: Re: How to stage a scene conflict that is not about the scene's narrator? I'm working on a novel that is told from a single narrator in third person. A number of subplots detail the stories of

@Welton431

Vote Up Vote Down

I see two main options regarding the secondary character's story:

Having the full-fledged secondary story told effectively changing the narrator for that chapter. This may be confusing if you don't make the fact that it is other character the protagonist for that block, but it can prove useful.
Having the secondary story be something the secondary character narrates, maintaining the main character's point of view. You could implement this by either your main character explaining something that it has read/seen/been told.

Or can the secondary character's goal support an entire scene?

There are excellent examples of secondary character's goals supporting entire scenes. One of my favorites is the story of Gollum, in The Lord of the Rings. Gollum is a secondary character, but his whole story is told - at least in the movie - and it adds a lot to both the story as a whole and the depth of the character. In that particular case, one of the characters is telling a story he remembers.

(0)

Login to post a comment!