Friday, September 2, 2016

My Journey to a Book Contract - Part 6 Deep Point of View

by Elva Cobb Martin

Part 6 - Master Deep Point of View (DPOV)
I highly recommend you purchase a copy of Rivet Your Readers with Deep Point of View by Jill Elizabeth Nelson! It is a small book but a great help in mastering DPOV.

DPOV draws the reader into the arms and head of your character.

Mastering DPOV often eliminates most problems with show/don’t tell and italics.

Here are some quick pointers:

♦  Never say he/she thought, felt, knew, wondered, realized, decided. 

Simply write what it is.
    Wrong: He understood how much this would mean to her. He knew she’d be worried.
    Right: This would mean a  lot to her. She would be worried.

♦  Don’t name the emotion, describe it instead.
     
     Shallow: Jealousy flashed through me.
     Deep: Heat boiled my insides. If that wimp could win a trophy, where was mine?

♦  Describe physical effects on the body: 
         Anger: His hands formed into fists.
       Nervous: Sweat popped out on his palms. His throat closed.

♦  Ditch Prepositional telling phrases (of, with, in)
     
     Shallow: Desiree’s skin prickled with pleasant excitement.
      Deep: Shadows deepened. The place reeked of ancient secrets.   Desi's skin prickled.

♦  Don’t use he/she saw, tasted, smelled, heard. Simply state what he saw, tasted, smelled or heard.
     Shallow: He could see the tip of the dog’s nose peeking out of the                            closet.
     Deep: The tip of the dog’s nose peeked out of the closet.
     Shallow: He tasted bile. 
     Deep: Bile rose in his throat.

Do you have some tips to help master DPOV? Please leave a comment and share on your social media if this blog helped you.

Elva Cobb Martin