Course: Narrative Style: Viewpoint, Tense and Voice: Online training course

Hone your line craft by learning the foundations of narrative style

Understanding narrative style in a novel is an essential skill for any professional fiction editor.

This course introduces beginner and developing fiction editors to narrative viewpoint, tense and voice, and teaches you how whose perspective we experience a story through influences what can be reported.

By the end of the course, you'll understand the following:

> What narrative style is
> The different narrative viewpoints in fiction
> How tense affects narrative style
> Distinctive narrative voice
> The impact of narrative distance
> What head-hopping looks like
> Viewpoint characters, focal characters and protagonists
> How to guide authors and demonstrate your expertise

Edit and communicate with confidence

I'll teach you the foundations so you can identify problems, communicate the solutions, and guide your clients towards a better reader experience.

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The learning process

Webinars

Watch 8 webinars, all with closed captions.

Synopses

Read the core principles outlined in each module.

Practice exercises

Test what you've learned by evaluating real examples of fiction.

Model answers

Compare your work with how I tackled the exercises.

Resources

Access a suite of useful fiction-editing resources.

Free ebook

Get a free copy of Making Sense of Point of View worth £8.99.

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Check out the syllabus!

MODULE 1: What is narrative style?

What the term 'narrative style' means
The components editors need to be aware of: Viewpoint, tense and voice
What a narrator is and how many there can be
What form a narrator can take
Where a narrator sits in relation to the story
Exercises and model answers

MODULE 2: The different narrative viewpoints

What viewpoint is
How many narrative viewpoints can exist in a novel
The difference between a viewpoint character and a non-viewpoint character
The most common types of viewpoint in fiction
The opportunities each viewpoint style offers
The restrictions each viewpoint style imposes
How choice of viewpoint affects intimacy and immediacy
Why overuse of pronouns can be problematic, and how to fix it
Neopronouns: The impact of identity on viewpoint
Tools to increase or reduce intimacy and immediacy
Exercises and model answers

MODULE 3: How tense affects narrative style

The different tenses an author can use in a novel
The most common tenses used
Which tense a novel's 'now' can be written in
Which tenses are used to convey a novel's past
Other useful tenses
How tense can influence intimacy and immediacy
Ideas for fixing problems with tense
Exercises and model answers

MODULE 4: Distinct narrative voice

What narrative voice is
How voice helps readers understand the narrator better
How narrative voice can be communicated to a reader
The difference between overworked and compelling voices
Common problems with voice and how to fix them
Why editors need to be cautious about editing unfamiliar vernacular
Exercises and model answers

MODULE 5: Narrative distance

What narrative distance is
What else it's called
How viewpoint, tense and voice relate to distance
How a continuum framework helps editors to visualize distance
How distance can shift even within a single viewpoint
Problems with narrative distance: too quick, too far and head-hopping
Tools to help you fix problems with distance
Exercises and model answers

MODULE 6: What head-hopping looks like

How head-hopping is defined
What else it's called
Why head-hopping is a problem for readers
The difference between head-hopping and an omniscient viewpoint
How to fix problems with head-hopping
Exercises and model answers

MODULE 7: Viewpoint characters, focal characters and protagonists

What the terms ‘viewpoint character’, ‘focal character’ and ‘protagonist’ mean
Which characters hold these roles
What a viewpoint character can access and report
What a non-viewpoint character can report
What an omniscient narrator can report
How many viewpoint characters a novel can have
Alternating-person narratives, and good practice for managing them
Exercises and model answers

MODULE 8: Educating authors about narrative style

Why educating about narrative style serves authors, readers and editors
The kind of content you might create
How to start with written content – a blog post
Why creating resources builds trust
How content can be repurposed for marketing, trust-building, income generation and CPD
Why resource creation can lead organically to getting editing work

Exercises and model answers

Course access

How do I pay?

When the course goes live, I'll email you the link to my store.
You can pay via PayPal or Stripe.

Are there any goodies?

Of course! You get a free PDF copy of my guide Making Sense of Point of View.

How long can I access the course for?

For as long as you want! All my courses come with lifetime access so you can learn when it suits you, not me.

How will I access the course?

As soon as you've purchased the course, you'll be invited to create a login for my learning portal. That will give you immediate and continuing access to the course materials 24/7.

Is this course right for me?

This course is a good fit for anyone who's confused about narrative style or doesn't understand what it is or why it's relevant to the success of a novel. The following people will get the most from it:

Experienced non-fiction editors who want to switch to fiction
Fiction proofreaders who want to expand their skill set and move into editing
Fiction copyeditors with strong technical skills who want to develop stylistic craft

Experienced fiction editors will likely already know the topic inside out. Unless you're in need of a foundational brush-up, this course isn't a good fit for you.

Does the course come with CIEP membership upgrade points?