Going Deeper

Yesterday my critique partners and I met, and we discussed deep POV (point of view). Really getting inside of the character's head and reading her thoughts and feelings as they happen to her.

One of my favorite authors is a master at deep POV. Suzanne Brockmann says she came up with that phrase when first asked to explain her writing style. She gets deep into the character's mind. As she says, "We hear things through his ears. We smell what he smells, feel what he feels, think what he thinks. With deep POV, I write using words that that character would use. I tell the story with that character's voice." And she is gifted at giving each of her character's his own voice. She doesn't need to write "he thought" or "he felt" because it is understood that the words she writes are this character's thoughts and feelings.

How can you make this work in your own writing?

Suzanne suggests a great exercise to try. She says, "Write a scene from the first person. Instead of using 'He' or your character's name, use 'I'. Instead of 'his', use 'my'. And so on. Write as if you are your hero. Describe the world with his voice. Tell us what he feels -- or what he'll admit to himself that he's feeling! Then, after you finish writing the scene, go back in and replace all the first person pronouns with third person pronouns or your hero's name. That's deep point of view!"

To read Suzanne's complete interview and more information about how she got started as a writer, please check out A Conversation with Suzanne Brockmann by Claire E. White.