Advice - In The Form Of Rants

Smashing the Fourth Wall

After 'cruising' through older chapters, I came across a few older comments which were reccomending rants... which happened to bring up the dreaded fourth wall.

Where do I even start?

The fourth wall is no joke. Trust me mate, you'll need to be absolutely brilliant (like me) to be able to even consider it in your writing or character- nevermind execute it! So don't half ass it and act like a conceited doughnut!

It only takes Charisma, Uniqueness, Nerve and Talent to do it. I mean, what I'm doing right now isn't breaking the fourth wall, because this is second person: not first or third. To break the fourth wall, there has to be one.

I mean, the story shouldn't really be overly reactive when it comes to the fourth wall breaking, since it should come across as natural. For example, Deadpool is amoung one of the best fourth wall smashing series out there; it thrives of it! It gas a brilliant main character who, while being snarky and badass at the same time, is great fun and is written in a way that makes us like him, as well as his 'interruptions'/narration into our immersion. Rather than break the immersion, it makes it better because the character is made to do that.

Another rule (or rather caution) when it comes to fourth wall breaking: it can break the immersion, as well as come off as conceited if used incorrectly. This is, for the most part, the reason I choose never to break the fourth wall. It makes more sense for me to make references than fourth wall breaks, because I can relate it to my audience without breaking the immersion.

Even if you were to break the fourth wall, you have to keep in mind that a thought track is not a fourth wall break. So never use them as such; it just doesn't read well, unless you're using rhetorical questions to the audience.

And my last rule: never, ever use the fourth wall break to explain as the narrator. Let me expand on that.

So, when it comes to explanations, I mean of actions more than words, because of Wattpad's lack of a footnote. But, if you were to have a small scene:

The noble bowed before the peasant. "Oh my goodness," she shouted. (She was shocked because it's a huge sign of respect and that. You know, becausd they're in the middle ages.) "You have to raise your head sir!"

I'm sure you understand my point. The reason you don't is because there are many alternatives to this... and it looks sloppy as well as half-assed.

To use the fourth wall really does require a talent for comedy and comedic timing. Once you get a hang of it, it can be the most invaluable character feature, plot device and element of your story.