Personal Frame of Reference

The other day I was looking at WIRED recent magazine’s cover. Smart Jobs. That was the big feature. Sure, that’s simple enough to understand, right?

But at the same time… using one’s personal frame of reference….

It can mean so many different things. If you’re British or just read a romping British novel you might think of “smart” as brilliant, sharp, or generally snappin’. If you are a young grad or someone who’s recently lost their job, you might think of a “smart” job as something that will pay well and has job security or an opportunity for advancement. If you are involved in technology, you might think of “smart” as something along the lines of smart phones and the technology that goes with it.

This guy’s frame of reference and take on the race is going to be different than the guy selling drinks in the stands or the guy who just bet ten grand on the jockey’s horse.

So, which “smart” is it? To be truthful, I haven’t come across the article yet. (I’ve read some interesting other things though.) But it reminds us that when we are creating characters, we should keep our character’s personal frame of reference in mind because depending upon who they are and their history, they’re going to react to a situation in a very unique and personal way.