Jane Austen #1: Free Indirect Speech + “The Spot”

One thing Jane Austen did so well in her novels is how she wrote with free indirect speech. That might sound a little confusing, but it’s a fairly basic concept. Put simply, free indirect speech is a writing method where the author uses a third person perspective to add in the thoughts and speech of a character. “The Fiction Writer’s Notebook” uses a passage from “Pride and Prejudice” to illustrate:

“every body had been most kind and attentive to him, there had been no formality, no stiffness, he had soon felt acquainted with all the room; and as to Miss Bennet, he could not conceive an angel more beautiful.”

This way of writing offers a unique perspective into a story and can help readers connect to characters. It allows the author to give readers detail, while also using that detail to push the narrative forward.

The Spot (My Attempt):

Mr. Willow sat alone in his cozy apartment, his body melting into his favorite over-plush green chair. He stroked his beard with one hand as he stared up at a strange spot on the ceiling. Without moving, his eyes squinted. How had he not noticed it before? The dim black color stood out starkly from the surrounding white. It had been over twenty years since he started sitting in this chair, and he’d hardly missed a day to relax in it since.

The spot had to be new, yet it showed signs of age. He decided he must have been too preoccupied to notice. It had been a busy few months at the office. With a deep sigh, he rolled himself out of the chair and walked over to his utility closet. Opening the door, he found a long extendable ladder hanging from the wall and removed it. The cool metal felt strange in his hands as he stepped back. He couldn’t explain why, but something felt off.

Then he saw it again, the same spot he’d seen on the ceiling had somehow made its way to the ladder. Mr. Willow cocked his head as he tried to make sense of the thing. Surely this couldn’t be the exact same spot, it just had a similar shape is all. He shook his head and took the ladder back to his lounging room. Mind set to the task, he set up the ladder and began to climb it. When he reached the top, he looked up and squinted.

The spot remained where it had previously been, but it got smaller somehow. Swaying side to side, Mr. Willow reached up clumsily to feel the spot with his hand. Without warning, the spot appeared to jump from the ceiling onto his hand. He had only moments to process what happened as he fell head first toward the ground. The spot didn’t exist, he realized, something must be wrong with his vision!

With a loud smack, Mr. Willow felt a sharp pain in his head. He stared forward with a blank expression as he watched the dark spot grow until it consumed his vision.

How is my Example Considered Free Indirect Speech?

One of the main aspects of free indirect speech is that it blurs the lines between the narrator’s voice and the character’s. For example, instead of Mr. Willow says “surely this couldn’t be the exact same spot, it just had a similar shape is all,” the narrator says it for him.

Another good way to put it is that free indirect speech is what happens when the narrator gets ‘infected’ with the character’s perspective.

What did I learn from this exercise?

Free indirect speech is an interesting way to write. Like most techniques, it certainly has its place in writing. Personally, I found it interesting how using it differs from using dialog. I could rewrite this same story, but separate the narrator and character’s voices, and the overall effect would be drastically different.

I also noticed how using this technique for a prolonged period might get a little exhausting to read. In the future, I think I’ll try to implement free indirect speech by weaving it into my stories, instead of making it the main point.

A Challenge for Writers:

Now that you’ve seen my take on this technique, I challenge you to give it a try yourself. It doesn’t need to be long, you could even keep it at a sentence or two. In any case, type your version in the comments!