On Changing Perspective

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

It's good to be back from my little sabbatical. Actually, “sabbatical” makes it sound like a peaceful time of reflection, which it decidedly was not, ha. During my blog break, my husband and I moved to another North Carolina town, leaving our home of nearly 22 years. Let me just say that it's amazing what you can collect over the course of almost 22 years. :)

We'd decided to capitalize on the booming seller's market and then rent a furnished house for a while so we could better house-hunt in the area we're interested in living in (the greater Asheville area). In the process, we've temporarily moved our two fur-babies and ourselves into a much smaller home while we look for a new place.

I'm very much an introvert, so my previous world was centered around our former home: writing, doing writing-related business, watching the birds at our feeders, walking the dog. Very routine-driven and quiet.

Now we're in a completely different setting. As jarring as this has been in some ways, it's also been good for a general change of perspective. Sitting on the front porch of the rental house, preschoolers walk across the street to the playground and back with their teachers. The street is very busy with a variety of people of different ages and backgrounds, giving me much more to take in than my cul-de-sac in Matthews did. The scenery is different, too, providing me with mountain views whenever I drive to the grocery store.

All of this helps feed into my writing by refilling my well. Although there's nothing particularly relaxing about changing up my routine, it helps keep my writing from becoming blah.  I've discovered over the years that refilling my well is a vital activity. It prevents me from burning out totally. I can write through burnout, but it's not a pleasant experience and the writing is weaker.

You don't have to do something as radical as a move to change your perspective and refill your well.

Here are some other ideas:

Switching up where you write at home: This is a pandemic trick…if you usually write in your living room, switch to your kitchen. It might sound so minor as to be silly, but even the slight change gave me a different view out the windows.

Writing in public: Libraries, coffee shops, parks, and other public places give you the opportunity to see different types of people which can help with character creation. Discreetly listening in on conversations helps, too. :)

Reading in a broader range of genres: I usually read mysteries of various kinds, but when I stretch myself by reading fantasy or young adult or nonfiction books, I gain different perspectives that influence what I write.

Writing on paper: If you haven't tried writing longhand, give it a go. If I get stuck with my project, I nearly always move to paper. I also like paper for brainstorming and outlining.

Watching international films or movies in a different genre: This goes along with reading books in other genres. Visual entertainment can also help refill a writer's well.

What do you do to change your perspective or shake things up a little with your writing?

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