Deep point of view is a technique that modern writers use to make stories feel more compelling and immediate for the reader. You can use this technique in both first person and third person narration. And you can dip in and out of deep point of view when you want your scenes to have more or less emotional impact.
Articles about deep point of view
For quick overviews or tips about deep point of view, check out these articles.
- Award-winning author Lisa Hall-Wilson has a series of articles about deep point of view on her Deep Dive Author Club site.
- How to Make Readers Captivated Using Deep POV by Bre Miche, one of the contributing writers of The Writing Cooperative writing community.
- Deep Point of View by fantasy writer E. M. Anderson.
- Deep Point of View by paranormal romance author Anna Zabo.
- Deep POV: 6 Key Details to Use in the Beginning of a Book (and Beyond!) by suspense writer Joslyn Chase, one of the contributors to The Write Practice writing community.
- How to write deep POV: 8 tips and examples by Jordan Kantey, a writing and development expert at Now Novel, a site that offers writing tools as well as coaching and editing.
- Emotional Depth 4: Deep Point of View by romance author Melissa James, a contributing writer for AutoCrit, a site that offers a free word processor and editing tools a well as coaching and writing courses.
- Deep Point of View by best selling author Rececca Zanetti, who writes romantic suspense and dark paranormal romance.
- Diving into Deep POV by Alessandra Torre, an award-winning New York Times bestselling author of twenty-two novels.
- 7 Ways Deep POV Creates Emotional Connections With Readers by writing coach Lisa Hall-Wilson. Also check out her article 5 Pro Tips You Need To Write Deep Point of View Effectively.
- Diving Deep into Deep Point of View by creative writing teacher Rhay Christou
- Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Deep Point Of View by Paige Duke, a writer and editor.
- How To Write In Deep Point-Of-View by Kristen Kieffer, a fantasy fiction writer and the founder of Well-Storied.com. She also hosts the Well-Storied podcast.
- How to Write Deep POV: 8 Tips for Using an Immersive Point of View by the MasterClass staff.
Books about deep point of view
For a deep dive into how deep point of view works and how to use it, check out one of these books.
Deep Point of View by Marcy Kennedy
With 100 five-star ratings, this is the best-reviewed book on how to write deep point of view. It covers the theory of how deep point of view works, offers examples, and also includes tips and writing exercises.
Kennedy explains that mastering deep point of view also provides a stronger grasp on showing instead of telling, helps authors get a handle on internal dialogue, and helps avoid problems like too much backstory, info dumps, and point-of-view errors. Plus, even though it uses more words, it actually feels faster-paced to the reader.
She’s got a clean, accessible style and this is a good book to get a nice overview of the material.
Marcy Kennedy writes science fiction and fantasy herself but is also a writing instructor and fiction editor. Plus, she is also the author of the 11-book Busy Writer’s Guides series, of which this book is one.
Get the book on Amazon for $4.99 for the ebook or $9.99 for the paperback.
Writing Deep Point Of View: Professional Techniques for Fiction Authors by Rayne Hall
This can book can be used as a self-study class, with a lesson per chapter, and exercises at the end of each chapter. It has 150 ratings, and an average score of 4.6 stars.
Hall explains how to pick your point of view character, and how to switch between point of view characters if you need to have more than one. While this isn’t a book for the absolute beginner, it is still very accessible and comprehensive.
Rayne Hall Rayne Hall is a fantasy and horror writer and the editor of the Ten Tales anthology series. She is also the author or co-author of the 36-book Writer’s Craft series, of which this book is one.
Get the book on Amazon for $4.99 for the ebook or $12.99 for the paperback. But if you’re a Kindle Unlimited subscriber, you can read it for free.
Rivet Your Readers with Deep Point of View by Jill Elizabeth Nelson
This is a handbook for how to transform writing that is not immersive into compelling deep point of view narrative. It has 374 ratings, and an average score of 4.4 stars.
Jill Elizabeth Nelson is an award-winning author and popular speaker and writing teacher. She writes romantic suspense. The book is extremely readable and the examples she offers are clear and make tons of sense.
Get the book on Amazon for $3.99 for the ebook or $5.99 for the paperback. But if you’re a Kindle Unlimited subscriber, you can read it for free.
And here are some more books that are on my reading list but that I haven’t had a chance to look at yet. When I do, I’ll update this article.
- Method Acting For Writers: Learn Deep Point Of View Using Emotional Layers by Lisa Hall-Wilson
- Going Deep Into Deep Point of View by Beth Yarnall
- Writing Deep Viewpoint by Kathy Tyers
- Mastering Deep Point of View: Simple Steps to Make Your Stories Irresistible to Your Readers by Alice Gaines
Finally, here’s a video you can watch by Bryn Donovan, author of Blank Page to Final Draft: How to Plot, Write, and Edit a Novel, Step By Step. This video is part of her free video course, “How to write a novel”.
Edited by Melody Friedenthal
MetaStellar editor and publisher Maria Korolov is a science fiction novelist, writing stories set in a future virtual world. And, during the day, she is an award-winning freelance technology journalist who covers artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and enterprise virtual reality. See her Amazon author page here and follow her on Twitter, Facebook, or LinkedIn, and check out her latest videos on the Maria Korolov YouTube channel. Email her at maria@metastellar.com. She is also the editor and publisher of Hypergrid Business, one of the top global sites covering virtual reality.