A Unique Point of View
I don’t know about you, but I don’t see any point in writing something that’s already been done. So when I was asked to write a Christmas Story with a unique twist I drew a complete blank. How can one write about the events of the birth of Jesus in a way that’s never been done before?
A little trick they taught us in primary school was to write
an existing story from a different point of view. When I see others do this, something magical
happens. Things that were hidden in the background of a story can be brought
beautifully into the light.
For example…
The Donkey
In the utterly glorious children’s animation "The Star", the
donkey does not mean to end up with Mary and Joseph but he finds himself
embraced and welcomed by Mary. Later, when
he has the chance to follow his dream or stay faithful to Mary and Joseph, he chooses
them and inadvertently becomes responsible for finding the manger, lit up under the
star of Bethlehem.
The Shepherds
The incredibly successful "The Chosen" series all started with a
Christmas special that focused on the Shepherds – one shepherd in particular,
the youngest, weakest, least important one. An outcast among outcasts, he is
chosen to be the first to cradle the newborn Jesus strait out of the arms of Mary
and Joseph. So beautiful, it inspired the most successful series about Jesus of
our time.
The Manger
If you thought there couldn’t be a more obscure way to tell
the story of Jesus than from the point of view of the manger, then you’d be
wrong! It’s been done too! "The
Tale of Three Trees" by Angela Elwell Hunt includes a tree who dreams to
grow up to hold the most precious treasure in the world!
Jesus’s Guardian Angel
The novel “Darian: Guardian
Angel of Jesus” is written from the point of view of a character that is
imaginary but could exist – the angel that was sent to guard the life of
Jesus while on earth. What an awesome idea! Shame it wasn’t very well executed,
imho.
The Animals in the stable
When my eldest daughter was in preschool, her teacher loved
this book called “Room
for a little one” by Martin Waddell. It’s told from the point of view of
the animals in the stable who invite other animals into their warm lodgings because
‘there’s always room for a little one here’. Finally, Mary, Joseph and Jesus
are also welcomed into their humble abode.
There must be other stories out there from different points
of view… perhaps focusing exclusively on Mary’s perspective, or Joseph’s,
perhaps the angel Gabriel’s or Elizabeth’s or the fictional innkeeper? Is there
a movie, book or short-story from the POV of the Magi hiding in your subconscious?
I’ve never seen the 1959 movie “Herod the Great” but surely enough time has
passed for someone to re-make that in a more modern format?
If you like a little challenge, perhaps ask the Lord to highlight one perspective of the Nativity story for you to write about and see what flows.
I think the trick to really make this work is discipline. If you can
discipline yourself to remain exclusively in your chosen character’s point of
view, without slipping into the temptation of the ‘omniscient’ to explain the
missing bits in-between, this is where your creativity can really shine!
Ideas, anyone?
Beautiful post, Joanne! I have often thought in wonder how everything connected to the birth of our Lord has been mentioned in songs, stories and plays. Name it, - it's all been accounted for but like the Word of God, there will always be a fresh perspective, 'a unique point of view' because our Lord and His Word are life, living and miraculous. Your advice in the last paragraph is KEY!! I think I 'm guilty of being 'omniscient' sometimes. Your post has given me lots of inspiration for poetry writing and for teaching story writing using the 'unique point of view'! Thanks and blessings. Have a blessed Xmas!
ReplyDeleteI think you might be able to get away with introducing a bit of 'omniscience' right at the very end, as a way to pack-a-punch in your final lines. But it's hard to stick to one perspective because one person's perspective, in the moment, will likely be flawed and you'll get lots of readers saying 'but that's not exactly how it happened!'
DeleteI feel quite strongly that we prettify and romanticise the story. Layers of church tradition lie on top of the simple but powerful gospel narratives about the birth of Jesus. In the biblical texts there's no donkey and no innkeeper. Many biblical scholars think it likely that the holy family found refuge with relatives or friends in Bethlehem, who welcomed them into the house - sometimes translated 'inn' - where animals would also be kept on the lower floor. The Matthew timeline indicates that the Magi visited the family when Jesus was a toddler, not a newborn.
ReplyDeleteI recently saw a very powerful presentation where the holy family present as refugees - which they absolutely were. The Incarnation is not a Renaissance painting (as lovely as those are). It's about Jesus coming to share in our human mess. The story of his birth is full of pain and beauty and stark realism. Let's show that. :)
This isn't exactly the point of the blog post but yes, I too remember the wonder of decoding the traditional nativity to understand the reality. In fact, my husband really enjoys teaching this to teenagers as part of his job and totally blowing their minds! However, as a writer to children, I also see value in the characters of the donkey who may or may not have existed, and even the innkeeper (who definitely didn't) because it contextualises the story in a way that makes it accessible to children, it creates a kind of 'collective conscious' in a shared narrative with other children nationwide, and it also sets the foundation of which their minds can be blown when they learn the reality as you have helpfully pointed out. Even a scene of a family of refugees is another kind of romantic scenario as there were similarities with modern day refugees but also many differences (the escape to Egypt was a more similar comparison to refugees). But I think that falls under the 'omniscient' point of view, for which there are many and varied examples.
DeleteI have no objection at all to using the donkey and even the fictional innkeeper in dramatising the story for children, to be clear. Just so long as we are aware of the basics. :)
DeleteI endorse Philippa's comments (above) totally, the Nativity story has accumulated lots of folkstory as it's been passed around, and although these enhance the story-telling, if we want to look at essentials, we need to acknowledge the basics as are indicated by the writers. Otherwise, the message can be skewed towards how we, now, see the details and can even preach on the bits which are least important, that are folktale!Then, also, we need to think about the Incarnation: it is a huge and wonderful thing in itself, to be contemplated, marvelled at, and followed through to its climax at Good Friday and Easter.. That is Christmas (even if the small children are enjoying playing donkey and innkeeper etc).
ReplyDeletePS Anonymous is Clare Weiner - not use wht Blogger couldn't use my name as it usually does!
ReplyDeleteThat happens to me too when I use my phone! Very annoying. Hi Clare!
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