A post on Industrial Scripts offers advice on mastering your character’s perspective to create a deep, compelling story. “Character perspective refers to the unique viewpoint or lens through which a character experiences and interprets the world around them,” the article says. “These perspectives shape the character’s behavior and responses within the whole story, providing depth and authenticity to their personality.” The trick is focusing on accuracy, creativity, and careful attention to detail.
- Define Core Beliefs for Character’s Perspective. Characters are driven by core beliefs and desires, so you should start by defining what your character believes and what she wants. These beliefs and desires will color every decision they make.
- Dive into the Backstory. A character’s experiences, traumas, and key life events are pivotal to shaping their perspective.
- Use Consistent Language and Tone. Your character’s perspective and personality will be reflected in their tone, vocabulary, and sentence structure. Your character’s inner monologue may even differ from their spoken language, further revealing their personality.
- Craft Situations That Challenge Character’s Perspective. Placing your character into challenging situations forces you to examine and control their perspective and reactions. Testing allows you to define your character with contrasts and conflict.
- Create Contrasting Supporting Characters. Supporting characters can reinforce or challenge your MC’s viewpoint. A mentor may validate their ideas, while an antagonist challenges or undermines them.
- Show, Don’t Tell. Use visual cues and body language to convey your character’s thoughts and emotions. Consider symbolism and metaphors to reinforce this view.
- Visual and Auditory Elements for Character’s Perspective. Screenwriting can leverage camera angles, lighting, and soundtrack to reinforce the MC’s perspective, but these tools can also be used in prose.
- Control the Narrative Structure for the Character’s Perspective. Structural elements – including flashbacks, dream sequences, and non-linear timeliness – can help you control how the audience sees your MC’s perspective.
To illustrate these techniques, the article explores examples from Taxi Driver, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Fight Club, and Requiem for a Dream.
