Author Intrusion

by Adam Huddleston

This was a blog submission from 9-22-16.  I hope it helps you in your writing in some small way.

This week’s literary term is: author intrusion.  Another similar phrase you may have heard is: breaking the fourth wall.  It is a device where the author/narrator speaks directly to the reader/audience.  This can be used to give the reader extra information that might be difficult or time-consuming to acquire.  For example, in a stage-play, a character may step aside and speak to the viewers about what other characters in the story are thinking or doing.  Famous films that have used author intrusion are: Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Fight Club, and Blazing Saddles.