Hello and welcome to another online adventure! I think we’re going to have a great time going DEEP.
First, let me re-introduce myself. I’m Jax Hunter. I write romance (military romance, paranormal romance, and hockey romance) and historical fiction. I “found” DEEP POV quite a few years ago, before I started the military romance series. I was devouring Suzanne Brockmann’s SEAL books and noticed that she was doing something that was new to me. Yes, indeed, Suz is the queen of DEEP POV. I’ll give you many examples of how she does it. Might as well learn from the best.
Do I always get it right? Of course I do, just ask my critique partners! Wait. Don’t. Never mind.
I have taught this course in person in workshop format, but here we’ll get a chance to go even deeper (haha) into the subject and play along the way. I’ll answer questions throughout, and we can play any day! And if you want to go deeper in your own writing, and you’re willing to let us play with a few paragraphs of yours, please just email me (jaxmhunter@gmail.com) and put DEEP POV in the subject line. If you share your work, we’ll all brainstorm together how to go deeper, how to make the scenes and characters pop.
I truly believe that learning and honing DEEP POV skills can help you write better fiction, make your characters resonate with the reader, and have raving fans who engage emotionally with your books (and buy anything you write.)
So, what is DEEP POV anyway?
A quote from Alicia Rasley’s The Power of Point of View states this far better than I can: “This [deep third] is the most intense and intimate POV level, more intimate, in fact, than first person narration. Why? Because an effective first person narrator can and probably will lie. In deep-immersion third person, the reader can assume that what’s reported is the deepest of personal truth, at least as far as the character knows.” I like the term she uses: deep-immersion third person.
In DEEP POV we see the sights, smell the smells, hear the sounds, and feel the action from deep inside one character’s point of view. That character is not telling us the story as he would in first person, he’s living the story. We know what he’s thinking, what he’s feeling – not because he’s telling us what he’s thinking, but because he’s simply thinking, like in this example from Suzanne Brockmann’s The Unsung Hero. 
What I love about DEEP POV is how easily the reader slips into the character’s skin. It really makes the story come alive. There are some great reasons to use DEEP POV:
- Make your characters resonate with your reader
- Pull the reader into the story
- Get to the emotion (which is why we read after all, isn’t it?)
- Make your characters likable
So, if you’ve submitted a novel – to a contest, an agent/editor, or your critique group – and their feedback included…
- I didn’t like your character
- I didn’t understand your character
- I just couldn’t get into it
- Where’s the emotion?
…then come on in, grab a chair at the table, and let’s explore DEEP POV in Lesson One.
Next month, we’ll really jump in. Until then, you know the drill. BiC-HoK: Butt in Chair, Hands on Keyboard.
Cheers, Jax
I was lucky enough to score a copy of Suz’s “Going Deep With POV” booklet at a RWA conference, and she’s been my go-to person ever since. I, too, have done workshops of Deep POV, both on line and in person, and I can’t imagine writing any other way. Although I can still enjoy stories — mysteries tend to be much more distant — her tips for getting that “camera” embedded in your character’s brain can create that connection with the reader. For me, it’s all about the characters, and Deep POV really cements that connection.
Absolutely, Terry. Lucky you scoring that booklet. I’ve got a lovely piece of swamp land I’ll trade you for it 🙂 I’m counting on you helping is we get some “victims” – er “volunteers” that would like to have some help going Deep!
Thanks, Jax. I wasn’t familiar with this term/idea. It sounds interesting. I’m a little unclear on what you mean in the post by ‘explore DEEP POV in LEsson One.’ Are more posts coming? If so, what’s the schedule?
Thanks! -Lesley
Leslie – this is the beginning of a series. It will be my monthly blog post and it might go on for a year! More if we get tons of participation 🙂 Cheers!
Thanks, Jax. Looking forward to more. Always enjoy learning. (Can’t read your inserted page, but no problem, I’ll keep watching RMFW for your next blog.)
I love this idea. This is an excellent subject and a creative way to get people involved in the discussion.
I love writing in the Deep POV. I know I have a lot to learn about it because the manuscript I’m revising is the first time I’ve used it. So, I am looking forward to each blog post. Thanks also for recommending an author that is great at it. I’ve bought her first book after reading the Prologue excerpt you posted here.