Quit Butting into MY Story
Author Intrusion. Just a nice way of saying that the writer is butting into the character's story.
Characters need to have their separate worlds, their separate thoughts. They don't have to value the same things you do. They don't have to fear the same things you do. But that's not the whole gist of author intrusion.
It's also when the heroine's car breaks down and she knows the radiator broke. But she's a loner librarian who usually rides her bike to work. How does she know it's the radiator?
Exactly.
In some ways, I think author intrusion is like an omniscient POV. The creator's POV.
Have you heard of this? How would you describe it? Better yet, have you ever been an intruder?
Special thanks to Debra M. who suggested a post on this. I hope you stop by Debra! :-)
Characters need to have their separate worlds, their separate thoughts. They don't have to value the same things you do. They don't have to fear the same things you do. But that's not the whole gist of author intrusion.
It's also when the heroine's car breaks down and she knows the radiator broke. But she's a loner librarian who usually rides her bike to work. How does she know it's the radiator?
Exactly.
In some ways, I think author intrusion is like an omniscient POV. The creator's POV.
Have you heard of this? How would you describe it? Better yet, have you ever been an intruder?
Special thanks to Debra M. who suggested a post on this. I hope you stop by Debra! :-)
Comments
sorry I usually rant and rave.. but there's a story there a good one. :)
Thanks for commenting and making me smile at a time when all I really want is my coffee.
I don't do it. It's like cheating.
Thanks for that info. I don't read much of sci-fi or fantasy so I didn't realize it was still okay.
LOL about the cheating. I hadn't thought of it that way.
I brought this up because it had been pointed out to me by a contest judge and I didn't see it as omniscient POV--in other words, I was confused.
I look forward to some more opinions here on how to recognize it.
In your example of the woman who 'knows' it's the radiator. For some it would make sense, and others it would be author intrusion, right? Seems difficult from the author's place as she/he knows the background and this may totally make sense to her. How do we learn to watch for these things?
sigh.
Has anyone come across a good article or found a sure-fire way to see it when it occurs in their own work?
Authorial intrusion can work, and work well, depending on the story. The Bartimaeus trilogy, the Discworld series, Jane Austen all intrude in their novels, but that's part of the fun. I think the biggest problem is when it's not done well, and it's hard to do well. Or when it's only done once or twice. That makes it feel like it happened more on accident than on purpose.
Both Windsong and Kristen made great points. Omn. POV can be used but it needs to be done well to work right. Harry Potter is also a good example of Omn. used well.(and it's fantasy, like Kristen pointed out). Even if you have it, it's not nec. a bad thing.
As for the radiator, if it's in the character's background then it's not intrusion at all. There are a lot of ways to clue the reader in, even with one sentence. I think where the scene occurs matters too. If it's the opening scene, then a one line like "Great, this radiator must be the cousin to the one she'd had in high school that blew up on her." can work because it clues the reader in that the character has had this happen before and that's how she knows what the problem is.
But if the radiator happens later on in the book, then the heroine's background should've made her knowledge acceptable by then. If not, then you've either a) intruded or b) didn't include appropriate background in earlier scenes.
This is my take but I'm still learning too. :-)
You could look up author intrusion and see what pops up. Also, Kristen is part of a website called Romance Divas and they might have some articles on this. Good luck Debra! :-)
Exactly. I've opened my WIP with a Omn. pov and I'm not sure I'm going to keep it yet. Like you said, it has to be done well to work. Thanks for commenting!
I know. Who knew art was so crafty? LOL
They shout, "Don't go in there," when the dumb girl is being chased by the serial killer is about to walk into a trap.
Author intrusion is any over-telling in my opinion. It's jarring and annoying. The idea of reading, is to experience the world as the characters do.
Of course, I'm no saint when it comes to this topic. I do my fair share of intruding on my story.
I'm going to be watching out more for this, thank you!
Thanks for a good topic!
Or, conversely, perhaps we are so far into our characters heads that we forget our readers do not know them as well as we do, and won't understand that the librarian actually grew up in her father's garage where he fixed cars that he loved more than his daughter and that is why she chooses to ride a bike most of the time.
Anyway, this is good stuff to think about.
LOL on your example. It can be annoying for sure. Interesting about the over-telling. That probably could be author intrusion, since it's us trying to explain something instead of letting the reader infer things on their own.
Camy Tang does this well. Her characters are Asian and they're always comparing things to funny foods I've never eaten. LOL But she has the POV down with showing things from the character's perspective rather than her own.
Yep. Easy solutions just don't provide a satisfying read. It's sad, but readers want characters to suffer and work for the resolution. LOL
LOL! You should've wrote the post. Very succinct comment. :-)
I think you're right about the suspension of belief. If we trust the author, then we're more likely to go with something and trust that it's true. Great point.
Sigh again.
Some day I'll look back on this and say, oh NOW I KNOW how to spot this but right now I'm overthinking it.
thanks to all for all the thoughts. I need to let them all stew together and watch for them when I read.
:-)
No worries, girl. :-) Didn't you just final in a contest? I'm willing to bet your writing is fairly solid.
Also, people can get nitpicky over these rules. To me, a 'felt' or 'thought' once in awhile is not a big deal. Like you said, we should worry when something jolts the reader or makes them think "this doesn't make sense".
Another example: "She turned away in disgust." If this isn't her POV, how does the POV character know how she feels? Maybe she turned because she was shy. Or maybe she heard something. A way around this (because the author really knows why she turned away) is to write "She SEEMED disgusted as she turned away." Or something like that. I'm not the best at coming up with examples on the fly. LOL
BTW, I nominated you for an award. Check it out on my blog.
Lynnette Labelle
http://lynnettelabelle.blogspot.com
Yay! I actually already stopped by and saw it. :-) LOL Thank you so much!
I have just read your three latest posts and all I can say is, writing novels sounds like entirely TOO MUCH WORK for me! You have to think and analyze and think again and question your motives and the motives of your character and, and, and, my head is spinning!
I'll stick to speaking and writing inspirational books, thank you very much.
Can't wait to see you Monday! *grin*
Trust me, I wouldn't have to speak and come up with a non-fiction book. I have a feeling it's just as difficult. :-)