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