In a post on Writer Unboxed, Kathryn Craft discusses an overlooked element of perspective – accurately portraying what your character can literally see. “While it is true that literature can tap all the senses, it is through your point-of-view character’s perceptions—and often, his eyes—that the reader is able to envision what is going on in a scene,” Craft writes. “But any tension gained by tapping into our universal fear of the dark will fizzle if your reader can’t figure out how your point-of-view character can see the objects being described.”
We’ve all read – and possibly have written – examples of this: characters spotting minute details in a pitch black room or recognizing another person from across a football-field length distance. These are the kinds of details that should get caught in a continuity edit but are often missed. Craft points out some of her favorites, like three full month in a month or a character watching the sun rise and set through the same window.
“For every scene, ask yourself how the character can see the details he’s describing, and how the light (or lack of it) is affecting his perception,” she writes. She suggests minding the following elements:
- Sources of illumination. “In a dark room, these could include a cell phone, nightlight, or the bluish, or the flickering light from a TV, among other things,” Craft notes. “In full dark, even the tiny glow from a smoke detector, or electronics such as a printer or backup battery system, can seem significant. If the reader might wonder how the POV character can see, it’s best to provide an explanation.”
- Sources of shadow. “Buildings can create dramatic angles; large trees near a house, sent into motion by the wind, can add a carousel of shadows to a room that could suggest an imaginary intruder or distract from a real one,” Craft writes.
- Your character’s vision. Does your character have vision problems, either correctable with glasses or something more serious? Are his glasses broken or does he have an injury that inhibits his vision?
- Weather. “Don’t forget the way weather can impact vision—rain blurs, fog obscures, frost turns windows opaque,” Craft notes.
- Characterization. Your use of light can also suggest something about your character. What kind of lamps or other light sources do they have? Is their home brightly lit or shaded? Do they have fluorescent lighting, softer bulbs, or candlelight? Also, your character’s emotional makeup will influence what they see, notice, and acknowledge. “There are things that the character won’t see due to denial, stubbornness, or fear,” Craft says. “A character may be unaware of surroundings because she is lost in thought, but this could also be situation-specific, such as when a character wanders into a bad part of town because her worries blinded her to observation.”
