Allison Symes's Blog - Posts Tagged "alternative-character-viewpoint"
Alternative Character Viewpoints
I have a very soft spot for stories told from alternative viewpoints, especially fairy tales. My first published story was A Helping Hand in Bridge House Publishing's Alternative Renditions anthology (many moons ago now) and tells the Cinderella tale from the viewpoint of the youngest stepsister. It was great fun to write and, due it being the first thing I'd written that was accepted for publication (thank you, Bridge House!), it will always have a special place in my heart.
In my flash fiction collection, From Light to Dark and Back Again, I take Goldilocks' viewpoint as my angle in the tale, Health and Safety, (though between you and me, I still think she comes across as the kind of character you wouldn't want to take into a posh giftware shop given the chaos she caused with one chair and one bed in the Three Bears' house!).
One great thing about using alternative viewpoints like this is you can explore why that character has behaved the way they have. You can explore their justifications for their actions.
The great thing is they don't have to be right! (It can be even more fun when they're not but they really think they are. You really get to know what they are made of exploring this kind of avenue).
You can also prove the truth of the old saying "there are two sides to every story" by exploring what the other characters think! They just have to be strong enough to carry their own story.
In my flash fiction collection, From Light to Dark and Back Again, I take Goldilocks' viewpoint as my angle in the tale, Health and Safety, (though between you and me, I still think she comes across as the kind of character you wouldn't want to take into a posh giftware shop given the chaos she caused with one chair and one bed in the Three Bears' house!).
One great thing about using alternative viewpoints like this is you can explore why that character has behaved the way they have. You can explore their justifications for their actions.
The great thing is they don't have to be right! (It can be even more fun when they're not but they really think they are. You really get to know what they are made of exploring this kind of avenue).
You can also prove the truth of the old saying "there are two sides to every story" by exploring what the other characters think! They just have to be strong enough to carry their own story.
