Happy writing

[Rhaps]

For years now, I noticed that my 3rd pov narroration sounds somber, or have a somber undertone. Very great for writing horror, but not great for everything else.

Is there any tips to make my writing sound happy or at least removing the somber tone?

 

[Kalliel]

Turn your narrator into a cheerful, mischievous guy.
Make it like a 1st PoV of a guy telling a bedtime story.

*Advice coming from an author who has never write 3rd PoV, proceed with caution.

 

[Rhaps]

Turn your narrator into a cheerful, mischievous guy.
Make it like a 1st PoV of a guy telling a bedtime story.

*Advice coming from an author who has never write 3rd PoV, proceed with caution.

Kinda hard for me, I tried making the narroration "cheerful" some times before, but somehow it sounded like I'm delivering an ultimatum.

Yeeaaah I'm doing something wrong here

 

[Sweetmeat]

You might be using language that's too formal. Try to make your narration sound more conversational as if you were speaking out loud. In regular life when people talk, they don't worry about using 'correct' grammar much. Slang, contractions, swearing, sentence fragments. All that shit works just fine.

 

[Kalliel]

Kinda hard for me, I tried making the narroration "cheerful" some times before, but somehow it sounded like I'm delivering an ultimatum.

Yeeaaah I'm doing something wrong here

Maybe you should read some Chinese novels.
They somehow always manage to deliver into their stories the most extrovert and bubbly narrators ever.

 

[Allemite]

I don't know about making a narrative sound happy, but you could try writing as if you're explaining to a friend about how your day went. I think it would sound either relaxed or eager, depending on your style. I also write in 3rd person, so I can at least say that this has worked out for me.

 

[Rhaps]

You might be using language that's too formal. Try to make your narration sound more conversational as if you were speaking out loud. In regular life when people talk, they don't worry about using 'correct' grammar much. Slang, contractions, swearing, sentence fragments. All that shit works just fine.

This is it! My 3rd pov sounds way too formal!

Maybe you should read some Chinese novels.
They somehow always manage to deliver into their stories the most extrovert and bubbly narrators ever.

Sorry, but the only novel I read are korean drama and romance. I have a hatred of everything Chinese on a genetic level.

 

[Kalliel]

Sorry, but the only novel I read are korean drama and romance. I have a hatred of everything Chinese on a genetic level.

I used to be like that, and even now, I still hate the majority of Chinese novels to the bones, but there are good ones among the trash.
All the Chinese novels that I've read are yuri, which were surprisingly entertaining to read. I despise the normal male harem BS though.
But if you're not into yuri, then... I don't know what else to say.

 

[Syringe]

Maybe try avoid making it 3rd person omniscient (assuming that's the issue). You can make 3rd person feel like it's surrounding a single character's perspective, and you can stylise how you write depending on their personality (i.e, proper 3rd person omniscient can sound analytical, but having it focused on a cheerful character can make it overall appear bubbly).

 

[Rhaps]

Maybe try avoid making it 3rd person omniscient (assuming that's the issue). You can make 3rd person feel like it's surrounding a single character's perspective, and you can stylise how you write depending on their personality (i.e, proper 3rd person omniscient can sound analytical, but having it focused on a cheerful character can make it overall appear bubbly).

Maybe the problem is that I don't have any bubbly character? Even my only happy bubbly character is going through their depression arc.

I am confident in my ability to single in one character and transitioning to another.

This is beginning to sound like character arc problem...

 

[KuruKinaar]

Someone who edited my book told me that the narrator is/can also be a character in your book, even if it's third person narrative. They said something about not trusting the narrator for some reason and it threw me off, but it made me realize it's a character too whether it's obvious or not. Not sure if that will help or not, but view that as a character and how they see/describe what's happening in the story, what words they use, etc.

 

[TsumiHokiro]

For years now, I noticed that my 3rd pov narroration sounds somber, or have a somber undertone. Very great for writing horror, but not great for everything else.

Is there any tips to make my writing sound happy or at least removing the somber tone?

As @KuruKinaar has said, there are several types of narrators that can be used. There is a problem I would like you to consider, however: to change narration style mid-story is jarring. Changing narrator style is also not so simple as it might appear. It involves changing the perspective the story is told by.

A first-person narrator is someone who is inside the story. They do not know what is happening everywhere, for if they know, they are some sort of god. Also, they are subjective to their own opinions of matters, and therefore, they cannot tell impartial facts.

As for third-person narrators, there are different types as well. You have the omniscient narrator, who is actually the God-Writer. You have the objective, impersonal one, who might sound like an omniscient, but does not actually know it all. You also can be a subjective narrator, and be a third-person telling a story.

You can also have a narrator who talks in second person, as if placing the readers inside the story, but this is probably one that writers do not use often, and for a reason. It requires much consideration on how to use it right.

But do understand that changing narrator types is not something you should do without careful planning. Just imagine you are watching a match of football from the standings, and then suddenly you are placed inside the field. Or instead, you are now placed in the M.C.s seat and you have to narrate the match itself.

A much softer approach would be for you just modulating the kind of words you use as a narrator instead, try to bring your reader to be more emotionally involved with the story. This way, you would not disrupt the flow of an ongoing narrative. However, if you are going to start a new story, it is always interesting to experiment with new ways of portraying the story.