Deep POV

Deep POV Pt. 7: Editing Tips

This is an ongoing series about using the writing technique – deep point of view. The original posts began over last summer after I attended a webinar on the subject. Previous are listed at the end of this post.

Editing for Deep POV

I’ve recently been revising my upcoming novel in preparation for sending the manuscript to my editor. As part of the process of developing deeper POV I want to revise the following:

1. Remove most, if not all, dialog tags so they are associated contextually with the speaking character.

2. Remove most, if not all, thinking tags and replace them with internalization or emotional cues.

3. Remove all internal dialog and replace with internalization.

4. Find as many prepositional “tellers” as possible and remove them. I supplied some examples of what these look like in a previous post listed below.

I thought that I would need to slog through each chapter or scene to find everything that needs to be done but this process proved to be arduous rather than running searches.

1. First tip: run searches to start finding all the problems quickly. The point is to move along and read in depth at a later stage. I delayed too long in following this simple editing hack and letting my editor find deeper issues to fix.

2. I started by running a search for dialog tags. I looked for the word “said” and determined whether it needed to be removed. I also searched for ‘ ,” ‘ in order to find all other dialog tags. By finding these I could edit these out as needed.

3. While I looked at dialog tags I also visually scanned nearby to identify other needed changes with thinking tags to insert internalization and places to insert emotional cues (both internal and external for the POV character, external for other characters). I also looked for other types of distance like viewing words that could be removed in order to show action around the character. However, further searches for thinking words can be found and edited.

4. I originally used some internal dialog so I had to correct for tense. I did searches for the words “I”, “me”, “my” and “we” to make sure tense was corrected.

Clip Art Image Copyright by Microsoft. Clip Art

5. As part of going deeper with POV and inserting emotional cues I looked for “teller” prepositions that describe, or tell, emotional state. These I’m able to find and replaced with emotional cues and internalization.

6. There remain some issues with sentences that have incorrect order or that lack linear progress. This is where scanning around my target searches helps since I can spot these issues and correct them. However, searching for the words “when”, “as” and “while” helps find these problems also if they still exist.

This helped me get to the various issues I wanted to resolve in a quicker fashion than otherwise. I expect the deeper round edits from the editor to find more issues but I’m further along than otherwise. The main point is that there are searches to use that get at many of the issues rather quickly. However, you must know what it is you are looking for to locate them without bogging down too much. Some of these are well-known shortcuts among writers and editors, I’ve just listed some that help me get to deep POV.

Here are previous posts based on deep POV that may help:

3 Tips for Editing to Deep POV PT 1

Deep POV Tips Part 2

Deep POV Tips Part 3

Deep POV Tips Part 4: Of Sneaks and Shallow POV

Deep POV Tips Pt. 5: Eliminate Narrative Distance

Deep POV Pt. 6: Editing for Emotion

And of course here are more resources for deep POV and showing emotion rather than telling:

Rivet Your Readers with Deep Point of View

The Emotion Thesaurus

Please share your thoughts in the comments section. I’d also love to connect with you over social media so check my Contact page for that information. See the News page for announcements and remember to sign-up to receive news and posts by email. I’ve added anew sign-up tab on my FaceBook page to simplify the process. New followers can download The Black Bag via free coupon today! Also, the cover of my book, The Bow of Destiny, was revealed on 11/10/14 so take a look.

About the Author

P. H. Solomon lives in the greater Birmingham, AL area where he strongly dislikes yard work and sanding the deck rail. However, he performs these duties to maintain a nice home for his loved ones as well as the family’s German Shepherds. In his spare time, P. H. rides herd as a Computer Whisperer on large computers called servers (harmonica not required). Additionally, he enjoys reading, running, most sports and fantasy football. Having a degree in Anthropology, he also has a wide array of more “serious” interests in addition to working regularly to hone his writing. The Bow of Destiny is his first novel-length title with more soon to come.

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Deep POV Pt. 10: Near & Far

Most everyone remembers the Sesame Street character Grover showing the difference between near and far. He used to pull all kinds of stunts to get the point across. He would lunge close to the camera and then go to great extremes to go the distance to show far. In the same way your writing should be “near and far”?

Near

Deep POV is an outstanding technique to bring your readers near your character. This mode of writing can be very gripping and keep your readers turning pages. You can enhance deep POV with regular use of emotional cues salted into the internalization. Showing emotions can add that extra punch to your writing and you need that power to keep readers interested. Actors work hard for deep characterization and so should writers.

Far

But there are times to be distant with your writing – even in short stories. Distance means you are relying on description. To do this you must be willing to use your writing to pan out like a camera and show wider angles to what’s going on in your story. But when should you use this technique? Here are a few instances:

1. Start a story or chapter with a wide angle and then pan into a deeper focus that drops readers into your character’s POV. This is frequently used and you may not realize it though your were caught up in the book and turned the pages.

Fight scenes are another great place to widen the angle of your prose. The more people in the fight, the more you can back out and use description. This is requires a different kind of distance which I’m working on now with my own book. The fight should flow but not be caught up in cloying details. If there are details, they should be distinctive for later use. Instead focus on consistent action that isn’t too abrupt but also isn’t overdone. The results should allow you to drop back into deep POV with all the emotions for riveting effect.

Work “near and far” to your advantage so your story won’t flag. Do it well and your readers may shower you with enthusiastic reviews that help sell books.

Is your prose near or far? What tips do you have for varying POV distance in your writing? Please share your thoughts and ideas in the comments section. I’d also love to connect with you over social media so check my Contact page for that information. See the News page for announcements and remember to sign-up to receive news and posts by email. I’ve added a new sign-up tab on my FaceBook page to simplify the process. New followers can download The Black Bag via free coupon today! Also, the cover of my book, The Bow of Destiny, was revealed recently so take a look.

About the Author

To find out more about The Bow of Destiny, click over to one of these online retailers:

Sign-up to receive my free ebooks today.

Deep POV Pt. 9: The Overhaul

I’ve written eight other posts about using deep POV as a fiction writing technique. Today, I want to share why I took on changing my technique and writing philosophy to this style of writing.

Some of the benefits of deep POV are evident if you recognize it in a book. The style is more gripping and therefore readers are more engaged, turn pages and share their enthusiasm with other readers. This technique also eliminates the showing versus telling issues if done well (and trust me, I’m still learning). Also, if done well, deep POV is much easier to edit – when you lapse out of the POV when you shouldn’t it jarring to the point you what must be edited.

But why did I ever decide to use deep POV? How did I even transition from my old way of writing? Here are three answers to these questions:

1. I was fortunate enough to receive a critique last year that gave me clues to the nature of my writing and the direction it needed to go – deeper. At the time the suggestion was made I really was at a loss as to what to do with it and rather overwhelmed at the prospect of such a fundamental change to my manuscript. I sensed that this would require an extensive overhaul. However, I was fortunate to sit-in on a seminar by an editor at a conference I attend that addressed reasons why manuscripts are rejected. After discussing these many reasons, the editor strongly advised using deep POV and explained what it was. It got my attention and motivated me to begin using this writing style.

2. At that point, I knew what I needed to do but not precisely how. Fortunately, I came across a free webinar on the subject through another writing group of which I’m a member. This webinar has been the basis of this series since last July, In it, I was provided better explanation about what deep POV is and how to use it.

3. Armed with this I was able to enact more decisive changes in my writing. With a clearer understanding of my path ahead, I began making increasingly substantial progress in my novel’s revision. As I progressed, I understood more of what needed to be done. Frankly, the last half of my most recent revision is better than the first half but that is being addressed through more editing. Now I’m to the point where I’m able write my current short fiction in this style and edit them better. I also expect to make faster progress through my long fiction drafts in the coming months.

Here are previous posts based on deep POV that may help:

3 Tips for Editing to Deep POV PT 1

Deep POV Tips Part 2

Deep POV Tips Part 3

Deep POV Tips Part 4: Of Sneaks and Shallow POV

Deep POV Tips Pt. 5: Eliminate Narrative Distance

Deep POV Pt. 6: Editing for Emotion

Deep POV Pt. 7: Editing Tips

Deep POV Pt. 8: How to Use Internalization

And of course here are more resources for deep POV and showing emotion rather than telling:

Rivet Your Readers with Deep Point of View

The Emotion Thesaurus

So that’s why and how I’ve made the transition in my writing style over the last year. What have you learned about the writing craft in the last year? What tips do your have for deep POV or any other style? Please share your thoughts and ideas in the comments section. I’d also love to connect with you over social media so check my Contact page for that information. See the News page for announcements and remember to sign-up to receive news and posts by email. I’ve added a new sign-up tab on my FaceBook page to simplify the process. New followers can download The Black Bag via free coupon today! Also, the cover of my book, The Bow of Destiny, was revealed recently so take a look.

About the Author

To find out more about The Bow of Destiny, click over to one of these online retailers: