www.andrewmackay.net:

A key to setting the environment you’re writing in is context. For example, if you have characters named Andrew and Sam, for example, they might have vastly divergent views about… say, a charismatic leader type of guy named Doug. One of them might like him a lot. The other might not care for him at all. The point is if everyone feels the same way about everything, the one-dimensionality of what you’re writing will sink it before the reader has a chance to care.

I came across a super example of this not too long ago. There’s this guy named David Beckham. He’s a soccer player. In 80 percent of the world, he can’t go anywhere without being mobbed. He’s a super star. In America, he’s kind of a minor celebrity.

There’s some controversy right now around Mr. Beckham. He plays for a team in Los Angeles. But, he asked them to lend him to a European team for the off-season. His commitment to his team in America is certainly questionable. A book is being released about his transition to America. It features fairly incendiary quotes from the team captain of the team in L.A.

The thing about it is, there have been several articles lately about this book. It’s fascinating to see the difference in perspective from America to London, England, for example.

From an article on CNN:

National skipper Donovan, who led the United States to the final in South Africa last weekend, said in a new book due out later this month that Beckham had been a negative influence since his high-profile move to the Major League Soccer outfit two years ago.

From an article on BBC Sports:

David Beckham’s LA Galaxy team-mate Landon Donovan has launched a stinging attack on the England star, accusing him of a lack of commitment.

Differences in perspective are part of what makes the real world so interesting. Remember that when you’re creating fictional worlds… depth = good. In the comments, we could discuss the differences in tone in the above two quotes… or not.