I live in a rural community where it’s common practice to acknowledge a passing motorist. If the acquaintance is a casual one or even a complete stranger, lifting a single index finger will suffice. If the relationship is closer, a purposeful wave is best. When creating a character, I apply the passing motorist test. Meeting…
Tag: Characters
Deep POV Lesson 12 – One Awesome Scene
This is your last official lesson, Campers. I hope this class has been valuable. For this lesson, I just want you to see a full scene from Over the Edge by Suzanne Brockmann, the QUEEN of DEEP POV. Please excuse the language—we’ll blame Stan; he’s a Navy SEAL. Enjoy. It was the full moon’s fault….
Deep POV Lesson 11 – MRUs
MRUs? Huh? An MRU is a Motivation Reaction Unit. It’s a term coined by the inestimable Dwight Swain, and it’s a magic key to keep your reader immersed deep in the story. It may not be DEEP POV, but it’s closely related. So, I’ll just give you a taste and send you off to Google…
The Element of Surprise
I recently started a new project at my day job, with a new team of coworkers. Naturally, the writer in me began studying these people in search of writing fodder. After just a few interactions, I could paint a picture of my colleagues’ personalities in broad strokes. Character A: confident and self-assured. Character B: easygoing…
Deep POV Lesson 10 – Headhopping vs. Seamless POV Shifts
Some folks are POV purists, preaching that each scene should be from one POV and only one POV. Fine. I’m not going to argue. I’m not a POV purist. Powerful writing pulls the reader in and doesn’t let her up for air. I’ve read many books that shift POV in a scene, sometimes more than…