How to Write an Unreliable Narrator

The unreliable narrator is a literary device used in fiction, film, TV and video games. Unreliable narrators are untrustworthy because they have strong biases, have psychological problems, do not know all of the “facts” or are intentionally manipulating the reader/audience. Unreliable narrators can be fun to write and read.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

1. Review fiction and films with unreliable narrators. These include “Why I Live at the P.O.” by Eudora Welty, “The Catcher in the Rye” by J.D. Salinger and films “The Usual Suspects” and “Memento.” The unreliable narrators in these works are untrustworthy for different reasons. Analyzing them will give you ideas for how your unreliable narrator can operate.

2. Decide why your unreliable narrator is untrustworthy. Here are some reasons he can be unreliable: he’s mentally unstable, he tells the story of another character he doesn’t like, he tells the story of another character he wants to protect, he hides information to protect himself, he makes authoritative judgments about people and situations he doesn’t understand, he discriminates against others because of religion, race, gender or sexual orientation, he does not understand the culture he’s come into contact with or he is too young to understand the behavior of those around him.

3. Decide if the narrator will be first person or third-person limited. Unreliable narrators are mostly thought of as being first-person narratives, but an unreliable narrator can be written in third-person limited. However, the usage of “she”/”he” instead of “I” will cause less intimacy between the reader and narrator.

4. Give your unreliable narrator a unique voice. The most effective unreliable narrators have distinct ways of speaking and thinking. Consider his word choice and phrasing. How he speaks can say as much about his character as what he says.

5. Give your reader clues that the narrator is unreliable. Some unreliable narrators reveal from the beginning why they aren’t trustworthy. Sometimes the reader discovers little by little that the narrator can’t be trusted. Decide how you will reveal this to your reader. If you are writing a story that gives revelation upon revelation, it’s probably best to write an unreliable narrator who gradually shows that she isn’t to be trusted.

6. Let your reader connect the dots. If your reader discovers that the narrator has been unreliable later in the story, let him figure out why and how the narrator has been unreliable. For example, while viewing “Fight Club,” the audience can think back on how the events in the story pointed to the truth about the unreliable narrator.

Tips & Warnings

• The unreliable narrator does not have to be the only point-of-view character in the story. You can have other point-of-view characters who are more trustworthy; this can give your reader a fuller picture of what’s going on in the story and how different characters are responding to events. You can also have several unreliable narrators in one story.

Resources

• Some works containing unreliable narrators