About Writing - Perception

A few days before Christmas I was driving by the airport on my way to work and a jumbo jet roared over as it took off into the clouds. I thought about the people on that plane and how excited they must be to on their holiday journey.

A few miles later, another jet flew over - this time the huge plane was coming in for a landing. I thought about those people who would soon be getting off the plane and how their journey was almost at an end. I imagined how excited their family members must be knowing their loved ones would soon be arriving.

Thinking of those happy families meeting and greeting each other put a smile on my face. I had Christmas music playing on the car radio and all was right with the world.

Until I pulled up and stopped at a red light. Stopped beside me was a large white bus with the words DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY. I couldn't tell if there were any people on the bus or not as the windows were darkly tinted. The light changed to green and as the bus made its turnoff towards the airport entrance, I thought about the people who might be on that bus, whether or not they were being deported and if so, the reality they were experiencing.

That's what we do as writers. We consider all points of view, various realities, and different perceptions. The good and the bad. The happy and the sad. And, we give our characters experiences that bring those types of realities to the reader. In the end, real human emotion is what suspends disbelief.

My thoughts about perceptions.

Diana