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Greetings fellow scriveners!

Excuse me for the “Mysterious Benedict Society”-esque title, it was the most fitting. XD

As some of you know, and the rest are to find out, I’ve been planning a new project. It’s a fantasy set in an alternate Edwardian/Rococo timeline, and it involves pirates, spies, and seamstresses. (And several other interesting things that aren’t of general interest.)

My usual POV is either first or third-person past tense, and I haven’t tried much else, but I’ve been considering writing that book in a first-person retrospective, as though the character themselves are writing the book years after the event.

I recently read a book in a similar genre (Victorian fantasy) that was in this POV and it feels somehow more Victorian to me, and it gives the opportunity for some interesting narrative devices. (more on that later)

The only other book with a vaguely similar POV I could think of was “The Book Thief” (though that has an outside narrator). Though, Railway Children has something similar, where the author addresses the audience and acknowledges that she’s writing on behalf of the characters.

One disadvantage I could think of was that it has a far greater narrative distance, and I found it may slightly pull you out of the story if done poorly. Besides that, it also has a tendency to fall into telling. (Though most of these aren’t necessarily obstacles, they’re just things to take into account.)

But there are quite a few advantages. Such as the opportunity for a strong narrative voice, and the character looking back on themselves with a more mature perspective. Besides that, it gives you a blurry view of the character’s life after the events of the book. (Or not, depending on how you do it)

And you can address your audience directly and shatter the fourth wall. (which is always brilliant) I’ve always especially enjoyed books that address the audience. I don’t know why, it gives a certain feeling of trust between the reader and the character.

So, has anyone tried this? Are there any more advantages or challenges I missed? Does anyone have tips?

On that note, what’s a POV you don’t see often that you enjoy? What’s the oddest you’ve ever read?

Tagging some people:

@anyone and everyone!

@noah-cochran

@this-is-not-an-alien

@r-m-archer

@wingiby-iggiby

@joelle-stone