Deep Deep Deep Deep DEEP POV

What is it and why should we write this way?

One of the trends in writing today is the use of deep POV. As writers, we tend to use deep POV to get into a character’s head and stay there so that we can actually feel the character’s emotions as the story unfolds. We take away the things that remind the reader there is an author behind the story. Sounds easy, right?

There are many options to the technique. While one writer might use them all, another uses one or two of the techniques. And then, again, there are authors who don’t care for it one bit and stick to their method of simply letting the story evolve without considering deep POV. Let’s take a look at some of the ways we can incorporate it into our novels and up the level of reader takeaway. You know, the good stuff. The stuff that leaves your reader digging into a huge box of tissues.

So what are these techniques and how do we utilize them: removing a lot of unnecessary dialogue tags, telling … telling … telling, and filter words.

Each time we tell the reader, he said or she asked, we remind the reader there is an author behind the dialogue. “I love you,” Steve said. Okay, so we get that he loves her, and the reader is reminded that the author is telling you this. But if you show who’s talking using action instead of the tired old tags, you get: “I love you.” Steve nuzzled her neck as his words landed against her skin. Now we get that it’s Steve talking, but the author doesn’t intrude on the private moment by telling the reader that Steve is the one who said it. We let his actions show us.

Also, as authors we just love to tell our readers about how our characters feel, but can the reader get a true idea of the character’s emotion just from the tell? Cassie was cold. Okay, I get it … maybe. But what does that really mean? To someone from Alaska, it might mean it’s 50 degrees below 0. To someone in Florida, it might mean it’s 55 or 60 above. See how that can offer a different meaning to readers? So how about: Cassie shivered and rubbed her arms. If only she had a hot cup of coffee. Do we get a better grasp of how cold she is without ever using the word cold? Of course, we do.

There are also a lot of filter words we use that tell the story. He thought, she pondered, he knew, she wondered. Do we need them? If we are solidly in the head of our character, we rarely need to add them. I’d really like a hot cocoa, she thought. Well, if we’re in her head, of course, she’s the one thinking it. When the author adds on she thought, it’s merely a reminder that there is a writer behind the story. Let’s look at this one: She knew he’d be angry once he found out. She knew it? If we’re in her head, of course she’s the one who knows it. So let’s just say: He’d be angry when he found out. She thought the chair would look good pushed against the wall. Instead: The chair would look good pushed against the wall. We simply do not need she thought to introduce the sentence. We’re in her head. Naturally, she’s the one thinking this.

Each time we give the reader a reminder that there is an author writing the story for them, we pull them out of the character’s head. Out of his or her POINT OF VIEW. And the more we stay in it, the more emotion we feel from that character and pull from our reader.

Must we use deep POV? No. But you can see the advantages when we get into the feelings of our characters and stay there, taking the reader on an emotional roller coaster. Readers love to laugh and cry with the characters, and deep POV helps the tears flow, and the laughter reach deep into the belly.

Don’t think about whether you need to use deep POV, just ask yourself: What would you rather read?

Linda S. Glaz is an agent with Hartline Literary Agency, and also the author of eight novels and two novellas, so she “gets” writers. She represents authors in both the Christian and secular communities. She speaks at numerous conferences and workshops around the country each year. Married with three grown children and four grands, she lives in a small town where everyone is family.