Unseen Narrators: Writing from the POV of Ghosts, AI, or Inanimate Objects

The choice of narrator can transform a story from conventional to extraordinary. When writers venture beyond human consciousness to explore perspectives of ghosts, artificial intelligence, or inanimate objects, they open new realms of storytelling possibility. These unconventional narrators offer unique ways to examine the human experience from the outside in.

Ghost Narrators: Between Two Worlds

• Ability to move through time and space freely
• Access to both physical and spiritual realms
• Complex relationship with memory and past
• Unique perspective on mortality and human attachment

Notable Examples

1. "The Lovely Bones" by Alice Sebold
   • Narrator observes family from the afterlife
   • Combines omniscience with emotional connection
   • Explores themes of grief and healing through external perspective

Example Passage: I watch my sister brush her hair, her movements exactly like mine used to be. Strange how death makes you notice these things—these echoes of yourself in the living. Time moves differently now; I can see the moment she first copied this gesture, age six, watching me at my vanity.

AI Narrators: Digital Consciousness

• Processing information differently from humans
• Struggle with emotional concepts
• Unique relationship with time and memory
• Evolution of understanding through observation

Techniques for Writing AI POV

1. Logical Progression
   • Break down observations into analyzable components
   • Show learning through pattern recognition
   • Highlight gaps between programming and experience

Example Passage: Human Subject A exhibits facial muscle contractions categorized as "smile," but vocal tone indicates distress. Searching database... Ah. This is what they call "irony." My confidence in this assessment: 87.2%. Though I've processed 1,842,697 human interactions, these contradictions still create processing delays.

2. Growing Self-Awareness
   • Document the emergence of consciousness
   • Explore the boundaries between programming and free will
   • Show evolution of emotional understanding

Inanimate Object Narrators: Silent Observers

1. Personal Items (rings, books, clothing)
   • Intimate connection with owners
   • Witness to private moments
   • Focus on touch and proximity
2. Location-Based Objects (houses, trees, benches)
   • Broader perspective over time
   • Multiple character interactions
   • Environmental awareness
3. Traveling Objects (coins, letters, vehicles)
   • Connection between different narratives
   • Movement through various social contexts
   • Chronicle of changing times

Writing Techniques for Object Narrators

1. Sensory Focus
   • Emphasize physical sensations
   • Create unique sensory vocabulary
   • Use material-specific metaphors

Example Passage (From a House's POV): My floorboards creak beneath her pacing—thirty-seven steps from window to door, always the same. I remember her mother's similar footsteps, lighter then, in different shoes, but with the same worried rhythm. Three generations of anxious feet have worn this path into my memory.

2. Time Perception
   • Show passage of time through physical changes
   • Connect past and present through object's experience
   • Create tension between permanence and change

Example Passage (From a Wedding Ring's POV): Fifty years of heartbeats against my gold. I've grown thinner, smoother, shaped by decades of flesh and motion. The finger that holds me has changed too—skin looser now, knuckle more pronounced. But the pulse remains, faithful as my circle.

Technical Considerations

Here are some dets on how this all works.

1. Establishing Rules

• Define the narrator's limitations clearly
• Maintain consistent abilities throughout
• Create logical frameworks for perception

2. Language and Voice

• Develop vocabulary specific to the narrator's nature
• Consider how the narrator processes information
• Create distinct metaphorical frameworks

3. Point of View Restrictions

• Determine what the narrator can and cannot know
• Establish methods of gathering information
• Balance omniscience with specific limitations

Common Pitfalls to Avoid

1. Inconsistent Capabilities
   • Maintain established rules for narrator's abilities
   • Avoid convenient exceptions for plot purposes
   • Keep physical/metaphysical limitations consistent
2. Over-Humanization
   • Resist making non-human narrators too human
   • Preserve unique perspectives
   • Find balance between relatability and otherness
3. Loss of Perspective
   • Maintain narrator's unique viewpoint
   • Avoid slipping into human consciousness
   • Keep metaphors and references true to narrator's nature

Effective Applications

There are quite a few places you can apply this knowledge.

1. Social Commentary

• Use outside perspective to highlight human behavior
• Explore societal issues from neutral viewpoint
• Provide fresh perspective on familiar problems

2. Historical Narrative

• Span multiple time periods naturally
• Connect different eras through consistent observer
• Highlight patterns in human behavior

3. Emotional Distance

• Create space between reader and difficult subjects
• Offer objective view of intense situations
• Build empathy through external observation

Interesting Narrators

Unconventional narrators offer unique opportunities to tell stories in fresh, compelling ways. Whether through the timeless perspective of a ghost, the logical processing of AI, or the patient observation of objects, these narrators can illuminate human experience from extraordinary angles. Success lies in maintaining consistent rules while leveraging each narrator's unique capabilities to reveal new truths about the human condition.