Writers in the Storm

by Lisa Hall-Wilson

How do you show a non-POV character’s priorities, motives, thoughts, etc? Deep POV (and even limited 3^rd person POV) only allows the reader to know what the POV character knows. This can make showing what other characters are feeling, or giving information that only the non-POV character knows, is really tricky sometimes. Limited third- person will allow for the author voice to fill in the gaps, but deep POV wants to remove the author voice entirely, adding extra layers of complexity.

The answer is to go deeper – yes, that nebulous, endlessly-frustrating advice that’s only helpful if you know what that means. So let’s see what ‘going deeper’ really looks like.

This is part of one of the 20+ lessons from my four-week deep POV masterclass that’s running in three weeks.

The Role of Non-POV Characters

A non-POV character who is familiar with or knows the point of view character can share information, make an observation about the POV character’s behaviour or attitude, etc. They can mirror or reflect back, respond or challenge the POV character’s attitudes, actions, or decisions and this can show readers if the POV character is behaving as expected, is being rude, over-reacting, suppressing emotions, etc.

Don’t miss how important this role can be to your story.

This can help readers know if the point of view character is being rational or acting out of the ordinary for that story world. The opposite is also true if the non-POV character is trying to alienate, bully, or gaslight the POV character.

They can create scenarios and situations for your POV character to react to. They can discuss things the point of view character doesn’t know or wouldn’t think of on their own. The non-POV character plays a vital role, so don’t underestimate the value they provide.

The catch is that these styles of point of view (limited/deep third and deep POV – not the same thing) don’t want the reader to access the non-POV character’s thoughts, internal sensations or inward feelings. This all has to be shown with spoken dialogue, body language (gestures, posture, expressions, tone of voice, movement) and subtext. The great pitfall is falling into the trap of telling, over-using the author voice, or breaking point of view.

Examples of Using Subtext to Show Non-POV Character Thoughts

Let’s look at some common scenarios and workarounds to avoid using the author voice or breaking POV.

Shane knew Sara was lying.

Shane is the POV character in this line. How can Shane know Sara is lying? As it’s written, this is a POV break. What we need to do instead is use subtext to provide evidence to the reader for why Shane thinks this of Sara. Is this an assumption or interpretation based on a gesture or body language to mean something? Is this a result of past experience with Sara? Does Shane know Sara well enough to know when she’s lying – we need to show what’s tipping him off in that instance.

This is ‘going deeper.’ Next time you get that feedback, think about how to break down the information the POV character uses to reach that conclusion. Give that raw information to the reader instead of the conclusion.

Let’s look at a couple of different rewrites still from Shane’s perspective:

Sara crossed her fingers before hiding her hand behind her back, just like she’d done when they were kids. She was lying.

Sara couldn’t meet his gaze, kept staring at the floor and shuffling her feet. Shane’s brows knit together and his jaw clenched. She was lying to him.

Make sure the reader understands why/how your POV character came to land on that opinion, that thought, that judgement. This doesn’t have to be a long explanation nor does your character always have to get it right.

Dan focused on picking the lock, frustrated by the child screaming behind the closed door.

Dan isn’t the POV character, so then how would the POV character know Dan was fazed or unfazed? The POV character can only interpret what they see. Dan could seem unfazed, he can appear calm – but the POV character can’t know what’s going on in Dan’s head.

How to get more out of this example…

With subtext, you can leverage whatever relationship Dan and the POV character have to show readers a deeper insight, but you still have to give a reason for this leap in assumptions.

Dan glanced at me, the corner of his mouth pulled to the side. I gave him a thumbs up. He focused on the lock once more, making tiny adjustments with his lock-pick set. I clapped my hands over my ears to dull Alan’s shrill screams from the other side of the door.

Do you see how vital body language is to subtext?

Use Subtext to Show Familiarity

Early on, build in the ability for the POV character to read the body language of another character, one they’re close to. This set up doesn’t have to be long, nor do the insights gained need to be significant, but it does need to be intentional.

Consider the wife sitting down to have tea with her husband and prepares his drink just the way he likes it, different from hers, without request or instruction. Show a well-rehearsed routine that’s done without words. Show them finishing each other sentences. Micro-expressions and tiny gestures that point to a shared history or inside joke. Little things like this show readers the familiarity they share.

With this set up, it’s easier for the non-POV character to point out something’s off, to comment or react to whatever is out of the ordinary, show what’s routine, share backstory, or ask the question to prompt the POV character to share or think about information the reader needs.

Let’s look at an example:

Laurel is the POV character, but we do we learn about her from Paul here?

Laurel dropped a teabag in each mug and poured in the hot water. Paul’s signature three-knuckled rap sounded on the screen door. “Laurel? Are the kids ready?”

No more delaying. “In here.” She turned to face him, too tired to hide the droop in her shoulders or put on a fake smile.

He stared at her a moment longer than normal. “You OK?”His voice dropped two tones, and he met her gaze as though he could read her mind that way.

Warmth filled her chest. “Can we talk?” She held up the two mugs. “I’ve got tea ready.”

He pulled his hands from his pockets and wiped them down the legs of his pants. “Yeah. Of course.” He sat, leaning forward in his chair. “What’s up?”

She set the mugs in front of him. Paul removed the teabag from one mug and slid it across the table to meet her as she sat down. Laurel slid the sugar closer to him. He used to tell her how his day had gone, asked about hers.

She tapped the side of her mug with a chipped-polish fingernail to fill the silence. Just tell him. “I lost my job.”

He measured two spoonfuls of sugar into his mug and stirred it in. “Couple of weeks ago. I heard.”

“You heard?” There were just the usual lines on his face made deeper by fatigue, no judgement. “You never said anything.”

“Kids told me.” He lifted a shoulder. “Figured you’d tell me eventually.” His mouth pulled to the side like it did when he was beating himself up for something. “Or not. I lost the privilege of knowing what’s going on in your life.”

What Can We Learn From the Subtext of a Non-POV Character?

There’s a lot of communication happening in this short passage, but there’s not a lot of dialogue. I’ve had to cut this scene by almost two-thirds for brevity, so hopefully it still makes an impact, but the familiarity with each other’s routines and expressions shows a past history. The interactions, the hesitation, the measured words (hopefully) show there’s a past hurt.

This is going deeper. Two characters meeting for the first time, would approach this interaction very differently. There might be less at stake emotionally. There’s no history of past hurts, old arguments, or bruised egos to tip toe around. There’s no elephant in the room.

When we’ve been hurt, deeply hurt, we become hypersensitive to small nuances, change in voice tone, every small twitch. We’re on alert. I’ve tried to use that to show she’s extending an olive branch and his openness and willingness to listen lends her some courage.

How can your non-POV characters do more of the work of moving the story ahead without using the author voice or telling?

Interested in mastering Deep Point Of View? Lisa is running two classes this summer at https://deepdiveauthorclub.vipmembervault.com/. (June 11-30, and August 18 - Sept 19).

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

Top featured photo created in Canva.

by Laurie Schnebly Campbell

We’ve all met secondary characters who threatened to take over the entire story from the main characters. They were just so exciting, so intriguing, so compelling that we skimmed through scenes featuring solely the protagonist because we wanted to see more of the sidekick. Or the new partner. Or the feisty grandpa. Or the loyal dragon.

And okay, maybe the sidekick / partner / grandpa / dragon wasn’t actually the star of the book...but, boy, they were sure a treat to read about! Plus, according to most of their authors, a treat to write about as well.

Why ARE secondary characters such fun to write?

First, you can make them a lot more extreme without stretching the reader’s credulity. A protagonist who’s constantly pulling pranks, cracking jokes, turning cartwheels in every parking lot would get tiresome pretty quickly. But a sidekick or brother-in-law or first-grader next door who does that can be entertaining instead of annoying: “Wow, what’re they gonna do next?!”

Same thing with a protagonist who automatically goes by Standard Procedure in every thought, word and deed with never a moment of hesitation -- they’d get a bit boring after several chapters. But a boss or bodyguard or attorney who does that can be reassuring instead of discouraging: “Whew, we can always count on good old L.J.!”

What else makes secondary characters fun to write?

They’re not as much work in terms of a character arc. Their job isn’t to grow & learn & change and emerge a wiser / happier / stronger / better person. They CAN do that, sure, especially if they’ve got their own subplot, but they can also plod (or cartwheel) through the entire book without changing their personality one bit from beginning to end.

Think of series characters you’ve enjoyed. For every Han Solo, there’s a Chewbacca. For every Scarlett O’Hara, there’s a Melanie Wilkes. For every Sherlock Holmes, there’s a Dr. Watson. For every Eve Dallas, there’s a Roarke.

And, sure, Roarke and Hermione and Granny Weatherwax have evolved a bit as their series unfold. But they haven’t changed their fundamental core. Readers know they can depend on this secondary character to deliver what we expect from them, book after book after book. They’re crucial to the story, even though they’re not the primary character. Which leads to the question of:

What MAKES a character secondary?

Their job in the book is to support the main character, whether they’re this person’s best friend or worst enemy.

They could be the silver-tongued banker who’s concerned about the loan, or the adorable toddler who brings Teddy everywhere, or the savvy co-worker who always knows where to get the best coffee. They could even be the love interest, or the villain who must be defeated, or the quirky new housemate whom nobody can quite figure out. As long as they’re supporting the story, they’re doing their job.

How can you tell whether the love interest or the villain or the housemate is a primary or a secondary character?

Think about this book being made into a movie. Think of EACH character’s actor/actress being nominated for the Academy Awards...during a year which (very conveniently) allows for more than one Best Actor/Actress and more than one Best Supporting Actor/Actress winner.

Which award will they be nominated for?

Best Actor/Actress means they’re a primary character. Best Supporting means they’re secondary. But even if they’re secondary, they’re still so important that if they were removed from the story, it flat-out wouldn’t work.

If you COULD remove ‘em, like you could replace the waitress whose only function is to say “the robber had a mustache” or the neighbor whose only function is to accidentally block the driveway, they’re a tertiary character and don’t need any development. Slap a waitress uniform on ‘em, or drop ‘em in the house next door, and they’re as complete as they’ll ever need to be.

As somewhat better-developed secondary characters, though, they’ll help drive the plot. They’ll make the main characters’ lives easier or harder. They might offer someone for your protagonist/s to talk to. They might provide helpful or harmful advice. They might inspire an action that’ll make things better, or make things worse, for the main character and maybe for themselves as well.

In short, they’re a significant asset to the story.

Even if your main characters don’t appreciate everything these secondaries do, the readers will. Maybe not consciously -- after all, you don’t often hear people raving “didn’t you love how the butler moving that telegram turned the whole story upside down?!” -- but readers do value what they contribute.

Contributions like:

• Obstacles, well-intentioned or otherwise.
• A more credible story world.
• A contrast that highlights some quality of the protagonist.
• Suggestions that make things better or worse.
• Someone to worry about or fantasize about.
• Someone to provide comic relief or a sigh of relief.
• Someone to heighten a sense of danger or excitement.

Every reader (and every writer) has secondary characters they remember with a special fondness. Characters they enjoyed more than usual. Maybe someone who appeared just once, or someone who became a regular. Maybe a best friend, maybe a villain, maybe a mentor, maybe a relative, maybe a cute kid, maybe an animal...

What secondary character do you enjoy remembering? Whether or not you remember the book title / author / character’s name, although by all means mention it if you do, what is it ABOUT this secondary character that’s stayed with you?

Opportunity:

Someone who answers will win free registration to Those Secondary Characters, my June 2-13 email class on creating those very people. Tomorrow afternoon I’ll have random-org draw a name and post it at the end of the comments -- so check back then, because class will start next Monday morning!

About Laurie:

After winning Romantic Times’ “Best Special Edition of the Year” over Nora Roberts, Laurie Schnebly Campbell discovered she loved teaching every bit as much as writing...if not more. Since then, she’s taught online and live workshops, including the upcoming Those Secondary Characters, and keeps a special section of her bookshelves for people who’ve developed that particular novel in her classes. With 50+ titles there so far, she’s always hoping for more.

Featured post photo (top) purchased from Depositphotos.

by Lisa Norman

In 2010, WordPress boldly declared its mission: the Democratization of Publishing. The idea was simple but powerful—give everyone the tools to share their voice with the world, affordably and without gatekeepers.

And for a long time, it worked.

Writers, bloggers, and creatives built entire careers on the promise that if they showed up, wrote their truth, and optimized for Google, readers would find them.

But now the online world looks different. That dream hasn’t died—it’s just changed hands.

When Your Website Starts to Feel Like a Second Job

Many of us remember when a simple WordPress blog was all you needed. But over the years, maintaining a site has gotten harder. Hosting costs are up. Themes are bloated. Security concerns have multiplied. What used to be empowering now feels… technical. Complicated. Expensive.

Instead of writing, we’re updating plugins, debugging contact forms, and trying to figure out why our newsletter signup widget isn’t showing up on mobile.

Platforms like Substack and Medium have stepped in with a fresh promise: streamlined, low-stress content sharing. They’re easy to use, cost little or nothing to maintain, and—bonus—can even generate revenue through reader support. For a writer who just wants to connect with an audience, they’re refreshingly simple.

Why Isn’t Google Bringing the Traffic Like It Used To?

Once upon a time, Google was the biggest driver of discoverability. We wrote blog posts, optimized keywords, and trusted the algorithm to do the rest.

But those days are fading fast.

As someone who regularly watches website stats, I’m seeing a trend: organic traffic is dropping—and not just by a little. More and more, writers find that even their best blog content isn’t showing up where it used to.

One reason? The rise of AI-driven search engines. Tools like Google’s Search Generative Experience and other AI search tools are changing how people find content. Large content creating companies (often using AI to scrape and pull content from other places) are able to push or buy their way ahead of small blogs in the search results. It’s not personal. But it’s happening.

The Rise of Platforms with Built-In Audiences

Here’s where it gets interesting.

Platforms like Substack, Medium, and even Ko-fi have internal discovery systems. So does World Anvil. They’re not just places to post—they’re ecosystems. Built-in algorithms recommend your work to new readers. You’re not just shouting into the void; you’re being gently introduced to an audience that’s already interested.

And you don’t need to worry about hosting, security, or whether your theme still supports your mobile menu. You can just write.

But Wait—Do I Still Need an Email List?

Yes. Absolutely. Always.

While these new platforms help with discoverability, your email list is still your most valuable connection to the people who care about your work.

Readers who join your list are inviting you into their inbox. They’re your true fans—the ones who will click, comment, and recommend you to their friends. And that’s how real growth happens.

Do You Own Your Content?

It’s a good question—and one that deserves more time than we have here. I’ve written more about that in Owning Your Content: The Myth of Platform.

In short: using platforms is fine—as long as you’re thoughtful about how much you rely on them. Keep backups. Keep your list. And remember: accessibility doesn’t have to come at the expense of ownership.

What Writers Need to Ask Now

We don’t need to panic—but we do need to pause and think.

• Is your platform helping you reach readers… or just eating up your time?
• Are you trading hours of tech frustration for a trickle of visibility?
• Would a switch to a new platform simplify your life—or complicate it?
• What are you really paying (in time or money), and is it bringing the value you hoped for?

The tools have changed—but your ability to reach and connect with readers has never been more powerful. We just need to choose tools that work for us, not ones that work against us.

How has your approach to blogging, newsletters, or reader connection shifted in the past few years—and what tools or platforms are helping you stay visible and supported now?

About Lisa

Lisa Norman's passion has been writing since she could hold a pencil. While that is a cliché, she is unique in that her first novel was written on gum wrappers. As a young woman, she learned to program and discovered she has a talent for helping people and computers learn to work together and play nice. When she's not playing with her daughter, writing, or designing for the web, she can be found wandering the local beaches.

Lisa writes as Deleyna Marr and is the owner of No Stress Writing Academy. She also runs Heart Ally Books, LLC, an indie publishing firm.

Interested in learning more from Lisa? Sign up for her newsletter or check out her school, No Stress Writing Academy, where she teaches social media, organization, technical skills, and marketing for authors!

Top image from depositphotos.