In The Write Mind

An unreliable narrator is someone who we as readers can’t fully trust, usually because of their personality, obvious bias, untreated mental illness, or any other reason that would cause us to question the validity of their opinion within the context of the story. We take what these narrators tell us with a grain of salt because we know their view of the world is influenced by something else. 

Some examples of unreliable narrators in fiction include:

Alex in A Clockwork Orange (violent and manipulative sociopath who takes joy in the pain of others; novel also opens with him drunk).

Holden Caulfield in A Catcher in the Rye (flat out tells us in the beginning of the book that he’s a great liar).

Patrick Bateman in American Psycho (is a psychopath).

The unnamed narrator in Fight Club (questions the meaning of his very existence to the point where he doubts himself, severely depressed, engages in illegal activities as his personal therapy, etc).

Nick Carraway in The Great Gatsby (only knows what Gatsby reveals to him about himself, as well as the second-hand stories from neighbors and friends).

Some film examples include:

Big Fish

Memento

Forrest Gump

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

Sucker Punch

Hope that helped.

Telling: 

He was irritated by the report. One small misstep and everything he had worked for could be ruined. 

Showing:

The instant Angela was out of the room, he threw the report against the wall and watched as papers fluttered to the floor. Then he dropped his head down to his desk and uttered a curse. He could almost see all his carefully laid plans unraveling before him. He would have to speak to the agent in the morning. He would have to warn him that the penalty for mistakes was higher now than ever before.

Excuse the melodrama and me having a little bit of fun, there. The point is, in the first example you are directly telling the reader how the character is feeling. In the second, his words, thoughts and actions are showing the reader how he’s feeling. 

These basic plots are from the Tennessee Screenwriting Association, but I thought it would be useful to share them with you all. Many writers believe that there are only so many “basic plots” that make up a story, 20 of them to be exact, and that it all depends on how you develop these plots. This is the same idea that there are only so many story arcs, and that all of our stories fit into a certain category. This is not to say you can’t create something that is uniquely yours, because you can mess with these elements, but when cut something down to the bare bones—nothing is really original. These recognizable story forms work and that’s why they’re used over and over again. Here are the 20 basic plots—

1. QUEST – the protagonist is searching for something (person, place, thing, or idea) and is on a journey to find it.

2. ADVENTURE – the protagonist searches for their fortune, but has to leave home to do it.

3. PURSUIT - hide-and-seek plot, one group or person chasing another.

4. RESCUE - the protagonist is searching for someone or something that needs to be saved—this usually involves protagonist, victim, and antagonist.

5. ESCAPE – the protagonist wants to escape some sort of situation, on a quest to get away.

6. REVENGE - retaliation against someone else for wrong-doings.

7. THE RIDDLE - the protagonist’s search to find the hidden meaning of something.

8. RIVALRY - the protagonist is competing for same object or goal as another person.

9. UNDERDOG – the protagonist has a great disadvantage and faces overwhelming odds while trying to reach his or her goals.

10. TEMPTATION – the protagonist is tempted into doing something that is unwise, wrong or immoral.

11. METAMORPHOSIS - the physical characteristics of the protagonist actually changes from one form to another.

12. TRANSFORMATION - the protagonist journeys through a stage of life that moves them from one significant character state to another.

13. MATURATION - the protagonist faces a problem that causes them to learn from it and mature into adulthood.

14. LOVE - the protagonist overcomes the obstacles that prevent him or her from engaging in true love.

15. FORBIDDEN LOVE – the protagonist overcomes obstacles that prevent him or her from true love, but sometimes find the outcome too high a price to live with.

16. SACRIFICE - the protagonist is motivated by a higher purpose such as love, honor, and charity or for the sake of humanity.

17. DISCOVERY - the protagonist, having to overcome a life-changing event, discovers a deeper meaning of life that changes their outlook.

18. WRETCHED EXCESS - the protagonist pushes the limits of acceptable behavior to the extreme and is forced to deal with the consequences.

19. ASCENSION – this rags-to-riches plot deals with the rise of the protagonist due to a dominating character trait that helps them to succeed.

20. DECISION – this riches-to-rags plot deals with the fall of the protagonist due to dominating character trait that eventually destroys their success.

It’s easy to see that some stories can fit into a few of these categories and you can build your story up around several of these basic plots. Generally, a story will fit into one category more than another. There are many references on basic plots, and not all writers have the same opinions on it, so it helps to research them yourself. I just thought this might give you a little motivation or help you structure your story better.

Taken from the Wikipedia article:

1. Overcoming the Monster - The protagonist sets out to defeat an antagonistic force which threatens the protagonist and/or protagonist’s homeland.

2. Rags to Riches - The poor protagonist acquires things such as power, wealth, and a mate, before losing it all and gaining it back upon growing as a person.

3. The Quest - The protagonist and some companions set out to acquire an important object or to get to a location, facing many obstacles and temptations along the way.

4. Voyage and Return - The protagonist goes to a strange land and, after overcoming the threats it poses to him/her, returns with nothing but experience.

5. Comedy - Light and humorous character with a happy or cheerful ending; a dramatic work in which the central motif is the triumph over adverse circumstance, resulting in a successful or happy conclusion.

6. Tragedy - The protagonist is a villain who falls from grace and whose death is a happy ending.

7. Rebirth - The protagonist is a villain or otherwise unlikable character who redeems him/herself over the course of the story.

Skip the Tags: If it’s clear who is speaking, you don’t need to add a “he said” part to the dialogue. Just write the dialogue and move on.

Use Beats: A beat is an action before or after dialogue. The action is done by the speaker and lets the reader know who is speaking without using dialogue tags. For example: “Dialogue dialogue dialogue.” She sat down. “Dialogue continues.”

Paraphrase: If you find that there is too much dialogue and not enough narration, try paraphrasing what the characters are saying as a way to skip the less important stuff. You can mention that two characters debated over whether to do X or Y and you can briefly explain their conclusion before moving on to the next part of dialogue.

More Action: Detail the body language and actions of your characters when they’re having a conversation. Sometimes a facial expression is enough of a reply that you can omit what they would have said otherwise. Also, don’t forget to integrate the actions and behaviors of all the characters, not just the ones who are currently speaking.

I’ve participated in (and won) NaNo the past two years in a row. Now just days away from my third attempt, I’ve been reflecting on the lessons I learned in 2012 and 2013. Some of these are serious, others not so much, but I hope you guys will find them as helpful as I have.

10 Things I’ve Learned from NaNoWriMo:

1. There’s a fine line between determination and masochism. If this is your first time doing NaNo, you’re about to learn that lesson the hard way. ;)

2. Tell anyone and everyone that you’ll be participating. Not just for practical reasons (like not wanting to worry them when you drop off the face of the earth), but to keep yourself accountable as well.

3. Contractions are evil. Not that I’m suggesting anyone pad their word count, but the occasional “you are” instead of “you’re” never hurt anyone, did it? Besides, you’ll fix all that in edits anyway.

4. No matter how much you try to explain what you’re doing or why it’s important to you, there are certain people who just won’t get it. They will try to distract you, take it personally when you don’t have time for them, even act out in dramatic ways to get your attention. Ignore them. This is your time.

5. Take care of yourself. NaNoWriMo might make your free time nonexistent, but trust me – you’ll get a lot more writing done if you eat regularly and get plenty of sleep. If you have to sacrifice anything, let it be the nonessentials. Stuff your queue and take a break from Tumblr. Postpone watching your favorite shows if you must. But please make your physical well-being a priority.

6. Writer’s block is probably going to happen. If it does, don’t panic. The worst thing you can do is put even more pressure on yourself. Ignore encroaching deadlines and step away for a few minutes. Get yourself a snack, take a short walk, have a nap if exhaustion is weighing you down. If you still feel stuck, make a playlist of songs you strongly associate with your story. Relax, close your eyes, and focus on the music while thinking about what’s really important. Not word counts or deadlines, but what this story means to you and why you wanted to write it in the first place.

Of course you want to win NaNo. We all do. But what matters most is the story you have to tell. Don’t lose sight of that in a mad race to the finish line.

7. Don’t sabotage yourself with negative thoughts. Feel like everything you’re writing is crap? Well, maybe it is, but you know what? It doesn’t matter. All that matters is that you finish it. Everything else can be fixed in edits and rewrites, which you’ll be able to do at your leisure when November is over.

8. Have a support system. Find at least one friend or family member who gets what this NaNoWriMo thing is all about, and don’t be afraid to reach out to them when you need it. Writing might be a solitary activity, but few of us can stick with it without a little help.

If you don’t have anyone you can talk to (or just need extra support), please feel free to send me an ask. You’re also welcome to add me on Twitter or nanowrimo.org if you like.

9. In the end, there’s no secret formula, no shortcuts, no easy way to meet your goal. The only trick is to keep writing.

10. No matter what, the time you spend on NaNoWriMo is worthwhile. As much as I hope you win, hope you’ll experience the exhilaration and sense of accomplishment that comes along with that, the fact remains that all writing endeavors are trial and error. The key to success isn’t getting it right the first time, the second, or even the tenth. What makes you successful is refusing to give up.

If you don’t reach your goal, try to figure out why it didn’t work this time. Wrong story? Too many distractions? Lack of confidence? Whatever the reason, try not to see it as a failure. Use it to gain a better understanding of what you need to work on so you can give it another go next year.

I’ll tell you now though: all of you are already winners in my eyes. It takes a lot of guts to tackle such a huge challenge – that alone sets you apart from countless people who talk about wanting to write and never actually do so.

Take the time to learn how to write paragraphs. 

Seriously. Pull up a blank document or get out a journal and play around with writing paragraphs for stories you’re never going to write. 

Example: 

Natasha stared into the campfire and listened to the crackles and the pops. There was only a pile of ashes where the journal had been, but even that sight was enough to make her shiver despite the heat nipping at her skin. Her grandmother had said that fire was cleansing. Natasha hoped she was right, though something in the back of her mind told her that it wouldn’t - couldn’t - be enough. Perhaps something that unclean could never be erased from the earth. Not completely. As she thought that, suddenly the flames felt too bright and she was forced to close her eyes. 

It’s easy to get too focused on the big picture and what you’re doing with your story as a whole, whether it’s a short story or a novel. For many writers, the end result is a story full of muddled paragraphs that the reader has to slog through in an effort to even come close to getting the point.

Just as a story needs a clear subject, a beginning, a middle, and an end, so too should your paragraphs. For the most part.

Natasha stared into the campfire and listened to the crackles and the pops. There was only a pile of ashes where the journal had been, (Beginning - Establishes a subject - the burning of a journal.)

but even that sight was enough to make her shiver despite the heat nipping at her skin. Her grandmother had said that fire was cleansing. Natasha hoped she was right, though something in the back of her mind told her that it wouldn’t - couldn’t - be enough. Perhaps something that unclean could never be erased from the earth. Not completely.  (Middle - The meat of the paragraph. What’s going on.)

As she thought that, suddenly the flames felt too bright and she was forced to close her eyes. (End - Rounding off the paragraph and leaving room to transition into the next.) 

Once you start thinking this way, you’ll notice pretty quickly that your writing has become a lot clearer, that your transitions have improved vastly, and your readers will spend a lot less time being lost and a lot more time enjoying your writing. And it’s not something you’ll necessary have to do consciously forever and ever - however, taking the time to learn to do it will pay off in the long run.