Weird, random observation but it’s always interesting to see what personality slips into the non-personality of the narrator with certain writers. Like, even if the narrator is meant to be neutral and purely observational, a little bit of the author slips in if the POV isn’t rigidly couched in the character, and even then stuff can slip out.
Sort of NSFW example, but sometimes I see the word “filthy”, used in a positive light, as an adjective in smut fics. I’ve never used that word when I write smut. I think in part because I’ve legitimately never seen sex as a transgressive act, or in any way “dirty” or even particularly perverse. The thought is as bizarre to me as seeing the act of dancing with someone as any of those things. So my narrator voice, and my character internal monologues, just never use this particular adjective to describe sex (and by the way, when writing sex, you use every adjective you can, man, because writing sex is hard and there’s only so many words we have without getting repetitive that don’t sound either clinical or silly). The idea of sex as filthy, even in a fun way, is so foreign to me that it doesn’t make up a thought process of my characters either, even when it might be IC for them to think that way.
Every writer has their biases based on their demographics and world view. I’ve seen many writers claim that this particular work or voice has no POV or agenda, that it’s purely neutral, but that’s not the case. Even so simple as what is considered “normal” defines the voice of the narrator and character as separate from what someone very different from you would consider “normal” – i.e even what is considered a “normal” house or a “normal” beverage is unique to the author and character and can be revealing.
No need for writers to get too tied up in this, especially if it slow them down, but it can be interesting to note and of course it’s always good to have self awareness.
Avelera 