How do you tell a story? Writers often talk about what you put into a story and the key elements such as setting, character, plot, etc. But what is needed to effectively communicate the tale to readers? When you tell a story, there are five different modes you can use to convey that story. Today, let’s look at each mode and what happens when you overuse one or leave it out completely.
5 Narrative Modes
Narrative modes are simply methods writers use to relay a story. There are five aspects to story that allow you to convey your meaning in an impactful and complete way. These are action, description, exposition, interiority, and dialogue. Let’s dig into each mode and the dangers of overusing or omitting them in your story.
1. Action
Action refers to what the characters are doing in the story. It’s connected to the plot. At the end of the scene or story, ask the question: what happened? Maybe the character went to work, met a new client, and found out that client is her ex-fiance. Something happened and conflict was introduced. Make sure each scene you write has people doing something important to the story.
If a story has no or very little action, it will feel to the reader that nothing is happening. With no sense of progress or accomplishment, the story will feel boring. Perhaps twenty pages pass, and the only action is a character making a sandwich. Most often, that isn’t enough to carry a story. You want to make sure that readers walk away clearly knowing what the protagonist accomplished and understanding it was important.
Contrarily, if a scene is packed full of only action, it can come across as a play-by-play. This is when a character is walked through every little step of a process, making the scene feel mundane. An example of a play-by-play is: a protagonist waking up, turning off his alarm, pulling off the covers, swinging his legs off the bed, standing up, etc. Yes, all these actions happen when someone gets up in the morning, but it doesn’t all have to be shown. Make sure to skip the mundane actions and only show what’s needed to progress the story forward.
2. Description
Description is all the sensory details in a story. What does the room look like? How does breakfast smell? How soft is the pillow? What does the raging storm outside sound like? These are all the small details that allow readers to feel like they are part of the story and not just reading about it. If you want to keep readers entranced in the story, make sure you include details of all five senses.
If a scene is written without any description, there will be what’s called the White Room Syndrome. This is when the character seems to exist in a void. There are no details to ground the character in setting or sensory details. It’s basically a person acting and talking in a blank room. Readers won’t know what the setting looks like, what the weather is like, how anyone is dressed, etc. While characters can still be fun to read about in these stories, it will be hard to follow the tale if there is no grounding in the world, and it will leave most readers confused.
When there is too much description, the story can feel like a police report where there is just a list of as many specific details as possible. For instance, when a new character is introduced, it’s easy to pause the story and explain the person’s appearance. He’s a 6’ tall, slender brunette with round glasses and a gray suit with a yellow tie and vest. Sometimes authors go on for a paragraph or two, cataloging everything about the character. Instead, it’s best to give just a couple details that make the character feel distinct. Then more descriptions of his appearance can be worked into the story as it progresses. That way the story keeps moving forward, and readers don’t get bored reading a long list of details about a setting or character.
3. Exposition
Exposition is facts needed to understand the story. This includes worldbuilding and character backstories. Some examples are explaining how a magic system works, telling about a character’s deceased parents, or how the judicial system operates in the book world. It’s important context for readers to understand the story to its fullest, but it can often halt the story if done incorrectly. I did a post a while back on three way to make exposition exciting, and you can read it for some tips on how to insert facts effectively.
It’s important to have some exposition in a story to make the world feel big and deep. By mentioning a character’s past, writers imply to readers that this person lives beyond the story. Bringing up current events in the story world gives the impression that the world is bigger than just the tale in the book. Exposition makes stories feel more realistic and full. It’s what makes the story world feel real enough that readers want to visit.
However, we’ve all heard of the dangers of info dumps. Info dumping is when a large amount of detailed information is given. It’s essentially pausing the story for a lecture. Too many info dumps make a story feel more like a textbook. This often bores readers and makes them lose the thread of the plot. While all writers love the little details that make up the world and characters of the story, it’s important to only put in what is needed to understand the plot.
4. Interiority
Interiority is showing a character’s thoughts and emotions on the page. It’s when readers experience how the character reacts to things in the story as they unfold. This is important for getting readers to connect with the protagonist. It allows readers to get inside someone else’s head and see life from a new perspective. While you can tell a story from an objective narrator’s voice, it won’t be as impactful as making readers feel like the protagonist themselves.
Flat or distant characters occur when there is a lack of interiority. If readers aren’t able to understand and experience the story with the protagonist, then the character won’t feel special to them. You’d be able to switch out the protagonist for a different character and not change the story’s telling. While stories can still be enjoyable this way, the protagonist won’t leave a lasting impression on the readers. The result may be a story that is never read to the end or one that is easily forgotten after the last page.
When there is too much interiority, it is called navel gazing. It’s when the story world is forgotten and we just get lost in a character’s head. Thoughts and feelings flow all over the page, and it can start to feel annoying. Think of it as hearing the stream of conscious thoughts and feelings from a person in your life. At first, it might be interesting, but eventually you’ll get frustrated and wish they’d just stop wallowing or obsessing or whatever it is that’s on their mind. Often, navel gazing comes across as self-pity or self-centered, which makes your character unlikable to most readers. So, make sure to add interiority, but don’t let it drag on for pages like an inner monologue.
5. Dialogue
The last narrative mode is most people’s favorite: dialogue. Any time you have someone speaking, it’s dialogue. Communication is very important to any story because it shows interaction between people. Seeing what characters talk about, how they present themselves in speech, and how they related to others through dialogue will give readers insight to the character. It also shows the characters position in regards to others in the world. Does everyone else dislike the protagonist? Do they all speak respectfully to him? Is he constantly having to defend himself to others? Seeing the protagonist interacting with the world and not just living in a bubble makes it easier to relate and connect with the character.
If there isn’t dialogue, the character and story can feel isolated. Similar to how the world feels empty without description, the story feels empty without other characters. Communication is how people connect, organize, and get things done. Without it, it feels like a single person is just existing in space and time. Most readers like stories because of the connection they get with other people (characters), and there is no connection without communication.
On the other hand, a story full of only dialogue will read like a movie script. Without the added benefit of seeing the actors and the setting on TV, the story will feel like floating heads. There won’t be body language to interpret or setting cues so the conversation can easily be misunderstood or confusing. Plus, hearing two people speak without knowing who they are and their past history (exposition) can make a conversation less interesting than if we understand all the underlying tension surrounding the talk. Dialogue is a very important and engaging part of every story, but too much will leave readers detached from the plot.
Example
Let’s look at an example of these five modes being used in the opening pages of The Tenant by Freida McFadden. I selected an expert from pages 2-3 since the opening is mostly setting the stage (exposition, interiority, and description). Most stories do open that way, but I wanted to find a section that shows all five modes. I’ve added in all CAPS the narrative mode of each preceding section.
My phone buzzes from where I left it on my desk. (DESCRIPTION) I swivel my head so I can make out the name Krista Marshall flashing on the screen, and I snatch it up. (ACTION and DESCRIPTION) There are calls I duck and calls I take, but I always answer when Krista is on the other end of the line. (INTERIORITY)
“Hey, babe,” I say.
“Hello, Mr. Vice President, “ Krista giggles. (DIALOGUE)
Man, I won’t get sick of that for a least another week. (INTERIORITY)
“So how are you holding up?” she asks. (DIALOGUE)
I eye the piles of paperwork on my desk, which are only rivaled by the hundreds of emails waiting for me in my inbox. If I take a bathroom break, I’ve got twenty messages waiting for me when I get back. And I piss fast. (DESCRIPTION)
But you know what? That’s perfectly fine. (INTERIORITY) I landed the promotion to VP of marketing last week because I could handle it. (EXPOSITION) Because I earned it. You got a week’s worth of work I need to blow through in an hour? Great. Bring it. (INTERIORITY)
Do you see how effortlessly the author switches from one mode to another? Freida weaves them together to form a compelling story even though there isn’t much happening yet. The scene is just starting so she gives a little bit of action and dialogue to get the story rolling. Then she doesn’t pause the storyline when we see Krista’s name to describe who she is and what she looks like, but the author trusts the reader to stay tuned for that information as the story unfolds. Freida drops some small descriptions to give us a setting without pausing to describe every detail about the phone, desk, and piles of paperwork. She even has a lot of interiority that allows us to know what the protagonist thinks of Krista, his job, and himself. By using all five modes, Freida keeps readers engaged and interested in the little tidbits she drops to pique our curiosity.
Final Thoughts
The five narrative modes are action, description, exposition, interiority, and dialogue. Writers should weave them together to tell an engaging story. If you only use one mode, the story will drag and be confusing. If you only leave out one mode, the tale can fall flat in different areas depending on which mode you omit. As with everything, balance is key. You can have more of one mode than others (usually action and dialogue are the biggest modes in stories), but all must be present to convey a tale in an effective and impactful manner.
Thanks for reading!
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