Narrative DeliveryAdvanced
Narrative Distance
How close the prose stands to a character's immediate experience.
Principle
Distance is not fixed; it modulates within paragraphs.
Takeaways
- Far distance: the narrator reports across time.
- Near distance: the language adopts the character's diction and rhythm.
- Modulating distance is one of the most subtle skills in prose.
Overview
Narrative distance — sometimes called psychic distance — is the apparent gap between the narrator's voice and the character's interiority. Far distance reads like reportage; close distance approaches stream of consciousness. Most strong scenes move along this axis.
Examples
- Far: 'She saw a horse across the field.'
- Medium: 'A horse stood across the field, dark in the long grass.'
- Close: 'Ember. The grass had hidden him. He was here.'