Perspectives: how to look at things differently

Who was the protagonist of the last book you read? Think back to it. Did you like them? Were they fundamentally good, despite their flaws? Could you picture yourself in their shoes? Could you relate to them?

I've always been fascinated with writers who give voices to perspectives that are not commonly explored. Some protagonists can be far from relatable to many of us and yet the details of their lives are fascinating, insightful and can lead us to opening our minds.

One of my favourite characters recently was Ursula le Guin's protagonist in The Direction of the Road, which you can read here.

The protagonist watches people pass them. The people walk or ride horses, at first, until the advent of motorcars when the world speeds up in every direction. The protagonist speaks of the ability they have to grow larger as the people come closer, and smaller as they get further away. They offer shade and a backrest to weary travellers.

You've probably guessed by now that this character is not human - instead they are a large and old (by human standard) tree. And don't worry, this is revealed quickly so I wouldn't class it as a spoiler! Le Guin is one of my favourite writers and, as in most of her work, she brings a unique view of any of the worlds she imagines. The idea that the tree believes it is physically growing, rather than the perspective changing (as we understand the world) is a brilliant feat of imagination.

Reading from different perspectives, whether animal, vegetable or mineral is inspiring - but how can you begin to write from such different perspectives?

How to get into a character's mind

When trying to track an animal you must first find its paths in the forest. If you are looking for small animals - rabbits or woodgrouse - you will have to get right down to their head height in order to see the paths they make through the undergrowth. You must physically make an effort to see what is invisible from your perspective. You must physically change your point of view.

I can assure you that as a vegetarian I'm only interested in tracking animals to befriend them, but this is a good way of thinking about attempting to get into someone else's shoes (or paw prints). In this scenario you're getting physically close to another perspective, but when writing, sometimes we can't always physically explore what the world, or universe, or soil, or 1820's is like, before we start writing.

In this scenario we must use our imaginations - and begin by doing some research! If you are writing about an 19th century heiress, read about some! Find out what you can about their daily routines, difficulties and what their dreams could be. Watch nature documentaries, if you're writing from an animal's perspective, or just watch your cat.

Research is the starting point to kick your imagination into gear and to begin seeing your character as more than just words on a page - as a living, complex being.

How to begin to write from a perspective different to your own

I would begin by saying 'once you've done your research', but the truth is research is never finished as a writer! Every podcast you listen to or conversation you overhear can be research so, just keep enjoying that. But, once you feel like you have a good grasp on the idea of a character, you can begin to write your character fully. For this, I recommend writing a 'character profile'. If you're familiar with role-playing games like DnD this is very similar to character creation.

You want to know exactly what your character looks like and when they were born, to begin with, then you can move onto the harder questions. You can find a goldmine of character questions online, just with a quick google. Don't dismiss any question as too 'mundane'. Things like 'what was your character's first memory' is integral to who they are so try and answer in as much depth as possible.

Once you have your character profile (these can end up being pages and pages long!) you can then move onto writing the background for the world your character is moving through. This will help you understand how your character interacts with the world!

Research is never finished as a writer! Every podcast you listen to or conversation you overhear can be research so, just keep enjoying it.

Keep asking questions

Discussing your characters with other people can also be a massive help in developing a convincing character. You may find that people have even more questions for your character and this will help you really write well from a different perspective.

Thank you for reading our blog today! If you want to delve deeper into planning your character and world you can book a session with me, Sarah, by emailing sbewilliams95@gmail.com and booking a 'beginners session'. We'll go through my tailor-made character and world-building sheets and discuss your characters in detail.

Please comment below if you enjoyed reading and let us know if you have any questions or suggestions for our next post.

Hope you have a lovely week and see you next Wednesday.

Sarah x