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Lesson 18. Narrative Distance│The Mechanics of Fiction Writing
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Lesson 18. Narrative Distance│The Mechanics of Fiction Writing

Narrative Control and Distance in Storytelling

The Role of the Narrator

  • The narrator is crucial as they generate the words that readers engage with, controlling various aspects of the story including narrative distance.
  • Narrative distance affects how close or involved a reader feels with the action; it shapes their experience of the story.

Examples of Narrative Distance

  • Comparison between Tolkien's immersive description of Bilbo’s home and Huck Finn's abstract opening, which lacks immediate engagement with the storyworld.
  • Master storytellers manipulate narrative distance effectively; for instance, Melville’s "Moby Dick" showcases this through Ishmael's perspective.

Analyzing a Scene from Moby Dick

  • A scene where Queequeg saves a drowning man illustrates active verbs creating vivid imagery while passive constructions control reader perspective.
  • Melville uses passive voice strategically to position readers on deck, observing rather than participating in the action.

Immersion and Re-centering

  • Marie-Laure Ryan’s concept of “recentering” highlights how narrators draw readers into the storyworld, enhancing immersion.
  • Ryan contrasts telescope perspective (distant view) with virtual reality perspective (immersive view), emphasizing how narrative techniques affect reader engagement.

Telescope Perspective vs. Virtual Reality Perspective

  • Telescope perspective presents characters as distant objects; an example is Huck Finn's initial abstract introduction lacking visual detail.

Character Development and Narrative Distance

Understanding Ellie’s Character

  • The narrator describes Ellie, highlighting her close friendships and casual enemies due to her dress and strong opinions. This sets the stage for understanding her character's complexity.
  • The narrative style lays a foundation for Ellie's character, allowing readers to grasp her depth as the story progresses, emphasizing the importance of groundwork in character development.
  • The "telescope narration" technique is introduced, illustrating how Ellie observes the universe with a scientific mindset, which is crucial for the story's thematic elements.
  • The passage spans years of Ellie's life in just a few sentences, indicating that narrative duration influences how readers perceive distance within storytelling.
  • To maintain narrative distance effectively, Sagan employs minimal visual cues and summary rather than detailed scenes or dialogue, creating an observational perspective.

Transitioning to Ursula K. Le Guin

  • A shift occurs as we explore Le Guin's work; she opens with vivid imagery of Omelas during the Festival of Summer, inviting readers into a vibrant setting while maintaining some distance.
  • Descriptions of processions and characters create a lively atmosphere but lack specific grounding for reader consciousness within the scene.
  • The opening mirrors classic fantasy narratives by presenting an enchanting cityscape without fully immersing readers in its details or inviting them into the action directly.
  • As visual cues come rapidly, they prevent readers from settling into one location within Omelas, reinforcing a sense of external observation rather than participation.
  • Le Guin’s approach resembles montage filmmaking—quick cuts between images that provide an overview without deep engagement with any single moment or character.

Exploring Narrative Techniques Further

  • While not purely telescope perspective, Le Guin maintains some distance through rapid visual transitions and absence of dialogue or central characters until later in the narrative.
  • The narrator presents Omelas as an observed entity rather than an experienced one; this detachment serves to enhance thematic exploration throughout the story.
  • Readers are encouraged to engage deeply with “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas,” noting how Le Guin masterfully manipulates narrative distance across just five pages—a testament to her skillful writing.

Zooming In: Raymond Carver’s Style

  • A contrast emerges as we delve into Raymond Carver's storytelling style; he shifts focus directly onto characters engaged in everyday actions at a yard sale—creating intimacy through detail.
  • Carver introduces tension when unexpected interactions occur between characters at the yard sale—this immediacy draws readers closer into their world compared to previous examples.

Understanding Dialogue and Character Perspective in Literature

Negotiation and Transaction

  • A negotiation occurs between a man and a girl regarding the price of a bed, highlighting economic interactions in everyday life.
  • The man offers whiskey to the children, indicating an informal setting where adult behaviors are present around minors.
  • The scene is established through visual cues, allowing readers to mentally position characters within their environment.

Scene Construction and Reader Engagement

  • Carver's narrative style uses simple actions interspersed with dialogue to create a sense of realism and immediacy.
  • Despite seeming mundane, the dialogue propels the story forward, immersing readers into the characters' world.
  • Objects mentioned (bed, car, TV) serve as essential details that help readers visualize the setting without overwhelming descriptions.

Immersion Techniques in Narrative

  • Effective immersion requires minimizing narrator presence; readers should feel absorbed in the story rather than aware of reading it.
  • Repetitive dialogue tags can disrupt immersion by reminding readers of the narrator's presence instead of fully engaging them in character experiences.

External vs. Internal Perspectives

  • Carver’s approach focuses on external actions rather than internal thoughts or feelings, creating a cinematic effect rather than an empathic one.
  • In contrast to Carver’s style, Ken Kesey’s narration provides deeper insights into character perceptions, enhancing reader connection.

Tools for Virtual Reality Distance

  • Effective narrative techniques include maintaining scene duration through concise dialogue and brief actions that enhance visualization.

Narrative Distance in Writing

The Importance of Varying Narrative Distance

  • Ryan emphasizes that the experience of being immersed in a narrative is intense and cannot be maintained indefinitely. Writers must vary the distance to keep readers engaged, similar to how filmmakers adjust camera focal lengths.
  • Great writers, like Ishmael and Le Guin, effectively manipulate narrative distance. They know when to pull back or zoom in on characters' experiences for maximum impact.
  • The idea of keeping readers locked into a character's headspace with vivid imagery raises questions about whether this approach is always beneficial for storytelling.

Insights from Pavarotti's Master Class

  • A video featuring Luciano Pavarotti illustrates the concept of varying performance elements. He critiques a baritone who sings an aria beautifully but fails to change his delivery in the repeated sections.
  • Pavarotti advises that while the initial performance may be excellent, singers must alter their vocal color throughout a piece to maintain audience engagement and avoid monotony.
Playlists: The Mechanics of Fiction Writing
Video description

One of the most important artistic choices a writer can make is varying narrative distance. How close should you place your readers to the action? For how long? And When? First, though. You need to know what tools the writer needs to use to place an audience close to the action and what tools move the audience out to a distance. Here, we’ll discuss how to close and open psychic distance between the reader and the story. If you're interested in supporting this channel so I can continue to make videos like this one and others, please like, subscribe, and share with other writers. You can also help support the channel directly by visiting: https://www.rowelit.com/support The companion book for this series containing lecture notes and exercises is tailored to sharpen the skills covered in each lesson and is available through my online bookstore: https://www.amazon.com/author/p.e.rowe Purchasing a copy for yourself or a fellow writer helps to support this channel and your own writing skills.