(NOTE: I cannot take reading requests. It's hard to run a business, have a family, and write. Never enough time.)
Sometimes, I'll read characters who don't see the world like they should.
What I mean is, maybe the character is an architect. So why isn't his narrative describing things from an architect's perspective?
An architect would walk into a city and describe the structures in a way only an architect could, using terms only architects know. He'd notice certain building structures only an architect could identify and understand.
But let's say your character is a soldier. He would walk into the same city and describe it a completely different way.
He'd comment on how poorly defended the city is. He'd find faults with defenses. He'd walk into a bar and consider where he wants to sit by finding which table gives the best view of the door, or best chance of escape, or best view of the room. Those are all tactics to keep an eye on the room and everyone in it or tactics for a quick escape or calculated attack if someone comes in the door intent on causing a problem.
A great exercise is to write a scene where one of your characters walks into a city and a building, describing everything from her perspective due to her background. Then write another scene with a different character walking into the city, describing things through her perspective being that she has a different background and profession.
Clearly, a character's profession effects how she sees the world, but also where and how she was raised greatly affects her way of describing things. A character who was abused growing up will have a fearful, untrusting view of things, where as a positive person would describe things in a more positive, trusting way.
So, take your characters and go write some short scenes as described above. Practice this several times until you've mastered their unique POVs due to their backgrounds. Once you do it sever times, it'll come naturally to your writing.
Good luck, and as always, if you liked this chapter, please vote for it!
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The Art of Writing: How to Write Bestselling Novels
Non-Fiction[New chapter posted every Friday] Would you like to learn how to draw your readers in with your blurb and your opening lines so that they feel they have to keep reading to find out what happens next? Would you like to learn how to craft characters w...
