Open vs Closed Narratives

In literature an open narrative is one that often doesn’t have much of a plot.

A plot is different from a narrative. A plot is a structure – a beginning, a middle and an end, or a cause and effect scenario with stages and resultant scenes or events. By removing a forceful plot structure, an open text can allow the
narrative to loosely meander through ideas and invite the reader to partake in this.

A closed narrative is one that doesn’t leave much work for the reader. The author tells the story and the reader consumes it. However, this denies the viewer the opportunity to bring something of their own interpretation to the work. Using image and text in a way that keeps the work open allows the viewer to bring some of their experience, knowledge and personal history to the unfolding narrative, potentially creating a much richer artwork. This doesn’t mean the story can’t offer a conclusion or provide ‘closure’. It simply means not being too prescriptive or heavy-handed in the use of image and text and allowing for the viewer’s interpretation of the story to be valid. Working in this way means that you’re performing less of an informing role and more of an invitational one.

Some things to look out for if you choose to work in this way:

  • Illustrating your story with pictures or becoming too literal is a common pitfall with this kind of work. The words don’t need to be said again in a picture.
  • Remember that good writing is often very visual, so you don’t need to repeat it in a picture. Try to make images and text complement one another whilst adding more to the overall outcome.
  • Show how they need each other to complete the narrative.
  • Ensure your writing is up to the task – not everyone is able to write a convincing narrative. You may wish to do some research or take a short creative writing course if this is something you would like to develop.
  • Keep your narratives open, not closed.
  • Don’t be afraid to provide closure – different from ‘closed’.

This copied pretty much as is from the course material, because I didn’t think I could add to it, but wanted make sure it was learning point for future work.