Creativity Muscle Workouts: Power of Perspective
PERSPECTIVE.... this is one of my FAVORITE things.
Have you heard that quote, "Walk a day in her shoes..." well, this is all about perspective. It's easy to judge, misinterpret, marginalize, criticize and condescend when we don't understand. And most of what we don't understand is attributed to being shackled to a single perspective.
Taking the time to intentionally walk in another's perspective is powerful and absolutely necessary if you want to be a good writer.
WHY? you might ask....
2 Reasons...
1. Every character has his/her own motives, which you must understand AND
2. Every character is NOT YOU. Meaning they respond to even the same motive differently depending on their own experiences.
Thus you have to be willing and capable of walking in another's perspective to write characters and stories that impact.
If you like movies, check out VANTAGE POINT. It tells a full story by showing the same 60 minutes from 8-9 different perspectives, or vantage points... hence the name. You don't have to tell a story this way... but it shows you the unique perspective different characters can have and how seeing a situation through their eyes can give an audience different information.
Here's an example...
A) A truck speeds through a red light and crashes into a sedan creeping slowly into the intersection. Both spin and the car flips.
Onlookers rush to check those inside.
B) James and his pregnant wife Sophia hold hands and grin as he pulls into the intersection. With almost slow motion reflexes they see the truck, just as it hits them.
Neither remember anything till James wakes up in the hospital.
C) Not another text about money. Rodney can't stomach one more complaint from his ex-wife about child support. He's doing the best he can. He tosses the phone to the passenger seat and looks up to see the light turn red. When was it yellow? He can't stop now.
He plunges into the intersection and smacks a car coming out of nowhere.
See how each story carries a different tone and feel. All because of different perspectives.
Now you try it.
Creative Muscle Exercise #9
- I want you to write out the simple children's story 3 Little Pigs. This doesn't have to be elaborate... but more than 4 bullet points.
- NOW... rewrite the story from the perspective of the WOLF and let him be a papa wolf with a mama wolf back home with 10 wolfpups that are starving.
- How is it different? What insights do we get by hearing the Wolf's thoughts? By knowing the Wolf's needs? By seeing his actions through his own eyes?
- NOW... rewrite the story from the 3rd pig's perspective and let it be a her... with her two other pig siblings being male...
- How is it different? What insights do we get by hearing piggy 3's thoughts? Needs? Concerns? Breakthroughs?
DEBRIEF:
1. How did the fairy tale change when you told the story from a different set of shoes?
2. Did including the motives, heart, and situation of the different perspective affect HOW you told the story? Did you choose different words, different tone, different description, of different storytelling strategies?
3. Which of the 3 did you enjoy writing the most? Why do you think that is?
4. Which of the 3 was the hardest to write? Why do you think that is?