What you see and perceive is influenced by your perspective. I love walking in our park near our house. I look at the unusual and lovey and striking views along my way. Here is one picture that illustrates that what you see or perceive is influenced by your perspective. I see a bear. My niece saw a dog.
Your frame of reference impacts your perceptions. As a writer we create scenes that we hope will impact our readers to feel they are in the story. However, that is not always easy. Why?
Because each person’s reality shapes how they see the scenes we create with our words. Therefore it is important to think of the 5 senses as we describe our scenes. My twin sister, Janyce Brawn is always reminding me of this in my writing. “What does the character see, smell, feel, hear or taste at a particular time? Use that to move your story forward.”
In my WIP “Seasons”, How does Helena feel as Jonathan is sent away from her and she is left all alone in Boston in 1774? How does she deal with feeling of guilt when Mary is captured by the Indians and she is hiding? All these and more scenes need vivid descriptions in order to bring the story to life.
Keep in mind that what you see and perceive is influenced by your perspective and that of your readers. Seek to write vividly and boldly. Beware of what is in the eye of the beholder.
Janet Pierce's Writing Cafe 