• Skip to main content
  • Skip to after header navigation
  • Skip to site footer

The Steve Laube Agency

Helping to Change the World…Word by Word

The Steve Laube Agency

The Steve Laube Agency

Helping to Change the World Word by Word

  • Home
  • About
    • Who We Are
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • Interview with Steve Laube
    • Statement of Faith
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Privacy Policy
  • Guidelines
  • Authors
    • Who We Represent
    • Awards and Recognition
  • Resources
    • Recommended Reading
    • Christian Writers Market Guide Online
    • Christian Writers Institute
    • Writers Conferences
    • Freelance Editorial Services
    • Copyright Resources
    • Research Tools
    • Selling What You Write
  • Blog
  • Contact
  • Twitter
  • FaceBook
  • RSS Feed
  • Get Published
  • Book Proposals
  • Book Business
  • Writing Craft
    • Conferences
    • Copyright
    • Craft
    • Creativity
    • Grammar
  • Fun Fridays
Home » Blog

Blog

Point of View #5

By Lynette Easonon December 4, 2024
Share
Tweet
6

We’re back and still talking about point of view because, let’s face it, it can be a hard thing to grasp. So, in review, last time we talked about:

  1. Get rid of “distance” words—words that can disconnect the reader from the story.
  2. Use strong, vivid verbs, not passive verbs like was and were.
  3. Ditch tags like “she thought,” “he pondered,” “she mused,” and so on

Now, let’s continue the list:

Incorporate the Senses

Think about it. We want to experience the story through the character’s senses—what they see, hear, smell, taste, and feel. This brings even more detail to their world and allows the reader to become fully immersed in the environment.

Example:

    • Distance: She smelled bacon and heard a dish being dropped into the sink.
    • Deep POV: The blessed aroma of bacon woke her. She smiled. Then the crash of a dish in the sink sent her scrambling for her robe.

The deep POV example tosses the distance words (smelled and heard) and pulls you right into what the character is experiencing. Sometimes it takes more than one sentence to do that. And that’s perfectly fine.

Stay in the Present

Deep POV thrives on immediacy, so it’s essential to stay grounded in the present moment. Unless you’re writing fantasy, characters can’t time-travel. Please don’t jump ahead or back in time to give us information the character wouldn’t have any way of knowing. Keep the character—and your readers—in the now.

Example:

    • No: He would later come to understand she never intended to keep her word.
    • Yes: “I promise. You can trust me.” Something in the way she said the words made him pause for a moment, then he shoved away the little voice that said he should do more research and shook her hand.

In deep POV, you want to avoid explaining what the character will realize later. (This slips into omniscient POV—and not necessarily in a good way.) Instead, let the character feel the doubt in the present moment, thereby allowing the reader to feel it too.

Internal Dialogue

In deep POV, internal dialogue doesn’t need to be marked with quotation marks or even italics most of the time. Internal dialogue should be integrated seamlessly into the narrative so the reader never pauses.

Example:

Your character is asked, “Who would want to kill the deceased?”

    • No: I have a few ideas, he thought.
    • Deep POV: Which name do I offer up first?

The second example keeps the internal question in the character’s voice, but it blends naturally with the rest of the narrative.

Feel the Emotions

Deep POV relies heavily on conveying how a character feels; this takes careful word choice. Writers want to reflect the intensity of the moment, especially in action scenes or moments of tension, and we want our readers to feel it as deeply.

Example:

    • No: She was afraid of the man following her as she hurried into the alley looking for a place to hide.
    • Yes, please!: His footsteps pounded closer. She button-hooked around the wall of the general store and found herself in an alley as dark as midnight. With her heart pounding in her throat, she inched toward the back, the darkest part, every shadow a potential threat.

Can you feel the fear? The emotion? Which example do you like better? Why? Take a look at your manuscript. Are you using your words wisely in deep POV?

 

 

Leave a Comment
Category: Writing Craft

Are You Pitch Perfect?

By Steve Laubeon December 2, 2024
Share
Tweet
10

A critical key to landing a book deal is the presentation of your idea in such a way that the editor or agent is completely sold on the concept. In musical terms, perfect pitch is the rare talent to name or pick out a note without having any reference point. This is illustrated by this youtube video where they clear your mind, then give you a tone, and ask you to name the note; most people fail …

Read moreAre You Pitch Perfect?
Category: Book Proposals, PitchingTag: book proposals, Pitching

Fun Fridays – November 29, 2024

By Steve Laubeon November 29, 2024
Share
Tweet
5

Enjoy today’s “ruff” draft of a short story. (It wasn’t my pun so don’t blame me for your groan of despair.)

Read moreFun Fridays – November 29, 2024
Category: Fun Fridays

Blessed Thanksgiving!

By Steve Laubeon November 28, 2024
Share
Tweet
17

A blessed Thanksgiving to all who are celebrating it. “Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love,     for his wondrous works to the children of man! For he satisfies the longing soul,     and the hungry soul he fills with good things.” (Psalm 107:8-9, ESV)  

Read moreBlessed Thanksgiving!
Category: Personal

A Writer’s Thanks

By Bob Hostetleron November 27, 2024
Share
Tweet
20

A Writer’s Thanks Gracious Lord, thank you for the joy of writing. For the honor of being published. For the blessing of being used. The miracle of being paid. The wonder of being read. The blessing of my words being translated and traveling around the world. Amen.

Read moreA Writer’s Thanks
Category: Inspiration

The Anatomy of the Publishing Cycle

By Steve Laubeon November 25, 2024
Share
Tweet38
7

If you ask an editor or an agent, “What’s hot right now?” you are too late with the question. The nature of the publishing business is that what you see selling today are books that were conceived, written, published, and marketed over the past couple of years or more. That is why we, on this side of the table, avoid making pronouncements on current trends. In some ways, the agent and the …

Read moreThe Anatomy of the Publishing Cycle
Category: Book Business, Branding, Career, Creativity, Indie, Marketing, TrendsTag: publishing, The Publishing Life, Trends

Fun Fridays – November 22, 2024

By Steve Laubeon November 22, 2024
Share
Tweet
19

I want to know where I can buy a case of this product! It can change the world. Might even change your Thanksgiving meal time next week (for those in the U.S.). And honey, if you are watching this, I am not “Harold Weathers.” I’m just a little hard of hearing.

Read moreFun Fridays – November 22, 2024
Category: Fun Fridays

Teamwork Makes the Publishing Work

By Dan Balowon November 21, 2024
Share
Tweet
10

One hundred years ago today, Christopher Tolkien was born to Edith and John Ronald Reuel (JRR) Tolkien. He was the third of four children and the youngest son. Christopher was deeply involved in his father’s work, editing it and drawing the maps used in the Lord of the Rings (LOTR) books. At one point, his dad invited him to join the famous writer’s group The Inklings. Here’s an interesting …

Read moreTeamwork Makes the Publishing Work
Category: Book Business, Publishing History, The Writing Life

Judging a Book by Its Cover

By Steve Laubeon November 18, 2024
Share
Tweet26
87

We’ve heard the cliche “Don’t judge a book by its cover.” True. But you do “buy a book by its cover.” We all do. That colorful billboard attracts the eye, disseminates information, and sells the content. Even when the billboard is the size of a postage stamp on Amazon.com, BN.com, or iTunes, you make a judgment on the quality of the book based on its cover. It …

Read moreJudging a Book by Its Cover
Category: Art, Book Business, The Publishing LifeTag: Book Covers

Fun Fridays – November 15, 2024

By Steve Laubeon November 15, 2024
Share
Tweet
7

Palette cleanser with today’s video. Sheer Joy! Conquering the get-it-done pile!

Read moreFun Fridays – November 15, 2024
Category: Fun Fridays
  • Previous
  • Page 1
  • Interim pages omitted …
  • Page 9
  • Page 10
  • Page 11
  • Page 12
  • Page 13
  • Interim pages omitted …
  • Page 329
  • Next

Sidebar

Get Blog Updates

Enter your email address to get new blog updates delivered via email. You can unsubscribe at any time.

You have Successfully Subscribed!

Grow as a Writer


Find Out More →

Popular Posts

Top Posts on Book Proposals
  • Hints for a Great Cover Letter
  • The Keys to a Great Book Proposal
  • What Steve Laube is Looking For
  • Book Proposals I’d Love to See – Tamela Hancock Murray
  • What I’m Looking for – Bob Hostetler
  • What I’m Looking for – Dan Balow
  • What I’m Looking for – Lynette Eason
  • What’s the Best Way to Submit My Self-Published Book?
  • What Is the Agent Doing While I Wait?
  • God Gave Me This Blog Post
Top Posts on The Business Side
  • When Your Book Becomes Personal
  • The Myth of the Unearned Advance
  • How Long Does it Take to Get Published?
  • What Are Average Book Sales?
  • Can You Plagiarize Yourself?
  • Never Burn a Bridge
  • Who Decides to Publish Your Book?
  • That Conference Appointment
  • Goodbye to Traditional Publishing?
  • Who Owns Whom in Publishing?
  • Ten Commandments for Working with Your Agent
  • Writers Beware! Protect Yourself
Top Series
  • Book Proposal Basics
  • Publishing A-Z
  • A Defense of Traditional Publishing
Top Posts on Rejection
  • The Slush Pile: Enter at Your Own Risk
  • Even the Best Get Rejected
  • Five Reasons Why You May Never Get Published
  • The Unhelpful Rejection Letter
  • Writers Learn to Wait

Blog Post Archives by Month

  • Home
  • About
    • Who We Are
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • Interview with Steve Laube
    • Statement of Faith
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Privacy Policy
  • Guidelines
  • Authors
    • Who We Represent
    • Awards and Recognition
  • Resources
    • Recommended Reading
    • Christian Writers Market Guide Online
    • Christian Writers Institute
    • Writers Conferences
    • Freelance Editorial Services
    • Copyright Resources
    • Research Tools
    • Selling What You Write
  • Blog
  • Contact

Copyright © 2025 · The Steve Laube Agency · All Rights Reserved · Website by Stormhill Media