the main character goes to see a play about their own life told by a bystander and though some of the actual events are accurate, many of the conversations and relationships are not. This is called an unreliable narrator, it’s when you cannot trust if what the narrator says is true. Though this can sound intimidating at first or something you wouldn’t want, but it can be intriguing. It means the reader must do some more thinking and try to find any clues you could be hiding. It adds much more mystery to your book.
3. Antagonist
The antagonist is personally, one of the hardest ones to do, mainly because they end up turning into the main character. However, while saying that, it’s also one of the most interesting ways to create a story. It leaves a fair bit of the story up to the viewer to figure out and what they want to believe, to figure out who the ‘good guy’ is. It helps show a different side of things.
Writing a story in itself is tricky. You have to figure out a world, every inch of your characters, the plot, the conflict, but trying to make it stand out adds even more stress. Changing up your narrator is a good way to help spice up your story a bit but only do it if it does aid to your story. If you want to tell the story by the main character because it fits better, then do it. Don’t change your story to spice it up but don’t stick the usual because it’s safer either. In the end, always do what’s best for your story.
Social Media:
Twitter: Check out my new blog on how to spice up your story here! https://bit.ly/2HahAAT
Facebook: “Storytelling and Narrators” check it out here! https://bit.ly/2HahAAT
Algonquin College Social Media Certificate Program 
Hi Veronica,
As a fellow writer, I enjoyed your commentary on the impact of the narrator and how their perspective can play a key role itself in storytelling. It sounds like you have studied this topic thoroughly. Thanks very much for sharing your insight!
Marylynn
Thanks for your post! I enjoy writing myself, and also find it a useful exercise to write scenes from other characters’ points of view. Not sure if my love interest’s dialogue or actions are realistic? I’ll write the same scene from their perspective to get a closer look at their motivations. So I can definitely see where switching the narrator can alter the story in a more interesting way.
I found your discussion of your craft fascinating. I have never considered how the narrator can play such a role in the tale. I will watch for it in the future.
Eve
I really liked your blog! I have never thought of switching it up and not the main character be the narrator. I will definitely try it out when writing my next screenplay.