Prepared by: Florence Cardinal
Posted on: August 4, 2002
THE OTHER SIDE OF THE STORY
This is a characterization exercise. Take
a story with a strong lead
character - something other people are going to know - it can even be a
fairy tale. Now tell that story from the viewpoint of some other
character
in the story.
The goal of this exercise is to help you
with character development.
Remember, all the people in your story should have a reason for the
things
they do, not just the main character or characters. Seeing the way all
these people view things can help create a richer, more realistic,
story.
The best stories have the characters, good and bad, acting for clear
reasons of their own, based on their own views of what should happen -
and
the interaction and conflicts between these provides narrative tension.
SOME EXAMPLES OF WHAT WE HAVE IN MIND:
How would Rhett Butler or Melanie Wilkes
see Scarlet O'Hara in Gone
with
the Wind? How about Mammy? What did she really think? Want to really
stretch your imagination? Get into the mind of an animal. Maybe tell
the
story of "The Old Man and the Sea" from the viewpoint of the fish.
Some writers have already rewritten a
known work from another point
of
view. Tom Stoppard, in "Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead" showed
us
Hamlet through the eyes of two minor characters. Recently Alice
Randall, in
"The Wind Done Gone" retold Gone With The Wind from a black
perspective.
If you're really stuck for a story idea,
how about a fairy tale? How
did
the queen see Sleeping Beauty? In the original, we are shown this
perfect
girl, beautiful, sweet, kind. But was that the way the queen saw her?
Maybe
Sleeping Beauty was really mean and spiteful, a spoiled girl who always
demanded her own way. Perhaps, then, the queen had a reason for her
cruel
actions.
This week, tell us the name of the story
you have chosen and who
your
viewpoint character is. Then, in 500 words or less, let us hear the
other
side of the story
Florence Cardinal's wrap-up
Posted on: August 12, 2002
An interesting week, with stories from the
classics, from
Shakespeare and even
a few fairy tales. All in all, a good week. I found most of the subs
were
interesting to read, but, beyond that, they gave you something to
ponder on.
How would the book have been written had the entire novel or play been
written
using a different point of view.
I'm hoping that it gave all of us a chance
to see how necessary to
our plot it
is to know just where the other people in the story are coming from.
What
causes the villain to behave as he does. Everyone, even the most
sadistic
killer, has a reason for behaving the way he/she does. We have to think
about
it - what's the motivation - before we can know - the other side of the
story,
and all stories have one.
Florence
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