1st Person POV advice needed

Lseeber · Nov 21, 2011

Hi Everyone,

First, apologies if this question is answered somewhere else. I have been looking through the threads and so far I haven't found it. I have a WIP that I am currently working on and I have stumbled onto a bit of a frustrating problem.

The WIP is a sci-fi piece set in an utopian future where the "utopia" is not all it's cracked up to be -- I know, it's been done before. The POV is a 1st person limited. The reader only gets to see what the narrator perceives and what he thinks.

Here's the thing. My narrator isn't the smartest guy out there. He's not mentally challenged, but let's say that he is a bit ignorant of his surroundings and environment. Part of the story line is him coming to the realization of what is really going on, reaching that "aha!" moment.

So do you guys have any suggestions on how to keep the reader engaged and rooting for this guy instead of getting frustrated? I fully expect the reader to have reached the "aha!" moment before the narrator does.

thanks,
Laura

Architectus · Nov 21, 2011

I don't really have enough information to give you ideas.

As long as you make him interesting, build our sympathy for him, and make him REALLY want his goal, we will want him to get it.

dangerousbill · Nov 21, 2011

Lseeber said:
So do you guys have any suggestions on how to keep the reader engaged and rooting for this guy instead of getting frustrated? I fully expect the reader to have reached the "aha!" moment before the narrator does.

Sure. Don't make him a naive and inert spectator to what's going on. Get him involved. Put him in danger. Make him an outcast, or a member of the establishment chasing outcasts. Take us through his learning process as he awakes from his illusions.

It's a pretty common scifi trope, but it still pleases readers.

Libbie · Nov 21, 2011

dangerousbill said:
Sure. Don't make him a naive and inert spectator to what's going on. Get him involved. Put him in danger. Make him an outcast, or a member of the establishment chasing outcasts. Take us through his learning process as he awakes from his illusions.

It's a pretty common scifi trope, but it still pleases readers.

I concur.

The Lonely One · Nov 21, 2011

Give him mini "aha" moments along the way.

Dave.C.Robinson · Nov 21, 2011

dangerousbill said:
Sure. Don't make him a naive and inert spectator to what's going on. Get him involved. Put him in danger. Make him an outcast, or a member of the establishment chasing outcasts. Take us through his learning process as he awakes from his illusions.

It's a pretty common scifi trope, but it still pleases readers.

Yes, this.

Also, and this is usually easy to do with a first person narrator, keep your focus very tight on the main character's emotions. Describing what the character feels tends to build an emotional distance between the reader and character, and that works against the reader's emotional involvement.

One way you can do this is by eliminating things like, "I saw," "I heard," or "I felt." These constructions all create filters between the character's experience and the reader - get rid of them and it will be easier to keep your readers engaged.

agentpaper · Nov 21, 2011

Did this with mine. And I agree with what dangerousbill said. I'm sure the readers will know exactly what's going on before my MC does, but it's also nice to have the "aha" moment, be the "i knew it!" moment.

Domino Derval · Nov 21, 2011

I'm reading a book called There's a slight chance I might be going to hell by Laurie Notaro. It's quite funny, but it seems like I get every single solitary plot twist before the narrator does (3rd limited, but so limited it may as well be 1st). It's to the point where I think the protagonist is a bit of a moron. It may be a good example of what you're asking, since it happens so often.

jcavelos · Nov 22, 2011

Dramatic Irony

I agree with what others have said. Essentially, you are describing a situation filled with dramatic irony. Dramatic irony occurs when the reader understands things the main character does not. Oedipus Rex is a famous example (we know he killed his father and married his mother, but he doesn't know and is madly searching for the murderer--who is himself). This prevents us from feeling what the character is feeling (since we don't share his determination to find the murderer), but it allows us to feel compassion and concern for the character (since we fear the impact that the truth will have on him when he discovers it).

Animal Farm is another example. The animals who are not pigs are being duped by the pigs. We can't empathize with the non-pigs, because we understand what's happening. But we feel great compassion and concern for the non-pigs, because they aren't smart enough to figure out what's happening and their lives are being ruined.

So you need to allow us to see the dangers/threats to the character as he struggles with his lesser understanding of the situation. And we do need to see him struggling, a lot, to understand what's going on.

Hope this helps.

Best,

Jeanne

Jeanne Cavelos
Director
Odyssey Writing Workshops Charitable Trust
www.odysseyworkshop.org

vlindahl · Nov 22, 2011

jcavelos said:
I agree with what others have said. Essentially, you are describing a situation filled with dramatic irony. Dramatic irony occurs when the reader understands things the main character does not. Oedipus Rex is a famous example (we know he killed his father and married his mother, but he doesn't know and is madly searching for the murderer--who is himself). This prevents us from feeling what the character is feeling (since we don't share his determination to find the murderer), but it allows us to feel compassion and concern for the character (since we fear the impact that the truth will have on him when he discovers it).

Animal Farm is another example. The animals who are not pigs are being duped by the pigs. We can't empathize with the non-pigs, because we understand what's happening. But we feel great compassion and concern for the non-pigs, because they aren't smart enough to figure out what's happening and their lives are being ruined.

So you need to allow us to see the dangers/threats to the character as he struggles with his lesser understanding of the situation. And we do need to see him struggling, a lot, to understand what's going on.

Hope this helps.

Best,

Jeanne

Jeanne Cavelos
Director
Odyssey Writing Workshops Charitable Trust
www.odysseyworkshop.org

+1.

Make your character as dimwitted as you want, but assume your audience is as smart or smarter than you are and give them clues to put the larger picture together.

Lseeber · Nov 22, 2011

Thanks for the advice everyone, as well as the great examples. Hopefully I'll be able to do the job right

Laura

1st Person POV advice needed

Lseeber

Architectus

dangerousbill

Retired Illuminatus

Libbie

Worst song played on ugliest guitar

The Lonely One

Why is a raven like a writing desk?

Dave.C.Robinson

... with the High Command

agentpaper

One of many

Domino Derval

FREAKING OUT!

jcavelos

vlindahl

Write like mad, edit like hell.

Lseeber