by Alycia W. Morales     @AlyciaMorales

First Person POV happens when we write from the perspective of “I.” This gets us right into the character’s head. “I” is the main character in the story – the protagonist – and is usually the only character whose point of view we experience the story through.

Second Person POV is when the story is written from the perspective of “you.”

Third Person POV happens when we write from the perspectives of “he” and “she.”

Then there’s the subject of inner thought. How do we show that? Usually, you’ll see a sentence or paragraph written in italics when an author is revealing a character’s inner thought. But editors have decided they prefer the character’s deep point of view.

Deep POV pulls the reader straight into the story. It’s active writing that puts the reader in the shoes of the character(s), almost as if in their head. It’s as if the writer is writing in first person, but they’re using third person terms.

Have you ever read a book where the author uses terms like “watched,” “saw,” or “felt” or “thought?” Rather than being in the moment, it feels like the character is watching the story unfold from a distance, which keeps the reader at the same distance from the story.

Megan watched as her best friend marched to the front desk and demanded to know why their room wasn’t ready. They’d    waited all year for this trip, and now it appeared they weren’t going to be able to check in until after dinner, when they were supposed to be at the show. She really wasn’t looking forward to having to wait until midnight to take their stuff to their room. Couldn’t they just give us a comparable room? she thought.

Now, let’s try the same scenario written in deep POV.

Bethany, Megan’s best friend, marched to the front desk. “Why isn’t our room ready?” She glanced at her watch. “It’s five-thirty. Aren’t the rooms supposed to be ready by three?”

The receptionist typed madly at the keyboard while Bethany stood with her phone in her hand. “You know, I can call a hotel down the street and see if they have a room ready. We don’t have to stay here.”

The receptionist nodded and chewed her lower lip, continuing to type.

Megan pulled her suitcase and parked it beside Bethany’s. Couldn’t the hotel just give them a comparable room? She wasn’t looking forward to having to unpack at midnight. She’d never been to New York City and didn’t want to risk being mugged their first night out. As it was, they needed to be at the theater in an hour. Wicked wouldn’t wait. And here she was, waiting.

Can you identify with what Megan is feeling? How about Bethany? Did you feel like you were in the story or watching from afar? That’s the point of writing in deep POV.

[reminder]

For more reading on deep POV, we highly recommend Rivet Your Readers with Deep Point of View by Jill Elizabeth Nelson.

Alycia W. Morales is an award-winning freelance editor and author. Her clients have won the Selah Award, BRMCWC Director’s Choice Award, and many others. Her writing has been published in Thriving Family magazine, Splickety Love, and several compilation books. She is a member of ACFW, the president of Cross n’ Pens critique group, and a BRMCWC Conference Assistant.

Alycia blogs at The Write Editing and Life. Inspired.

When she isn’t busy writing, editing, and reading, Alycia enjoys spending time with her husband and four children taking hikes in Upstate SC and NC, creating various crafts, coloring in adult coloring books, and watching TV.

Save