A lot has been written about Deep Point of View (DPOV) and I think I’ve read most of it in my efforts to create an emotionally fulfilling story. But there is a difference between reading about it and mastering it in your own writing. If you’ve found yourself at sea in that same boat, read on; I may just have located a bailing bucket.
Basically, DPOV and ‘show, don’t tell’ are different sides
of the same coin. By employing the DPOV technique you are showing, not
telling, thus eliminating author intrusion and delivering that emotional punch
we’re all after. The aim is for the reader to experience everything our
point-of-view character sees, feels, hears and smells, as he or she experiences
those sensations.
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| 'Good writing is supposed to evoke sensation in the reader - not the fact it is raining, but the feeling of being rained upon.' E. L. Doctorow |
The big question is: How?
I’m a huge fan of Jill Elizabeth Nelson’s Rivet Your Readers with Deep Point of View. It’s
a great introduction to DPOV, with tips, examples, and a wealth of exercises to
test your new-found understanding of the concept.
However Marcy Kennedy’s Mastering Showing and Telling in Your Fiction (from her 'Busy
Writer’s Guides' series) goes that little bit further. Only 52 pages long, it’s
jam-packed with practical tips on how to recognise ‘telling’ in your own
writing and a guide on how to make the
necessary changes (keeping in mind that telling isn’t always wrong). A
perfect blend of theory and practice.
Marcy guides you step by step through your work in progress
to find where you’ve been telling not showing, using lists of words in
different categories (e.g. telling-style dialogue tags, sensory filter words)
you should be aware of as indicators of ‘telling’. Genius.
When you purchase the e-book
it comes with a password enabling you to print these particular pages. Links to
recommended sites are also provided. At around $4.00, it’s a steal.
Do you, like me, experience problems with telling rather
than showing? I'd love to know if you've come across any other great books on DPOV or ‘show,
don’t tell’. Please feel free to share.
This week I’m:
LOVING my pink
giraffe-print onesie. Perfect for cold-weather writing.
LAUGHING out loud at this:
Hi Marilyn
ReplyDeleteGreat blog post. I find this concept fantastic. I do love to feel as if I am standing in the place of the characters in a book. How have you found the process of DPOV?
Hi Cassandra. The concept of Deep POV fascinates me, too. I often wondered what it was about some stories that made them stay with me and then I read about DPOV. Now I try to ensure my writing is author-intrusion free, using the ideas from the 2 books I mentioned.
DeleteThanks, Marilyn, for a wonderful reveal about DPOV. I, too, use that technique to enrich my stories. It's the best method out there, for me.
ReplyDeleteAsk a reader, 'What makes a great story?' and they'll tell you it's one that grabs their attention and doesn't let go until the last page. How does this happen? A writer can have an intriguing plot, setting, characters and motivation, all important aspects, but but if emotion is lacking, the reader won't care what happens. DPOV gives the story that very vital emotion.
'The Idiot's Guide to Romance Writing' also suggests that technique (though it doesn't name it DPOV) when first learning of your characters for a new story. I use it for that purpose and it's great how much I learn of my character's internal makeup.
Hi Enisa. Thanks for dropping by. Having read some of your work I know how good you are at evoking emotion using this technique. Have you read either Marcy Kennedy's or Jill Elizabeth Nelson's books? I found them excellent guides.
DeleteYes. I have both and love their advice.
DeleteDPOV is something I've struggled with but both of the books mentioned above have helped me immensely.
ReplyDeleteHi Dee. Your reply is below. :)
DeleteGood Morning (just) Marilyn
ReplyDeleteDPOV as a term scares me it sounds deep and spooky lol
Are there any trigger words with DPOV that can help me see when I go from show to tell?
Hi Nikki. Glad you dropped by.
DeleteI have a few suggestions: 1. Don't label emotions. Instead of 'he felt angry' describe how he manifests that anger eg. 'his eyes narrowed to slits, his right hand curling into a fist' (yeah, yeah, pretty basic, but you get the idea).
2. Use the pov character's name sparingly.
3. Avoid phrases like she thought/ he heard etc. There's no need for them when you are deep in a character's head.
I'm no expert, but all these tips and more can be found in the books I recommended. Hope that helps.
What genre do you write in Nikki?
Thanks Marilyn that's a great starting point for DPOV it seems less scary now :)
DeleteI love category contemporary romance and hope to write my own one day
Glad to be of help, Nikki. As I said in the post, both books I recommended give great practical advice on using DPOV.
DeleteAnd there I was, thinking I'd 'discovered' these authors - lol!
ReplyDeleteLike you, I've struggled with DPOV, but one of the main things I got from both books was the need to eliminate phrases like 'she felt' and 'he saw' so the language is more active. Now, that's the first thing I look for during the editing process. Thanks for visiting Dee.
Anna Campbell is fantastic example of Deep POV.
ReplyDeleteYou look cute in your onesie, Marilyn. :)
Thanks Helen! I have 3 onesies - giraffe, zebra and leopard-print. Love the days when I get to wear them all day.
DeleteThe rest of your reply is below. (I'll work out how to do this properly sooner or later :) )
Hey, thanks for the shout-out! Great piece, Marilyn! There's an article on point of view on my website too: http://annacampbell.info/article-pov.html
DeleteJust had a read of your article Anna, and I totally agree about the need to limit the number of characters telling the story and to stay in a character's viewpoint for an extended period. Both are definitely needed if you want the reader to connect with your characters. Head-hopping drives me nuts!
DeleteThank you Anna Campbell for the link to your article! Veeery helpful!
DeleteThanks for a great post, Marilyn. Often 'telling' results from a passive voice or a generalised notion of what is happening to the characters. When you apply strong verbs that show what is happening in a visceral sense, you achieve a deeper understanding of what the character is experiencing. E.g. 'her mouth fell open' is very plain. It doesn't show; it tells. If you change it to something like: 'foul tasting air crawled heavy into the cavity of her gaping mouth', this is more interesting and gives the reader a deeper understanding of how the character is experiencing the events, and it further prompts what the character might be thinking and feeling. Thanks again for a great post, Marilyn.
ReplyDeleteHi Georgia, it's nice to see you here. Great example of using strong verbs! Is it from one of your stories?
DeleteThanks Marilyn. No, it's not from one of my stories, I just made it up. :)
DeleteHi Helen. Anna Campbell is definitely a great example - love the depth of emotion in her books. Kylie Scott is another terrific Aussie author who uses DPOV to great effect. I recently read 'Lick' and loved it.
ReplyDeleteMarilyn, what a lovely thing to say. Thank you. I recently read and loved Lick too!
DeleteWow, Anna, how lovely to see you here! Your books are always a pleasure to read. You could probably write your own book on DPOV :) (If you did, I'd buy it! ) Thanks so much for stopping by.
DeleteMarilyn, like you, I find point of view so interesting! Maybe we should collaborate! And thanks for saying you enjoy the books!
DeleteMy pleasure!
DeleteAfter you suggested that Kylie Scott's Lick was a good example, I realised I had it on my TBR pile and picked it up to have a short squizz...four hours later I finished it and wow! Wow! Yes, it is a great example of first person DPOV. I loved it...and have pre-ordered all of her others! Now, I need to pick it apart on how she did it! (Don't worry Ms. Scott--it's for the good of writing!)
DeleteI think analysing how other writers perfect different aspects of our craft is one of the most effective ways of learning, Dee. Good luck with your writing!
Deleteas a non writer I find this stuff fascinating. it makes perfect sense. I mainly read bio and autobiography where it seems the stories are more often told than felt. While it is often easy enough to understand the feelings of the subject, you don't necessarily empathize. it seems DPOV looks to take this to the next level. this will add a new dinention to my readibg in future. thsnks guys keep up the amazing work .
ReplyDeleteHi David, thanks for visiting. I'm glad you found the topic interesting. I enjoy bios and autobiographies for the insights they give into real people, but romance will always be my first love.
DeleteThanks Marilyn for a really interesting and insightful article. It was really helpful for a novice like me and I look forward to reading more of your articles.
ReplyDeleteJules
Hi Jules, thanks for visiting! As an aspiring author, you'll probably be reading as many craft books as you can. 'Riveting Your Readers with Deep Point of View' and 'Mastering Showing and Telling in Your Fiction' are well-worth investing in. If you come across any others on Deep POV please let me know. I'm always on the lookout for good writing-craft books.
DeleteJust so good to be reminded of all of this. I enjoyed the Jill Elizabeth Nelson book - clear and easy to follow. You look terrific in your onesie, Marilyn, LOL.
ReplyDeleteMalvina
Hi Malvina, I'm so glad my post sparked your interest. Thanks for popping in, and thanks for the compliment. :) FYI I'm in my zebra-skin onesie today.
DeleteMarilyn! I know I've commented before, but..."THANK YOU AGAIN!!!" Your post inspired me to go back and re-read Rivet Your Readers and Mastering Showing and Telling. I was struggling to add breath into a chapter and your post and your suggested reads helped bring it back to life! Thank you.
ReplyDeleteExcellent! My job here is done. lol
DeleteHi Marilyn. After reading your post, I, too, immersed myself once again into those two books and I know that my writing will be all the better for it. Thank you for the reminder.
ReplyDeleteThanks Enisa! That's good to hear.
Delete