Developing Perspectives from Multiple Sources

Okay, that's the most boring title ever and sounds like a heading from a guide on research papers, but hear me out, because I'm about to quote some really good song lyrics.

As writers, we have to develop our own perspectives and our own unique voice in order to make our writing interesting to others: We have to give readers something they can't get for themselves. The contradiction of terms, though, is that we can't cultivate our own perspectives and voices for ourselves. We can't grow in isolation or become cultured in a sterile lab. Plants grow in the remains of other life. Voices are meant to be heard, and perspectives are only windows through which we see the world around us.

So how do writers develop this rich compost from which our voices and perspectives spring? By gathering information from multiple sources. Many writers keep a "commonplace book," a small notebook they carry around with them, where they record quirky observations, story ideas, fun facts, and striking quotes. I just got home from a church youth weekend today, and several pages of my commonplace book are filled with odd things the senior girls said and did, and the guest pastor's funny jokes and convicting ideas.

As you can see, writers collect inspiration--not only for stories, but for thought--from multiple sources. This is important for young writers, especially: We need to find our voice for our writing, but we also need to develop our own worldview in accordance with the truth. Sooner rather than later, we will be left do deal with reality on our own or with a group of equally inexperienced peers, and eventually our parents' axioms, which guided us faithfully through childhood, will fail.

This isn't to say the advice of others is bad or that our elders' worldview is wrong. But just as Christians must find our personal callings and develop our own relationships with God, writers must learn to view the world in our own unique way, or else we won't be able to write anything our parents couldn't have written.

How do we do this? By looking at information from multiple sources. One of my favorite political commentators said that if you want to separate fact from opinion, listen to podcasts from opposite sides of the aisle, and the information they both have in common is true. Developing our perspectives and personal philosophies works on a similar principle: We compare rich, striking ideas from books, music, historical figures, and our close advisors (among a plethora of other sources--I've only listed a few) and find what rings true for us. (And as Christians, testing all discoveries against the standard of Biblical truth.) A commonplace book is a good place to keep track of these similarities, differences, and sudden fusions of thought--don't you love it when a new idea gets your neurons firing and suddenly you're down a rabbit trail of philosophy?

Let's look at an example. Answer the following question on paper. Just jot down a few sentences or paragraphs about what you think it is, based on all of the influences in your life. Maybe reference a few of them, but don't look anything up right now. If you want to remember an exact detail, you can track it down alter for your own edification. Ready? Here we go:

What is love?

[This space intentionally left blank while you write. Seriously. Why are you reading this. Go track down some paper and a pen.]

When I think of love, my first thought is to narrow down the definition. The Greeks had around nine words for different kinds of love, including eros (romantic love), phileo (brotherly love), and agape (self-sacrificing love). When I think of true love, I usually think of agape, which is God's love for His people, and which is the kind of love referenced in 1 Corinthians 13, in the famous verses that begin, "Love is patient, love is kind." (Love is sometimes translated here as "charity," which is interesting to note.) 

I also think about the different "love languages," of which there are five or seven, depending on who you ask. Even within the realm of romantic affection, there are different ways of giving and receiving love, which is an interesting parallel with the multiple Greek words.

But I also think of song lyrics. Not mushy romantic song lyrics (though I love those, too), but a couple specific lines from the chorus of "After the Storm," by Mumford and Sons.

And love will not break your heart, but dismiss your fears.

This idea really appeals to me. When we're in love romantically, or in a loving relationship with friends or family or God, we shouldn't be afraid that they're going to disappoint us, betray us, or break our hearts, because if the love is real, they won't. True love shouldn't have us on our toes, terrified of messing up and being rejected. When we feel loved, we feel safe and we're not afraid.

And the last thing about love is something inspired by my pastor's sermon this morning, a line I'd love to use as dialogue in a story someday:

"Love is not a feeling. Love is an action. I will love you even when I don't feel like it, or else love is meaningless. Because you need love most when you behave in unlovable ways."

And that resonates with me because I think the idea (so deeply ingrained in our culture!) of love being an emotion is stupid and dangerous. Emotions change. True love remains the same. False love--mere attraction or infatuation--disappears when the object of our "love" is no longer attractive or fascinating. True love is a constant effort. True love wants the best for the object of its affection. True love "works out" because true lovers work. 

Okay, that was a nice, long, heavily opinionated example of how we can draw ideas from different sources (in this case: the Bible, the field of psychology, the structure of a particular language, a sermon, and a pop song) to craft our own perspectives. Voice can be cultivated using the same methods: Read widely, listen widely, and you can't help but sound like the sources you've drawn from, and yet build on all of what you've collected. (And this building-up of new ideas on the old is what gives us our uniqueness, or else we're nothing but copycats and plagiarists.)

Ask yourself the hard questions. What is love? What is life? What is purpose? What is value? How are these vital elements found? Why does any of it matter at all? And what you discover will inevitably shine through in your writing.