Writing Unreliable Narrators

The unreliable narrator is the increasingly popular technique of telling the story from the perspective of a character who isn't credible or trustworthy. This can create layers of tension and intrigue as the reader has to read between the lines to interpret the truth, and can be used to set up a plot twist or create an unforgettable protagonist.
Not all unreliable narrators serve the same purpose. Some are unreliable because they're lying to the audience, others are so heavily biased they unconsciously skew the story in their favour, others are telling the most honest story they can--it's simple not the truth.
When writing an unreliable narrator, it's important to leave a trail of clues for the reader to interpret the truth. The impact of an unreliable narrator is in the discrepancy between what the reader is told and what actually happened, and if there's no way to read between the lines, the impact can be lost.
READ MORE: blog.reedsy.com/unreliable-na...
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TIMESTAMPS:
0:00 - Intro
1:06 - Qualities of unreliable narrators
2:27 - Deliberately unreliable narrators
4:03 - Evasively unreliable narrators
5:14 - Naively unreliable narrators
7:33 - Summary
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[@xtonibx5770]

My mind immediately went to Joker (2019 movie) and Lolita (Novel with 1997 movie adaptation). These are both told through the perspective of such screwed up people and I think realizing (In Lolita) that Delores was never sexually suggestive or weird with Humbert and that he was imagining it all in his head was so cool and important. The sex wasn't sex, it was rape. When they went on their trip across the USA, she wasn't being annoying, she was terrified.

[@crybabyllll]

Holy shit, that sounds like such a good but heart wrenching movie. Glad I saw your comment, boutta go try to watch the movie 👍

[@welcometoboomtown-thebook2684]

Fight club - The unreliable narrator is what makes the story so compelling.

[@coreymichaels3389]

I fell in love with the idea of writing unreliable narrators after reading "The Cask of Amontillado" by Edgar Allan Poe, where Montressor was the unreliable narrator.

[@milestrombley1466]

Shutter Island might be an example. Everything is a lie, until the ending answers everything.

[@Reedsy]

That's a great example!

[@zoetasia5138]

I co-write a book with an unreliable narrator. Sins of the Sister by Zari Reede, a psychological thriller, was featured in Kirkus Reviews Issue April 1 2019. Had a lot of fun working on it.

[@christophergorfer2162]

Pale fire by vladimir nabokov is probably my favourite novel of all time precisely because of the genius use of this device. It turns the whole story into this amazing puzzle with clues hidden not just in the main text, but i wont spoil any more. If youre interested definitely check it out.

[@ya102]

Mr robot The series is a good example, he talks to the viewers and tell them how he feels and what he thinks about what's going until we finds out that none of it was true.

[@limecooki9129]

yes! i love this show!!

[@lillydevil2486]

Oh my gosh, THANK you for adding that summary at the end. I typically hate tl:dr add-ons, but by the time I get to the end of most educational writing videos I didn't pick anything up because I was too busy trying to understand the first point in the beginning of the video XD Idk, probably have some form of attention disorder

[@gordonpetry9099]

I like your observation about all first person stories have an element of unreliability. Lots of good suggestions for writing unreliable narrators, but throwing the reader into those murky waters. My favorite "UR" is Huck Finn.

[@repeded_loot_main5403]

What if the outside narrator is telling a story but it changes half way but he still tries to tell it?

[@greenspringvalley]

These videos, over all, have resolved tons of questions.

[@kimfrank2978]

The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt

[@monik7614]

literally anything by donna tartt

[@trinapion7810]

I wrote a book titled MANIC WARS about an unreliable narrator who was having a manic/psychotic episode. She's telling the truth to the best of her ability but her perspective is skewed due to her illness.

[@jasmineyoung7565]

Im so excited that you also love History of Wolves! It seemed to me like so many reviewers on goodreads hated it but I consider it a favorite.

[@Reedsy]

Right! So many people seem to dislike it but it's actually my favourite novel haha

[@ernestoreyes8167]

The Moonlit Road by Ambrose Bierce is such a good short story that has not one, not two, but three unreliable narrators.

[@goosewithagibus]

The UN is a very fun narrative device for me. My most memorable is probably a lot of people's who have read it: Lolita. But most of Nabokov's most popular stories use it. My favorite is Pale Fire. It's so tongue in cheek, so strange. Lord of the Rings also has a really interesting UN. You could debate for hours about it and come to no conclusions lol

[@victorthurse6027]

I thought of a device for turning a reliable narrator into an unreliable narrator. I would use what I think is technically an antagonist. The protagonist is a science student. They take an optional course that has an intriguing description. They become close to a charismatic professor who shares a theory he is researching. Of course, the theory is pseudoscience. Flash forward. The protagonist now has a successful career spouting quantum woo on TV. Their whole worldview has been reshaped by the theory and it yields practical results often enough to keep hopeful people believing in it. When something goes horribly wrong, the narrator blames it on sabotage by secretive military interests. In fantasy, which I'm writing, there are many more ways to do this. The hero is under a charm spell by a hideous crone. In a polytheistic pantheon, the hero believes a particular demigod is the true creator of the universe, having visions that confirm this. In the hero's backstory, they convinced themselves of something false to deceive a telepathic enemy, of who they are now consciously unaware.

[@rodschmidt8952]

These are two different stories?

[@victorthurse6027]

@@rodschmidt8952 The academic one is science fiction. What follows "In fantasy" could be taken as a series of writing prompts or examples. Each sentence is its own idea.

[@noshitsher1ock]

Can an unreliable narrator work even if the pov is in 3rd person limited?

[@diphenhydramine6072]

That's my most common writing technique. I like writing in an animal/alien's perspective.

[@lanalytch]

Thank you, another great video! Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson has a very well done 3rd person unreliable narrator.

[@hannaaa961]

In what way? (I've only read book one)

[@lanalytch]

@@hannaaa961 SPOILERS ahead for those who haven't read book one. Don't look down! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Because despite spending so much of the book in Kelsier's POV, he doesn't reveal his backup plan with Ten-Soon to sacrifice himself to inspire the people to revolt.

[@jamaalramaphane381]

The first time i came across an unreliable narrator, it was in a movie about a boy who's dad had just returned from War, and they enter a music competition together, but when they get to the finale the biy realises that he was never w his dad the whole time.

[@priyachowdhury6799]

The murder of roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie

[@steveryan5669]

Am working on this epic unreliable narrator and I have lost my motivation 💔

[@sumayyahkhan8897]

How do you wake up soo early for someone who is a night owl

[@xtonibx5770]

Some night owls are also early birds. I'm a night owl and I wake up at 5AM brcause I prefer longer mornings.

[@sumayyahkhan8897]

@@xtonibx5770 yh but like how can you be bothered i sleep like really late and the earliest i can wake up is like about 9 or 10 o clock

[@funkyfranx]

x tonib x So you only get a couple hours of sleep then?

[@xtonibx5770]

@@funkyfranx Night owls aren't just people who stay up all night. They're people who prefer the night and work better at night. I do have insomnia so I usually get about 3 hours, but a lot of night owls go to sleep a bit later than they're supposed to, like 12AM-1AM. A lot of night owls have jobs that they have to get up early for lol.

[@wangtoriojackson4315]

One of my favorite unreliable narrators, I believe of the naive variety if I'm correct, is Holden Caulfield. At first, I freaking hated reading A Catcher in the Rye in high school and having to slog through the inane rantings of this hypocritical jackass with his complete lack of self awareness. And then you get to the end and you discover that he ended up in a mental institution lol, and all it once it elevates the entire rest of the book into making perfect sense. Although it makes me kind of puzzled to know that he has become somewhat of a symbol of counterculture and teenage rebellion. A clinically insane person should not be anyone's role model.

[@Nobddy]

But at the same time, he wanted to protect people damaged by modern society. So the question is, was he crazy or is the world crazy?

[@amanhasnoname2305]

The. Elder. Scrolls.

[@annmikaelabartolazo8574]

made you up by francesca zappia

[@Model_118]

Venom snake.

[@ifoundthistoday]

adding: "for example when they say" would give this video 100% more value

[@cwfcwfcwf]

Maybe it's just me but this sounds like a graduate-level conversation. It went right over my head. :)

[@muhammadsaleem1118]

You are sweet

[@billwehrmacher3842]

Ah, I get it. Like tRump.😉