A tried and true technique for telling an interesting story is to tell the same story from the perspective of different people.

Courtroom dramas are so popular⏤with both writers and viewers⏤because they offer the most likely, and most straightforward, mechanism by which to tell multiple people’s interpretation of the same event. It’s inherently dramatic and interesting to hear conflicting points of view based on the perspective of different people. If you ever lack for a good story idea, simply spend a day as a spectator at your local courthouse, or read the police blotter in your local newspaper. 

Imagine the people in the scenarios below being called to testify about their experience. How would each person describe the incident they were a part of? Change the age, occupation, race, or social status of any of the characters, and the stories might change entirely.

Scenario One: A young woman walks alone along a scenic riverside trail. When she pulls her phone out of her back pocket to check a message, she drops a small wad of money on the ground. An older couple walking about 30 feet behind her see the money fall to the ground, and promptly pick it up. Walking about 30 feet behind the couple is a middle-aged woman who sees this all unfold. By the time they all reach the end of the trail, she decides to speak up, and confronts the older couple. The young woman who dropped the money hears the commotion and turns around to see what is happening. By the time she walks back to the people behind her, it has devolved into a screaming match between the woman and the couple, and a bystander has called the police.

Scenario Two: A father pulls up to a convenience store, and leaves his car running while he runs in to make a purchase. In the backseat are his 9 year old son and his two year old daughter, who is in a car seat. Idling in the car next to his is a truck with two high school students playing loud music with the windows rolled down. A homeless person sits at the far end of the stoop, and a police officer leans against the store wall, smoking a cigarette and scrolling through her phone. A woman on her way to work walks by the store, sees the kids alone in the car, and calls 911 to complain.

Scenario Three: A teenager in a truck cleans her windshield, splashing a biker next to her with wiper fluid. Twenty of his fellow bikers swarm the truck and rev their engines loudly as he demands an apology. The driver races off, badly injuring several bikers, and crashes into a roadside barrier a quarter of a mile away. She breaks a collar bone, her breastplate, and several ribs.

Copyright 2023 Kesel Wilson (entirely, 100% human-created)

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