Post History
When writing in the first person, what is a good way to convey that the viewpoint character is lying, without saying so explicitly? My idea is this: "I am writing this as a record of what's be...
Question
first-person
#3: Attribution notice added
by
System
·
2019-12-08T02:21:47Z (over 4 years ago)
Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/q/5613 License name: CC BY-SA 3.0 License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
#2: Initial revision
by
Nathan C. Tresch
·
2019-12-08T02:21:47Z (over 4 years ago)
When writing in the first person, what is a good way to convey that the viewpoint character is lying, without saying so explicitly? My idea is this: > "I am writing this as a record of what's been done in this age. I'm told it's very important, however I do not need this text as I am cursed with an eidetic memory, and I never forget anything." Then, a few paragraphs later: > "The memory of that woman is dim, and I cannot for the life of me recall her name, or her face." Clearly he's lying, and a liar, so now the reader should be tipped off that they can't trust him for the rest of the story. (In this case he doesn't want to admit who the woman really is to the reader, for his own personal reasons, he's not lying about having an eidetic memory)
#1: Imported from external source
by
System
·
2012-05-05T08:47:44Z (almost 12 years ago)
Original score: 9