Change YOUR Perspective
I recently rewatched the 1989 movie Dead Poets Society starring Robin Williams as a progressive English teacher in a 1950s boarding school who encourages his students to seize the day. In one scene, he has the students stand on top of their desks so they can get a new perspective on their world.
We may not all be wanting to climb up onto our desks, but I came across another method, one that was much more subtle, yet still as powerful—and one that may help you as a writer even more.
I had just put on a pair of boots with a two-inch heel, then realized I’d forgotten my phone in the kitchen. I don’t usually wear heels when I cook, so I’m used to the counters being at a certain height for me. Yet, suddenly, I was now two inches taller, and the counters felt like they were in the wrong place! An illusion, of course, but one that had me mildly disoriented.
That’s what you want to do to your characters. Whether the discomfort is mild or extreme, we want them to start to see the world in a new way. It’s how we track their character growth and evolution. So, the next time you’re looking at your character, look for a way to make them “taller”. Or shorter. Or whatever. Just make them change.
Then you’re well on your way to your own writing Carpe Diem.