Every story is told by someone. The narrator is not always the main character, though they can be. The narrator is sometimes a distant, all-knowing, all-seeing god-like device, devoid of personal interest in the story. Or a character unmentioned in the tale but with a powerful voice of their own, who comments on the lives of the characters and has humorous insights into the world they describe. Stories can have many narrators or a single one, and the balance between the narratives can be in any ratio the writer deems necessary to deliver the story, be that a main first person narrative, with several much smaller third person narrative interjections or a dual narrative between, say, the two main characters of a romance. There are no rules or limitations to the way in which you choose to tell your story — each story will be different, and each writer might have preferred or comfortable narrating viewpoints.
Choosing the narrator for your story is one of the most important aspects of writing. It gives the power of information delivered to the reader, the focal point for the meaning and purpose of the story and in most cases, the structure used to frame the story and it enables a point in which the reader becomes engaged with the character(s) and thereby enthused to keep reading.
Choosing the narrator perspective is also an area where many writers fail to consider all the possibilities and the pros and cons. There are three main factors to consider:
1. Perspective
Perspective is generally regarded as the viewpoint of the narrator. In first person, it is the main character from their own view — I. In second person, it is the view of the person reading the story — You. In third person, it is the view of a person observed — Him/Her/They. In omniscient, it is a person in or out of the story with a view of all the characters and all the events and often, the ability to reveal to the reader the personalities and reactions of many characters through a shifting perspective.
2. Focal Distance
The focal distance is how close to the narrator the reader feels. In some focalisations, the reader can feel as if they are sharing the senses and thoughts and emotions of the narrative character. In others, it is as if they walk beside the character(s), unnoticed. In yet others, it is if they view the world and characters from the outside, observing everything and sometimes getting closer to the characters, sometimes moving away from them to see the bigger picture.
The choice of focal distance depends on the effect the writer wants — in a murder mystery, for example, they may wish to be a little withdrawn from the detective but right in the villain’s mind — or vice versa. In a romance story, the writer may want to be in the thoughts of the heroine and in the thoughts of the hero, alternating between the two for the greatest insight into their romantic journey.
3. Structure
The choice of narrative perspective and focal distance affect the structure of the story as much genre (and conventions) and plot do. Decisions for structure include the information the reader will be privy to, and how that information is delivered, in what tense the story is told — past, present or even future — and whether it is given linearly, in chronological order, out of order, with or without flashbacks and so on. Obviously, if writing in first person present tense, the writer might encounter some difficulties in getting all the relevant information to the reader in a believable manner. There are techniques and tools to help with this, though any well-read writer probably knows them already.
Spending some time thinking through the way the narrator will influence the story and showcase the characters is a good idea for any writer. While there are no rules and certainly no ‘best’ way to do it, understanding the benefits and drawbacks of each form is something writers must learn.