Deep POV is a collection of tools that aim to create a specific effect. Whether or not you agree that those tools create that effect, or if that effect should be sought after, is personal opinion. These tools can be used on any story in any genre - they're neutral. Learn the effects the tools aim to create, and then use those tools as best fits your story. There are no rules about how much or how little you can use deep pov in any story. It's a tool - one of many in the writer's toolbox. Choose the right tool for the job.

Deep POV works equally well on stories with plausible and implausible premises, because the strength of Deep POV is in viscerally, authentically, capturing emotions. Stephen King famously said - fiction is the truth inside the lie. Emotions (to me) seem fairly central to the human experience regardless of how fantastic a life you have or haven't lived, and so being able to capture emotions in such a way that the reader has an immersive experience in the story, an emotional connection to a character -- that's the ultimate goal.

And many take my classes who struggle with expressing emotions in real life, they tend to intellectualize things. Many others feel deep pov "ruins" a story because they're uncomfortable with the tension, or the raw emotions expressed. It's not for every reader, or every writer - but that doesn't make it bad.

My ultimate goal, Jenny, is to persuade intelligent readers to try my fiction. It is amazingly difficult - and I understand why, having been on the receiving end of 'read my book, please,' only to find I needed to back away slowly and find a very good something else to do right then.

'Good' is relative, as tastes and opinions vary enormously across the reading spectrum. I'm just trying to locate the people who think as I do.

Creating immersive experiences, not just storytelling, is what I aim for.

Barb, I struggle a lot with Deep POV, and Lisa's posts have helped me a lot with this. I still end up having to fix things up when I edit, but at least I'm getting closer to that intentionality you mention.

Go, Jeri!!!

I like the POV passion I'm seeing here in the comments. I always learn something when I have people weighing in from opposing sides. Thanks, Alicia and Greenbook829511120!

Not mythical. Try the Look inside on mine.

I (not very humbly) disagree.

Deep POV has nothing to do with realism. It is simply just a style- a kind of hyper-showing. It can be used for unrealistic fiction and more realistic fiction.

Also, it cannot make you feel or understand a character anymore than traditional narrative fiction can. I would also add that the major drawback to deep POV is that an understanding of the greater world that surrounds the character is lost. So I'd say, the choice of deep POV (if your aim is to illuminate life) is a poor one (artistically speaking). There's a cost to all stylistic choices.

Now if your point is that romance or thrillers don't strictly use deep POV and more often than not never use deep POV, I'd agree wholeheartedly.

On a side note, I've been hunting for this mythical, fully deep POV novel for some time. I have yet to find it.

On the contrary, IMNVHO, deep POV is completely incompatible with the genres you cite - because they are so unrealistic.

The more realistic the deep POV, the more I can make my readers go on a realistic trip into which I must introduce a few tiny probable untruths (else I'd be writing biography).

My 'What if?' must be subtle - there are plenty of the other kind for the majority of readers who prefer them. I aim to make you feel IN SPITE of yourself - because you have to believe what you are LIVING, and I hope to make you live it - with the deep POV.

What I have read of those genres - and I read EVERYTHING (well, except Dan Brown) - no longer satisfies or moves me at all, though I recall it fondly from my youth.

I can SEE the flaws when I read older thriller I loved then. The last time I tried an Alistair McLean, every single chapter was an 'I saw that coming a mile away - and so should the protagonist have seen it if he was doing his job.' So I can't read them any more. Too much experience, too old, too picky.

But it does show me what to look for, and how not to repeat certain mistakes. And it makes my job as a writer both harder (I can't do that) and easier (I don't need to do that).

With everything that's wrong with my body and my mind, if I didn't have that sense of developing improvement, I'd just give up writing. It's a lot of hard work, and I'm incredibly slow.