Saturday, May 4, 2013

Non-Philosophical Narrators

I find it strange when a protagonist is an awkward, shy kid who stumbles over their words, yet when they narrate, they are unerringly eloquent and deeply philosophical. It's like characters aren't allowed to narrate their own story unless they're constantly reflecting.

Now, I perfectly well understand that these kinds of people do exist. I know that some people are uncomfortable talking around others, but are constantly looking around, taking it all in, and thinking deep questions. I also know that these people easily find themselves becoming authors, so they write what they know (themselves). But I'm also pretty certain that other kinds of people exist, too.

The impulsive kinds of people exist. The shallow thinkers exist. I've met plenty of people who either exclusively live in the moment or simply don't have enough brain cells to get particularly existential.

I want some non-philosophical narrators. I want to read a story where the main character stares into space and nothing happens, where he does drugs and says that it was awesome or messed up, but doesn't paint a vivid picture when describing it. I want a narrator who tells you all the stuff that happens, but isn't searching for meaning or connecting dots, just living and narrating.

It could end up being terrible. But I still think it would be worth trying, if nothing else, simply because it's different.

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