You talkin’ to me?
With the myriad of manuscripts on my hard drive, books in my TBR pile and TV shows DVR’ed I’ve noticed a trend. Writers like to talk to viewers and readers. You know the shows where the character turns to the camera and talks to you? Writers do that to. It’s a casual tone, like in a blog…only it’s not a blog, it’s a book. It can make you feel like you’re the only one reading or it can make you think JUST TELL THE STORY ALREADY, PLEASE!
I’m looking for what to call this trend, if it is one. It works for me quite often in TV and books — but more and more it’s not appealing to me. Maybe that’s because of the proliferation of it – maybe because like anything else it has to be done well.
Is there a name for it?
My tweeps (people on twitter) have offered some suggestions but I’m thinking it’s simply “when the author talks to the reader” makes the most sense.
What do you think? 
I recently read a post about this, and I can’t remember where. That writer called it the writer’s ego — that they couldn’t stay in the MC’s head and had to share their wit and cleverness.
It doesn’t bother me unless it’s overdone. The first movie I remember seeing it in is Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, and I LOVED it in that. There’s one scene in Mr. & Mrs. Smith when Brad Pitt raises an eyebrow at the camera and it’s smokin’ hot.
Breaking the fourth wall. That’s what it is in acting–sounds about right for reading too.