Life has seasons. The weather has seasons. Relationships have seasons. Even our perishable groceries have seasons. What those seasons look like depends on the perspective. For instance, we just entered fall. Where I live, a few trees have a kiss of color. The grass is green and still needs mowing and I still have periwinkles in bloom.
Seasons of weather
In northern Illinois, where I lived the first half of my life, it is already dropping into the 40’s at night and only warming to the 60s during the day. When I lived in Florida, the seasons as I knew them growing up in the Midwest were turned on their head. Because of the intense summer heat, gardens were started in October.
Life seasons
Life seasons differ too. The point of view regarding a specific season will also differ. When I was in my mid 20s I had a friend who turned 30 and just sat in his easy chair watching TV at night. At the time, I thought, “That’s what 30 is like!” But he had gone through a difficult divorce, had not children, and his dreams had been dashed. His view of 30 differed from my view of 30 when I got there.
Different POV equals different story
I remember when my daughter went to Haiti for five weeks and a teen, to help with a number of things. One thing they did was dig a garbage pit. Another, they helped teach to garden. When she returned home just before school was to start, I had thrown away some withered tomatoes from the garden. She stared into the pale and said, “You know, the people in Haiti would eat those.” Same items, different POVs, equals a different story.
Pumping Your Muse writing prompt
For today’s creative writing prompt choose one item from the list below and write a scene that shows the change noticed by your character (or you). Then take the same item and write another short scene from a differing POV.
- Look out a window: show the same scene at two different times of life. Let thoughts of the character reflect the seasons of life.
- Show two people with a fresh relationship that is close. Show passage of time and a different perspective on the same relationship (if it no longer exists memories of the relationship).
- Use some perishable item as the centerpiece to your scene. First scene it is fresh, and the scene is full of hope and dreams. The second scene show the same item stale, spoiled, petrified, etc. Think of Miss Havisham in Great Expectations as she talks to Pip. “What do you think that is?” she asked me, again pointing with her stick; “that, where those cobwebs are?”
Photo credits: June Campbell, wikimedia
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About The Inheritance by Donna Sundblad
Written within the allegorical tradition of classics like Pilgrim's Progress, The Inheritance offers a literal but symbolic story for today's fantasy enthusiasts. This cleverly devised tale doesn't tell you what to think, but stimulates thought as to why you believe what you believe in your own quest for the Eternal City. The Inheritance is an ideal discussion starter for youth groups, homeschoolers, and families who enjoy meaningful discussions.
The Inheritance is available on Kindle, paperback on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo (Christian fiction), Smashwords and Google Books. When you read it, be sure to leave a review! Thanks for your support.
About Dragonborn by Donna Sundblad
Dragonborn conjures up a winning fantasy with dragons, humans, time travel, and magic. Follow young Ervig Greenfields as he seeks out dragons to remove a curse. The dragons offer access to the Labyrinth of Times, which will purge the dark magic. But there’s a catch. Erving must vow allegiance to fight alongside dragons for centuries, never to return to his own time. He and a handful of others take the selfless oath and become Dragonborn. The Dragonborn and their dragons become seeds of change, in this epic tale, of sacrifice for the greater good. Ride along with them as they slip through a tear in time to the past to change the future.
