We all see things that others don’t necessarily see. For example, my husband has hawk eyes; he can spot a raccoon in a field a mile away, or a deer three miles away. It’s crazy. Maybe it’s my vision, or maybe it’s just that I tend to pay more attention to the things closest to me.
Last night I climbed the staircase to find my daughter’s toy cow (featured left) simply standing there on the kitchen floor, hidden in the shadows, but with a faint glow touching its plastic body. I thought “Isn’t that a little eerie?” It reminded me a bit of something you might find in Stephen King’s The Shining. Maybe I’m a little strange, but I got down to this toy’s level and it suddenly seemed less insignificant to me. Regardless of my sanity, it got me thinking. Perspective. We all see things differently in the world, and perhaps that’s why I love writing so much. I can take any character I want, any one that I create in my mind, and make them see the world in a completely different manner than what I may see it in. Or, maybe I’ll have them see things the way I would see them.
I don’t like when someone says “Well, I wouldn’t do that, that’s just dumb” because everyone is different. Even a character in a book has a perspective of their world that determines how they interpret what they must say or do next. And what they perceive is not necessarily right or wrong.
I find the MOST fun is in writing in the perspective of my antagonists. Because I don’t believe I am sick minded or have a massive grudge to bear, that makes it such a departure from myself and I feel like I can write whatever the heck I want. No inhibitions, because I’m not me.
In The Lothgoliar, I found it so much fun to write in the perspective of the antagonist because though in his position he is causing much of the conflict in the story, he has a perfectly valid reason for why he does what he does. And don’t we all? This book is a good example of how evil is only a matter of perspective.
Back to the characters. One reader’s opinion may be totally different from another’s in regards to how a character reacts or behaves, so where is the happy medium? Is that for the author to decide? Or the reader with the most clout? What are your thoughts?
Excellent post!
It's amazing that your husband can spot a racoon miles away. I'd be lucky if I could spot one metre from me. š
That's interesting about the toy cow. Whenever I see stuff like that, the first thing I think of is Stephen King.
Yes, I am the one that hits the deer due to my poor vision and bad reflexes. He manages to see little kittens on the road with their head in a cheesy bag all the way down the road and pulls over in ample time to help it. But that's a story for a different day, haha. Thanks for commenting!