Plotting with an Unreliable Narrator with Jane Cleland - #166

Matty Dalrymple talks with Jane Cleland about PLOTTING WITH AN UNRELIABLE NARRATOR, including examples of successfully drawn unreliable narrators and how they impact story structure; the importance of not relying on coincidence; the role of intentionality; the importance of enabling your reader to be empathetic toward the  narrator; the value of reading for what Jane calls TRDs: plot twists, plot reversals, and moments of heightened danger; and getting the reader to ask, “I should have seen that coming—but how could I?”

Do any of those topics pique your interest? Check out 2 MINUTES OF INDY https://bit.ly/2MinutesOfIndy, where over the week following the airing of the episode, you'll find brief video clips from the interview on each of those topics. You can also catch up on some highlights of previous episodes there.

Show notes at https://bit.ly/TIAP166

Did you find the information in this video useful? Please consider supporting The Indy Author!

https://www.patreon.com/theindyauthor

https://www.buymeacoffee.com/mattydalrymple

Jane K. Cleland writes the multiple award-winning and bestselling Josie Prescott Antiques Mysteries published by St. Martin’s Minotaur. Her short stories and novella are published by Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine. She’s also written the bestselling and Agatha Award-winning how-to books, Mastering Plot Twists and Mastering Suspense, Structure & Plot. She is a Contributing Editor for Writer’s Digest Magazine and chairs the Wolfe Pack’s Black Orchid Novella Award. Jane has an MFA in professional and creative writing and an MBA in marketing and management. She is a lecturer at Lehman College and a frequent workshop facilitator and guest author at writing conferences and university programs.