Beta Reader Group discussion

I’m writing a ghost novel in 1st person perspective. The protagonist is the adult son of an aging parent. He and his father buy a home and plan to renovate it. The man’s father begins experiencing ghostly phenomena and the protagonist and the reader are left to wonder if the house is really haunted or if the older man is slipping into dementia. The problem I’m facing is that every ghostly occurrence the reader learns of comes from the father talking to his son and I’m concerned it will make it difficult to establish a scary atmosphere. To make matters more complicated, the father knows who the ghost is because although he didn’t kill the ghost, he was involved in the death. I’m considering switching to third person limited but I’m not sure 1) if I should, 2) if I do how to keep the father’s history secret till the end of the novel , thoughts?

Hiii Sean,

I do think you should leave the book in the first person perspective. It will help the reader "feel along" with the protagonist like he's telling the story to us. Keeping the scary essence of the book will mostly depend on how the protagonist tells the story. Does he feel fear, anxiety, panic, even as he recites the story for the reader? Expressing the emotions of the protagonist properly will ensure the reader feels just as much.

I do have an idea for number 2, though. I don't think there's a way to keep the father's secret but I think you can avoid revealing the truth until the very end by enhancing what the father says with strange happenings and occurrences that confuse rather than clarify. Things that could be written off as absolutely possible but then it coincides a little too much with what his father says.

As a developmental editor and beta reader, I hope this helps!!

Thank you for the advice. I really want to keep in first person if at possible. I’ve got to walk a line though. I don’t want the father recounting his ghostly experiences to sound like a novelist - that wouldn’t sound real coming from a person but maybe have more of a campfire teller feel to it. I feel like there’s got to be a distinction. I don’t want the father to sound melodramatic. Thanks for responding!