In this video, I discuss how describing places through the eyes of your characters adds depth and nuance to your writing, helping you create more engaging and immersive stories.
By using a character’s perspective, we not only learn about the setting, but also gain insights into the character’s emotions, experiences, and personality. I provide two contrasting examples to illustrate how different characters perceive the same place in unique ways. I know you can do it!
Hello, Jane Cleland here.
‘Should I describe a place objectively, or should I describe it through the eyes of a character?’ Great question. And the answer is through the eyes of a character. It’s one of the ways we get to know people.
Consider this example:
‘Rollercoaster!’ I screamed even though I was alone in the old Chevy. Hollering ‘rollercoaster’ as soon as you saw the old wooden monstrosity was a longstanding tradition. When I was a girl, the first person who spotted it on the drive from Boston to Nantasket won. Later, I realized there was no prize—just Mama’s way of keeping us busy during the drive.
Nantasket Beach came into view, the sand more beige than white. Ribbons of slimy bottle-green seaweed tangled with driftwood and rocks. The ocean was near black, white caps bobbing along the surface. Pewter clouds blew in from the north. I loved a good storm.
I rolled to a stop in front of my old house, the rickety shack where I’d been born. The house where Grandma had baked bread every afternoon. The house that Mama had somehow made into a home. I pushed open the screen door. Mama never locked the door.
‘Mama!’ I called, ‘I’m home!’
Now compare it to this one. Different character, different view, different perspective, different perception:
Alice wheeled her shopping cart up F Street through the driving rain. The shack, her home, her house, came into view. Damn place was still standing. Maybe this storm would finally do the dump in.
Different, right? Nostalgia is powerful. Perception is powerful. Share that with your reader by letting us see what the character sees. I know you can do it!
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