Does An Unreliable Narrator Need To Be an Asshole?

LB’s NOTE: Charlie Jane Anders is a TVWriter.Com favorite. I’m really hoping she doesn’t sue me for sharing this. In other words, Sit back and enjoy yourself as a really, really, really fine writer gives away one of her biggest secrets about – guess what –  writing.

by Charlie Jane Anders

Narrators! You can’t rely on them these days. They always let you down, even the ones who have five stars on Yelp. One time, I hired a narrator to move a sofa and they claimed they brought it to my house, but it was actually five blocks away. Freaking narrators.

You’ve probably heard, or even used, the phrase “unreliable narrator.” But what is an unreliable narrator, and why do we keep them around even though they let us down constantly?

I often hear two slightly contradictory things about the concept of the unreliable narrator:

1. 1. All narrators are unreliable, because nobody can ever really know the actual truth
   2. A properly unreliable narrator is a feat of great artistry and literary cleverness, spinning a tale that semi-intentionally deceives you as to the validity of its events.

I say these things are slightly contradictory, because if all narrators are unreliable, why is it such a huge literary achievement to create an unreliable narrator?…

The rest of this post is definitely worth clicking on. Read it all HERE

So are all her other tips and secrets. Follow Charlie Jane (and her most thoughtful writing tips) HERE

Author: LB

A legendary figure in the television writing and production world with a career going back to the late ’60s, Larry Brody has written and produced hundreds of hours of American and worldwide television and is a consultant to production companies and networks in the U.S. and abroad . Shows written or produced by Brody have won several awards including - yes, it's true - Emmys, Writers Guild Awards, and the Humanitas Award. View all posts by LB