Writers in the Storm

By Lisa Hall-Wilson

I've been studying, writing, and teaching Deep POV for… 15 years? I've helped a lot of writers at various levels of accomplishment try and wrap their head around Deep POV, and I’ve learned a lot myself in that teaching process. If I’m honest though, my perspective on Deep POV and how we should approach this technique has changed somewhat over the years.

What Is Deep POV?

Deep POV is collection of stylistic choices that aim to immerse the reader in the lived experience of the POV Character. We want the emotions to be raw and real and the thoughts vulnerable and unfiltered.

Every word on the page, as much as possible, comes from within the character. The goal is to remove the author/narrator voice entirely. Yes, this is about show don't tell, but this style of writing takes showing to new depths and widens the definition of telling.

Examples Of Books Written Entirely In Deep POV

I get asked this A LOT. And I know why. People will fire up Amazon and peruse the bestseller lists and seem to come up empty. But everyone’s doing Deep POV, why can’t I seem to find a good example?

Here's the honest truth. Books written entirely in Deep POV are very difficult to find -- there are a few.

I've had students publish books that are 90% Deep POV who’ve had mixed reactions from readers. Some readers LOVE the shift into Deep POV. One student had a publisher reject the Deep POV novel, even though this was a multi-pubbed author with experience. Another student won a prestigious award by shifting to Deep POV. The results vary widely.

The majority of experienced authors are picking and choosing from among the various Deep POV tools.

They’re using what fits their voice, fits the story, and/or creates the effects they’re looking for. Remember, I said Deep POV is a collection of stylistic choices. When I poll my students on how deep they aim to write in Deep POV (on a scale of 1% - 100%), the majority landed somewhere around 70%-80%.

Deep POV Is NOT A Simple Technique

A lot of writers really beat themselves up because they can't seem to figure out Deep POV. It's not an easy technique. Despite what many blogs will try to tell you on the interwebs (and I recant any instances where I may have said it was easy), there is a lot more to Deep POV than removing emotion words, filter words and dialogue tags.

I’ve observed these three obstacles as common stumbling blocks for learning Deep POV.

- Remember I said that Deep POV widens the definition of author intrusion?

The author voice creeps into your work (usually to summarize, justify, or explain) and undermines the immersive effect deep POV aims to create. Learn to recognize it and use it strategically.

- Deep POV wants you to dive deeper into a character’s emotions and motivations.

First, this requires knowing what they are. Second, learning how to SHOW those emotions without using author summary or explanation without repeating yourself, while adding complexity, scaling up on the tension over the course of the novel, and building in reader surprise…

You get the idea. This is why AI will never really replace a great writer! It’s hard. It’s supposed to be hard. Lean into it and create an unforgettable experience for readers!

- Everyone struggles initially to shift into showing emotions in deeper ways.

Those who aren’t inclined to be introspective, who struggle to articulate or label their own emotions, tend to be the ones that really struggle with Deep POV. To overcome this, it’s going to take a lot of research and beta reader feedback.

Not Sure If Deep POV Is A Good Choice For You?

If you're someone who loves flowery language, the vast story-world building of epic fantasy, sweeping settings and detailed descriptions of historicals, the summarization and explanation of first person narration, Deep POV is going to feel restrictive and possibly suck all the joy of writing away.

Pick the tools that work for you and forget the rest.

Is keeping secrets from readers (that the POV character is privy to) a huge part of your plot?

Are you willing to recast that so the POV character learns things as the reader does or remains in the dark with the reader?

The point of deep POV is that the reader has access to the pov character’s relevant thoughts and feelings throughout the story. If they know something that’s relevant to what’s going on and you don’t share that with the reader, they’re going to feel cheated.

Do you like the more intense, personal, raw perspective of deep POV? If you're inclined to think your story is more about action than emotions, Deep POV is maybe better reserved for key gut-punch emotional moments than the whole novel.

What genre are you writing?

I love to read Nordic noir, but I've yet to find any that even attempt deep point of view (much to my great and intense sadness). Some genres almost require Deep POV, and others rely entirely on the author voice. I absolutely think someone should write a Nordic noir in Deep POV (can we dive deep into the psyche of the tortured detective protags - yes we can!), but that author would be swimming against reader expectations.

I wrote an essential list for Deep POV here.

But An Agent/Editor Told Me To Rewrite In Deep Point Of View

This is tricky and, as I'm neither an editor nor an agent, I'm going to make some generalizations and assumptions based on feedback I've gotten from students over the years. First, agents and acquisition editors are generally very busy. In most cases, they’re not going to give specific advice but more generalized tips (if you get any).

So, while you may be told at a conference pitch session or via email response to rewrite in Deep POV, they likely won’t explain which aspects of Deep POV would serve your story. Yes, some novels might benefit from being shifted entirely into deep pov, but it could also mean they think you need to cut out half the narration/author summary, broaden the emotional range your character expresses or add more emotional complexity.

Do you write in Deep POV? Why or why not? And do you have a question about Deep POV? Ask Lisa in the comments!

Announcement:
Lisa is launching her 4-week Deep POV Masterclass on September 15. This course only opens twice a year! Learn more here.

About Lisa

Lisa Hall-Wilson is a writing teacher and award-winning writer and author. She’s the author of Method Acting For Writers: Learn Deep Point Of View Using Emotional Layers. Her blog, Beyond Basics For Writers, explores all facets of the popular writing style deep point of view and offers practical tips for writers. 

Other Recent Deep POV Posts by Lisa:

• The Essential Deep POV Checklist: 11 Tips For Better Writing
• 4 Tips To Master Backstory In Deep Point Of View

Featured photo credit - Artem Korolev - Unsplash

by Dr. Alex Jemetta

In this three part series, I am going to teach you how to craft realistic fight scenes.

Fight scenes might be my favorite thing to write; they roll off my fingers nearly three times faster than dialogue. I also love reading a good fight scene. Given that I spend about six hours a week swinging a sword, this isn’t really surprising. What was surprising, at least to me, is that many of my fellow authors dread fight scenes.

What makes fight scenes intimidating to write? And what makes a good fight scene? I think the answer to these questions are one in the same. There are three parts:

1. Crafting a fight scene is a distinct skill that has to be cultivated. It requires (among other things) tight pacing, high tension, and visceral description.
2. Fight scenes require knowledge of weapons and martial techniques, which in turn requires research or experience.
3. Many (perhaps most) writers have not experienced either a fight or a combat sport, and therefore aren’t writing from personal experience.

Part 1: Crafting a Fight Scene

We’re writers, so let’s start with craft. When writing a fight scene, it is critical to understand the purpose of the scene. If you don’t know what you are trying to convey, it’s difficult (if not impossible) to make the right choices.

All scenes should advance at least one (and preferably two or three) of the following: plot, character, or world. Fight scenes usually focus on the first two.

Plot

Your fight scene needs to serve a purpose. Does the hero defeat the bad guys? Do the bad guys capture the hero? Is the real villain secretly someone the hero trusted? If the fight scene does not affect the plot, it will feel flat even if it’s well written.

Character

Use your scene to add depth to your characterization. How someone prepares for, participates in, and reacts to a fight all tell a lot about them. It’s easy to get caught up on choreography and neglect character. It’s also easy to fall back on cliché. Picture this: a badass assassin calmly walking into a fight, casually killing people, and walking away unphased.

That’s not cool; it’s boring. What is underneath that? Is the assassin mentally distancing themselves, so they don’t have to deal with the emotional implications of killing someone? Are they an anti-hero with severe antisocial personality disorder who genuinely feels nothing when killing someone? Does their mental clarity contrast with the inevitable adrenaline rush as their body prepares for battle? A fight scene with no character work will always feel hollow.

Now that we’ve established the goal of the scene, let’s run through a non-exhaustive list of things that good fight scenes need:

• Stakes: The stakes of a combat scene in a book are twofold. The stakes for the character are not always life or death, but (grievous) bodily harm is usually a possibility. If there’s no real danger to the characters, there’s no real tension in the fight. However, the outcome of the fight should also matter. The hero can survive unscathed and still lose. If the outcome of the fight doesn’t matter, neither will the fight.
• Tension: A fight is adrenaline filled; your fight or flight response is in overdrive. The reader needs to feel that.
• Rapid Pacing: Fights go fast. Split second decisions save or lose lives. The scene needs to feel like it’s moving at the speed of a real fight.
• Tight prose: I love a plush description of blood blooming like roses on skin like alabaster and soaking into the soft carpet of loam to feed the hungry forest as much as the next fantasy reader, but the middle of the fight scene is not the place for it. Stopping to describe things (such as weapons and armor) in loving detail will ruin both tension and pacing.
• Visceral Description: the mechanics of most fights are actually very boring, but the experience of one is far from it. In writing, the description makes that difference. Consider the difference between: “She punched him hard enough to break his nose” and “bone crunched as her fist slammed into his nose”. Your character sweating in a fight is boring, but a character’s eyes burning as sweat drips into them can help the reader experience what the character is.

Conclusion

Between the action inside the scene and the craft needed to construct the scene, there is a lot to keep track of when writing a fight scene. If you find combat scenes overwhelming, don’t try to do everything all in one pass. If you know what needs to be achieved in the scene (e.g. the character needs to kill the guard and get the keys to her cell), you can start by blocking out the choreography, build up character and description layer by layer, and then finish by tightening and polishing the prose.  

Do you find fight scenes intimidating? If you do, what is the number one stumbling block standing in your way? If you don’t, what is your number one piece of advice for other authors?

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About Alex

Dr. Alex Jemetta (she/they) is an astrophysicist and fantasy author. When she isn’t at her desk with her two cats, she is practicing historical longsword. Her love for research, the night sky, and historical weapons seeps into her world building. As a disabled, neurodivergent, queer author, she’s passionate about writing classic fantasy stories from a non-traditional perspective.

If you want more in depth ramblings about fight scenes and swords check out her website or subscribe to her newsletter.

You can also find her on Instagram, twitter, threads, blue sky, and TikTok at @astroalexwrites.

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Header phot credit - Ricardo Cruz - Unsplash

by Ellen Buikema

This is a tough question to answer as it depends upon the project. Knowing when to stop is a helpful skill to develop.

Consider the following:

• Have you already found useful information from a variety of sources?
• If you added a new angle now, would it further the plot?
• Are you collecting information that’s not really on your topic?
• Given a deadline by your editor or publisher, do you have enough time to write your story?
• Do you have sufficient research to cover the main points of your Work in Progress?

If you answer “yes” to most of the above it’s likely time to move on—even though it’s tempting and perhaps addicting—to continue looking for information and falling down rabbit holes. Otherwise, you may end up with a big pile of resources and not enough time to do anything with them. Who needs the added stress?

When starting a new writing project, it’s common to think thoughts, like:

• “To write about this, I must read everything about this topic.”
• “Just one more book to read. Then I’ll have my break through.”
• “As soon as I know everything about the topic, my confidence level will soar.”

There is some truth to these thoughts. It helps to read about the topic you’re writing. However, expertise is not necessary and attempting this for every writing project is going to cause an extreme amount of stress, delivering a whopping dose of anxiety.

Why do we become obsessed with research?

Research can be addicting. When learning something new, your brain experiences a boost of dopamine, one of the neurotransmitters affecting the pleasure center in the brain. When your brain discovers new information, the dopamine boost tells your brain, “Give me more. Keep searching for information!” This may end up feeling like an endless research loop.

How do you get out of the research loop?

• Take notes. Major points, not extensive outlines.
• Write on how you feel about the book or article you’re researching. Compare it to other information you’ve read. Document these thoughts as if they are part of a journal or diary.
• Composing a research diary helps you start the writing process early in the research phase. This may help avoid writer’s block, which can happen when you have too much information to process.

Benefits of a Research Diary

• Taking notes of what you read will improve memories of that information because you’re creating associative pathways in your brain.
• You’ll know early in the process how to craft the new story or article. When you start in earnest, your writing will flow faster.

Experiment with this. Try writing a research diary of what you’ve discovered via researching today. This won’t take much of your time and can be a confidence booster.

Research is part of the writing process for all genres. Research is necessary to make your writing accurate. It can be time-consuming, but it shouldn’t take over your life. Eventually, you’ll need to set aside research materials and get down to the business of writing.

Make a Goal

Begin by setting aside 30 minutes a day to get yourself in writing mode habit. If possible, try to write at or near the same time of day. That way writing becomes part of the daily pattern. Get over to the table and write. I do the same thing for music practice and have found that I rarely miss guitar time.

Consider a specific goal. Say you’ve joined a writing critique group and want to present one chapter per week. A two-thousand-word chapter is doable for this goal. If you write four-hundred words per day over five days, there’s your word count with plenty of time for editing before bringing the new chapter to critique. 

Limit Research Time

If you find yourself using too much time researching and not enough writing, try the following method author Diana Clark uses.

“A rough guide I use in fiction writing is that my research time shouldn’t exceed my writing time. If I expect to produce a first draft in ten weeks, then, I will spend ten weeks or less researching my book and establishing a timeline and character chart. That block of time doesn’t include the simple fact-checking I will do later as part of the review process.”

If You Hit a Wall, Do Something Else

You’re on a roll. The muse is with you and the writing has never come easier. Then full-stop. You need more information. This is when I either go into research mode or step away from the laptop and regroup by doing something completely different:

• Have a snack
• Play with the pup (Our black lab, Bailey, used to hang out with me on the floor while I pondered my writing. Always helpful and a very good boy.)
• Read
• Listen to music
• Watch travel videos
• Ponder the state of the world

There are writers who can put a pin in it and keep writing. That doesn’t work well for me. I think too much. I must stop writing, do the research, or physically move away from the writing area and do something else. Otherwise, I feel twitchy. Do what works best for you. There is no one right way.

Set Aside Time for What You Love

Find balance in all things.

Sometimes we research too much because we love learning new things. There is nothing wrong with that. Trouble comes loping in when we tumble down the rabbit holes, one interesting topic leading to another.

Don’t put too much of your research into your story.

My editor told me that it’s a bad idea to show your research. It’s cool to learn extra tidbits found while researching, but if the information isn’t driving the story forward, it’s merely an interesting tangent. As I recall, she referred to it as “Showing off.”

Save the research you don’t need in a Work-In-Progress and file it away to use it in another story. That way your time and hard work won’t be wasted.

While researching for this piece on too much research I came across a very funny article. I hope that you enjoy it as much as I do. 36 Warning Signs That You Are Spending Too Much Time Researching (and Not Enough Time Writing) | Rie Sheridan Rose

Do you find yourself entangled in a maze of thoughts, examining situations from all angles? What do you do to climb out of rabbit holes? How much research do you think is enough?

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About Ellen

Author, speaker, and former teacher, Ellen L. Buikema has written non-fiction for parents, and The Adventures of Charlie Chameleon chapter book series with stories encouraging the development of empathy—sprinkling humor wherever possible. Her Works in Progress are The Hobo Code, YA historical fiction and The Crystal Key, MG Magical Realism/ Sci-Fi, a glaze of time travel.

Find her at https://ellenbuikema.com or on Amazon.

Top Image by Pexels from Pixabay