P is for Perspective

Paula looks at how we ‘see’ our stories.

Does a scene play out in front of you, as if you are watching it on a stage?

Or are you performing a role in that play?

The perspective from which we write our stories can be crucial to how our readers relate to the characters and scenes we create.

If we write what we see and hear on that stage e.g. who walks where and who says what etc, our readers may be able to relate to those actions and words, and even to the emotions of the characters. However, we (and they) are one step removed. We’re in the audience, watching from a distance.

Instead of sitting in a comfortable seat in the auditorium, I think we need to get up on that stage ourselves and – yes, get into character, just as an actor does.

If, for example, we’re in the heroine’s POV, we need her perspective on everything that is happening. We’re not listening to her words, we’re saying those words ourselves. We’re looking at everything through her eyes, and, perhaps even more important, we’re feeling everything she feels. This, to me, is going much deeper than simply writing from a character’s POV about what she does, says, thinks, and feels.

Once we adopt this perspective, the reader’s perspective will also change. He/she will no longer be watching from a distance, but will become a part of the scene, and will feel involved in the actions, thoughts, and feelings of our characters. So get up on that stage, and ‘become’ your hero or heroine.