Ever wonder how to take your novel from "eh" to publication? There are several things you can do to make your writing better. Join published author Pam Meyers to see how you can use Deep Point of View to help your work touch the heart of your readers
~ Angie
As the launch date for my
debut novel Thyme for Love
approaches, I’ve been reflecting on how the story developed over a number of
years.
Because I enjoy mysteries
with strong female leads, I wanted to write such a story. And, because you can
be certain that any storyline of mine will include romance, I also wanted the book
to have a strong romantic element.
After receiving help from
a mystery writer and incorporating the romantic element into the plot, along
with a spiritual thread, I thought I had a contest-ready story and entered it
in the ACFW Genesis writing contest. My scores were fairly good except that a
judge gave me a three for POV. Since the story is written in first person, I
was baffled. I asked the judge her reasons for this, and she told me I needed
to learn deep POV. That without using that method, my POV was average. In other
words—a three.
I had never heard of Deep
POV, but I sure did learn about it in a hurry. As I added it to the story I was
amazed at how much richer my story read. Now Deep POV comes as naturally to me
as breathing. Not always on the first draft, but certainly on the second when I
layer in details. With Deep POV, the reader is brought up close and personal
with the POV character, and he or she will feel an instant connection, wanting
to keep reading. Sometimes, all it takes is a small tweak to a paragraph to
power up a scene. An added bonus is that deep POV helps eliminate the dreaded
telling that we all try to avoid.
By now many more authors
are aware of deep POV, but for the uninitiated I want share some certain
telltale word-signs or phrases to look for when revising your writing.
- She felt. She felt chills running down her spine.
Instead say, Chills trailed down her
spine.
- She watched or saw, She watched him head down the hall and turn
the corner. Instead say, She waited
until he disappeared around the corner.
- She wondered…thought…knew. (Most of the time this expression is
unnecessary. It’s obvious already that a person is thinking this so she
must know it.) How would she ever tell him the truth, she wondered. She
picked up her keys . . . Instead
say, How would she ever tell him the
truth? She picked up her keys and headed for her car.
- Emotion labeling such as fear,
anger, sad, happy, etc. Anger
filled her chest and she raised her chin. Instead say, Heat filled her gut. What a pompous
idiot he was to think she didn’t get it. She raised her chin and waited
for him to answer.
This is only a small taste
of deep POV, but if you aren’t using it in your writing, I encourage you to
learn as much as you can about it. If you are a member of American Christian
Fiction Writers, go to the archives of the online course. Ginny Smith taught a
class on it this year, and the lessons should be archived. If you have
questions for me about Deep POV, email me at pamsmeyers@gmail.com and I’d be happy to
answer.
April Love has always dreamed of
being a chef.
But she didn’t expect a former
fiancé
or murder to be part of the
recipe for her new job.
When April Love signs on to be an in-house chef at
an old lakeshore mansion in Canoga Lake, Wisconsin, she comes face to face with
her long-lost love, the drop-dead gorgeous Marc Thorne. It doesn’t take long
for their old magnetism to recharge, but how can she trust the guy who left her
nearly at the altar eight years earlier? Her gut tells her something happened
to Marc in between—something he’s reluctant to reveal.
When April’s boss is murdered, Marc is accused of
the crime. Unless April can find out who really killed Ramón Galvez, her
chances for love will end up at the county jail. But someone else is just as
determined she not solve the mystery…and will go to any length to stop her.
A native of Lake Geneva, Wisc., Pamela S. Meyers currently
lives in Arlington Heights, Ill. She served on the Operating Board for ACFW
2005-2009, and is president of her local ACFW chapter. Her debut novel Thyme for Love releases November 14,
2011, and her historical that is set in her hometown, Love Finds You in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, will release in June
2012. She has published articles in Today’s
Christian Woman, Christian Computing,
Victory in Grace, and Ancestry. She is also a contributor in
the compilation book, His Forever.
