Chalk Scribblers workshop: narrative voice

Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again.

So starts Rebecca, Daphne du Maurier’s masterful novel written in the first person.

But why did she choose first person. Why didn’t she opt for third person and write that she dreamt of Manderley? If du Maurier had been feeling experimental, she might even have gone for second person and told you that you dreamt of Manderley.

There are a plethora of narrative voices, each of which has a wide range of variations, and every one of those voices and its variations is a tool in the writer’s box. Choosing the right one can be the difference between a readable story and a really memorable story so we’ll be discussing what those voices are and how to choose the right one for the story at hand.

The workshop will follow our usual semi-structured discussion format and will be divided into three parts:

• Chalk Scribblers members will talk through examples of different voices that will be shared in advance.
• A general discussion about which narrative voice works best where and when.
• A more practical discussion about how each of us choose the voice for our own stories past, present and possibly future.

See you there.