Narrative Distance in Barthelme's "Concerning the Bodyguard"

I haven’t blogged about anything for a bit, mostly because work has been very busy lately. That, and I have been mentally preparing myself to begin revisions full-tilt on COMPENDIUM. In preparation for picking up my red pen, I just finished Self-Editing for Fiction Writers, by Renni Brown and Dave King, which is an excellent resource for those of us who have our first draft under our belts and are trying to make our manuscripts stronger. It is also a good read for those writers just getting going on their first draft, because it will give you some techniques to think about as you begin. I found the chapters on point of view, narrative distance, and dialogue particularly helpful. I also know that writing instructors have accused me of not trusting my reader enough, and there is much advice in Self-Editing for Fiction Writers regarding showing versus telling. Although in my case, I think that perhaps in the first draft, it is not so much that I don’t trust my reader as that I don’t trus…