Blog: Unwilling Narrators
We’ve spent a bit of time this month talking about unreliable narrators; but what about unwilling narrators? Most narrators are eager to talk, even if everything they say is a lie. Say It Three Times, however, features a reticent narrator who is clearly unwilling to give up his secrets. This week we have a guest blog from author Dean C. Rich on unwilling narrators in fiction. Dean Rich says: I love to read, and I read a wide spectrum of genres: Historical Fiction, Science Fiction, fantasy, adventure, and biographies. I like to get behind the main character and cheer them on. I understand that some people don’t want to do things that may be in front of them. However, if the character fights what they need to be doing I have a hard time getting behind them and cheering them on.I won’t mention the book, because I respect the author, and it is a matter of style and personal preference. He felt his character needed to fight all the way through the story. Part of the fact was the character was from “our world” and was transported to another world and the character wouldn’t believe he was elsewhere, and didn’t like where he was. There were some other great minor characters in the story, and I did want to know how it turned out, so I ended up skimming the book because I wanted to know how it worked, I just didn’t want to spend pages dealing with the negative character.
I love exploring new worlds. I like history, and well I already listed what I like to read, so if the MC doesn’t want to be there, why should I? So no, it doesn’t work for me.