Writing Magazine

REAL LIFE, great stories

Last month I suggested you make a distinction between you, the author, and you the protagonist in your memoir stories because, with the benefit of hindsight, you are able to portray people (including your younger self) and events in a more nuanced and truthful way. This makes you a reliable narrator.

To find the narrative voice – the content, language and tone you use – it may be helpful to recognise that, like the protagonist, the narrator is a character formed

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