Writing From a Different Perspective Using the Opinions of Others



Posted: Monday, July 13, 2009

by Marjorie J McDonald
Creative Writing Strategies

Listening or reading about the opinions of others is sometimes a valuable tool to use when writing a story. They can often be overlooked if you do not agree with their opinion. Put your opinions aside for a moment and try to hear information from their point of view. Make some notes and set them aside for possible use in your writing if you think it might be a topic you could include.

You can use the opinion when you need their perspective for a character you are developing for a story you are writing. Be sure to conversationally interview them for additional information about how they formed their opinion, what influenced them to decide the way they did and what would change their mind. All of these are valuable when doing research for your plot, events and storyline.

Those opinions can add to the richness of your characters and give you a place to start a good story line when the opinions are in agreement or conflict with each other. It adds to the believability of your character and makes them more real to your reader.

Listening to others can be an important research tool for you to consider and one that is easy to find as people are in conversations all around you every day. All you need to do is listen and make mental notes of what you are hearing. If appropriate and the conversation you heard would allow you to get additional information, most people would gladly give you what you would like to know about what they are saying.

The ease of developing your characters significantly increases when you can then build your story around what you heard. Adding to the plot can also be easier. You have a head start on your next story and that adds to the joy of writing.
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