Alex Bledsoe - Author Interview: Narrative Style

Which narrative point of view (first person, second person or third person) do you use most in your fiction, or do you often use different points of view for different stories, and why?

I use first-person in my Eddie LaCrosse fantasy/mystery novels for a couple of reasons. One, it’s a mystery genre convention, and the best way to subvert those is to first embrace them. Two, I enjoy writing in the character’s voice, showing the readers only what he knows, and allowing his observations to color the reader’s opinion. We see the world through his perceptions, and since he’s our only point of view, we have to share it.

I use third person in my other two novel series. The advantage to this is that you expose the reader to multiple views of the same people and events, and allow them to comprehend all the characters from the inside.

Do you use present tense or past tense most in your fiction, or do you often switch tense for different stories, and why?

I’ve done that in some short stories, where I’ve been more experimental, style-wise. But my novels are pretty straightforward technically. I pick a voice, I pick a tense, and I stick with it.

Pick one of your published stories. What combination of point of view and tense did you use for this story, and why?

My most recent novel, “The Hum and the Shiver,” is in third-person and jumps among several characters. There are three major characters, but if I need to devote a scene to a minor character, I have no problem digging into their heads as well. The reason is always clarity: making sure the reader understands why the characters do what they do, and hopefully allowing the reader to see a little of themselves in even the worst character.

To what extent is the vocabulary and manner of speech of the narration in this story different from your own everyday expression, and what does this contribute to the story?

“The Hum and the Shiver” takes place in the American South. I’m a native, so the speech patterns come naturally to me. Conveying them is trickier, though, because the last thing you want to do is write in vernacular. I try to do it through word choice and rhythm, which I think works pretty well.

Did you tell this story with one narrator or multiple narrators, and why?

Multiple narrators, because I wanted the reader to empathize with all the characters as well as experience the society as much as the story.

Did you make the narrator of this story a character involved in the main action of the story, or did you make the narrator one which is not a character in your fictional storyworld, and why?

The main character/narrator is luckily (for the story) in a position of being simultaneously an insider and outsider. She left home deliberately, and now she’s coming back damaged; she has to relearn some things and reconnect with her former friends and family. That allows me to “introduce” things to the reader without having to break from the narrative voice.

What is one of your favourite fictional stories, in which you think is narration is written well, and how would you describe what makes the narration work so well for you as a reader?

“Heart of Darkness” by Joseph Conrad is a terrific use of perspective and narration. The story is told by a nameless narrator who relates the first-person narrative of Marlowe, the main character. Since the nature of perceived truth is one of the themes, this is brilliant.

Do you usually provide direct access to the thoughts of characters in your stories? If so, do you usually provide access to the thoughts of one character or multiple characters in a single story or point of view, and why?

Yes, I do, because I feel that if you don’t do that, then there’s no point in relating the character’s actions.

To what extent does the narrative style of novels you read have an impact on why you read them, and why?

That’s hard to say. I love mysteries, so it seems only natural to embrace their first-person style when I began my own fantasy/mystery series. But at the same time, I get annoyed by narrative styles that draw attention to themselves, and have no plans to emulate them. For example, a book in second person, like “Bright Lights, Big City,” is trying to impose depth and meaning on a story that doesn’t have much on its own, and I think that’s true of most narrative tricks. If you’ve got a solid story, get out of its way as much as you can and the narrative style will take care of itself.

Author website: http://www.alexbledsoe.com/



Alex Bledsoe - Author Interview: Characters

What makes this character one of your favourites or an interesting example of your fiction?

Bronwyn Hyatt, from “The Hum and the Shiver,” was my first contemporary protagonist in a novel, as well as my first female one. I’d written short stories with female main characters, and all my novels have had strong women in them, but this was the first time I put a female character front and center.

What kind(s) of character do you consider this character primarily to be, or how would you describe this character?

She’s a damaged hero. She essentially ran away from home to join the military, and now has to face all the things she tried to avoid, as well as recover physically and emotionally from serious injuries.

What is a character from a published fiction story by another author you would compare this character to and why are they similar?

Oddly, the closest is Robert Duvall’s character from the film “Tender Mercies,” written by the great Horton Foote. I read a review that described him as being “a once-famous country singer who comes back, but only as far as he wants to.” That idea of admitting your failures and yet still taking control of your destiny is very powerful, and it’s exactly what Bronwyn does.

To what extent did you use any pre-existing character formula, template, paradigm, character design, archetype, or theory or principles of making or analysing character in planning, writing, and refining this character?

I don’t really work that way. I mean, I’m sure outside critical analysis could lay out a whole list of elements that went into the character, but the actual process of creating her was much more intuitive.

How would you describe the first chapter, scene or section of this story in one paragraph?

Bronwyn returns home to her isolated Appalachian town after serving in Iraq, where she was captured and then rescued on live television. It’s a hero’s welcome, but she’s still recovering from her injuries and just wants to leave the public eye. Her family is there for her, but almost at once she realizes there are dangers here as well. There’s a ghost waiting to talk to her, omens of death seem to target her mother, and her old boyfriend is still lurking around. Her society, known as the Tufa, expects her to take her place in their hierarchy, something she’s always avoided. And her head trauma has caused her to lose the ability to play music, something that’s essential to the Tufa.

Pick one of your published stories. How would you describe the introduction of the main character, or one of the main characters, in this story?

I’ll use my short story “What’s the Frequency, Francis?” from the anthology “Haunted: 11 Tales of Ghostly Horror.” The main character is Sir Francis Colby, a Victorian spiritualist; he’s introduced in the present day when a museum docent describes him and then presents another character with Colby’s first-person account, which makes up the bulk of the story.

What makes this an effective character introduction for this story?

We’re told about Colby, and we see him from the perspective of a century later, before we jump right into his point of view. It quickly gives the reader context and saves me from having to figure out a way to work background into the narrative proper.

What major changes does this character go through, or what major challenges does the character encounter and how does the character respond to them?

He battles evil spirits summoned by accident, and then at the end of the story his whole view of the universe is rattled. His Victorian certainty allows him to continue despite this; the person reading the document is not so lucky.

How would you describe the most important minor characters in this story and the changes in their character, or the challenges they encounter and how the respond them?

The most important minor character is the modern-day ghost hunter who reads the Colby document. Like Colby, he begins with certainty about the universe, only to lose it with the final revelation. The other significant minor character is Dr. Pugh, a “mad scientist” who sets the plot in motion.

What does the story gain from the minor characters?

Context. The minor characters provide differing views of the events.

To what extent would you describe the characters in this story as typical or atypical of characters in your fiction stories?

They’re typical types of this sort of story, which is sort of the point: the reader accepts them and thinks s/he knows them, only to have that change by the end. As far as whether they’re typical of my stories, I don’t have the perspective to say.

Author website: http://www.alexbledsoe.com/