18.50: The Unreliable Narrator

Published: Dec. 10, 2023, 9 a.m.

All unreliable narrators aren't unreliable in the same way. How do they differ and how does that change the way that we write them? Erin shares her unified theory (look at the graphic below!) of unreliable narrators.\xa0


Homework:\xa0

Take an event that you're familiar with, and write about it as truthfully as possible. Then write about it from the point of view of someone who knows the basics, but not the whole truth, but who tries to tell the entire story anyway. For bonus points, tell the story a third time from the point of view of a lying liar with an agenda.


Thing of the Week:\xa0

Lost Places by Sarah PInsker\xa0


Liner Notes:\xa0

Unreliable Narrator Graph

The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin



Credits: Your hosts for this episode were Mary Robinette Kowal, DongWon Song, Erin Roberts, Dan Wells, and Howard Tayler. It was produced by Emma Reynolds, recorded by Marshall Carr, Jr., and mastered by Alex Jackson.

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