Pixabay/PublicDomainPictures, Licensed under Creative Commons

I’ve been juggling lately with the old saying:

…to walk a mile in someone else’s shoes…

but really, when it comes to writing

we write what we KNOW.

We’re told not to write from a perspective

we’re unfamiliar with –

not only might we offend someone

because we’re making things up

but

we might be perpetuating an urban myth

or

starting one of our own.

However,

some of the most interesting characters

are those that we are unfamiliar with.

And so,

I like Dr Seuss’ quote better

because it acknowledges that we have brains –

that we have the ability

and the capacity

(especially as writers)

of learning, discovering and researching

unfamiliar characteristics

in an attempt to help us understand

character motivation

and

humanity…

to effectively push ourselves beyond what we know.

~

What’s the most interesting “non you” character you’ve ever read/written about?

Categories: Notables

Tags: challenging yourself, characters, Dr Seuss, humanity, M.J. Moores, notables, perspective, quotes, research, walking in shoes, writing