In my family of 5 we almost alwyas have five points of view. A perfect example of this was displayed after last weeks 2 hour “Lost” season finale. My son doesn’t just watch the show, he studies it and always declares the pure genius of the writers. My youngest daughter prefers to empathize with the original set of characters who crashed on the island and longs for the days when details of their lives were revealed in back stories. My wife refuses to watch the show, decrying it as a bad soap opera that doesn’t make any sense. My oldest daughter never “got into it” and prefers the “reality” of American Idol to the contrivences of some manufactured plot. (this could easily be the subject of another entry). I on the other hand, record the show and fast forward through the commercialism watching only when it appears there is something driving the plot forward. I can watch a 1 hour episode in about 10 minutes.

About once a month or so we will all try and convince each other that ours is the correct perspective on the show. These sessions seem to do nothing more than strengthen our resolve. And eventually the grandkids will intervene and make us realize that there are much more important things in life than commercialized video.

As we write OUR stories we need to keep in mind Richard Feinman’s brillint quote, “Perspective is worth 80 IQ points”. We write what we know and our characters reflect what we think they should reflect. When someone else begins to read it they may find it more enlightening than we ever intended or they may find it of no interest or maybe they just get lost.

Regardless, crafting a well told story the best way you know how will always be of value to some set of readers/listeners/watchers who can readily relate to your point of view. These select readers need to know what you are writing. If you fail to share it with them, make no mistake about it, some significant opportunity will be lost.