Look At It From A Different Point of View

 by Charlotte Bennardo

Everyone knows the art of MC Escher:

https://images.app.goo.gl/P5Bw7ggz8kSDY6tL9 

As a kid, I was fascinated by among all of them, this drawing, trying to figure out a way to climb all the stairs. Hint: it's impossible unless you CHANGE YOUR PERSPECTIVE.

And that is what life, art, and situations demand of us; sometimes we have to change our perspective in order to see a different view of the picture. 

When it comes to reading outside our comfort zone, whether young reader or mature, it's hard to change that perspective. For me, it's reading non-fiction. Life is messy and hard and emotionally exhausting. WHY would I want to read about others' struggles or pain? 

Yet, every once in a while, I take the leap, to see a different perspective, a different view. The last non-fiction book I read (gifted to me by a nice woman poolside in Mexico), was A Serial Killer's Daughter: My Story of Hope, Love, and Overcoming, by Kerri Rawson. Her father was the BTK Killer. Talk about the most radical departure from my usual reading! The only reasons I read it were that my Canadian poolside companion assured me there were no gory details about her father's horrific path of murder, it ended on a positive personal affirmation, and it gave a unique perspective into how monsters can hide in plain sight and not even family members see the evil. It was eye-opening. 

And that's what we sometimes need; to have our eyes opened, to see something differently. And although we resist, it's a good lesson,to try a different stairway. Guess Escher knew this before the rest of us figured it out.

Char 

Charlotte writes MG, YA, NA, and adult novels in sci fi, fantasy, contemporary, paranormal and romance genres. Her latest YA fantasy novel, The Excalibur Vow, just released. She is the author of the award-winning middle grade Evolution Revolution trilogy, Simple Machines, Simple Plans, and Simple Lessons. She co-authored the YA novels Blonde OPS, Sirenz, and Sirenz Back in Fashion. She has several short stories in the various anthologies. Having finished her MFA, she's applying what she learned and is working on several children's and adult novels, and other short stories. She lives in NJ with her family and floofy cat Mink, a squirrel in the backyard tree, and a visiting pet rabbit Bad Bunny.