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Home » Writing Craft » Page 3

Writing Craft

Point of View #5

By Lynette Easonon December 4, 2024
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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?

 

 

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Category: Writing Craft

The Anatomy of the Publishing Cycle

By Steve Laubeon November 25, 2024
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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

Point of View #4

By Lynette Easonon November 13, 2024
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Last time I talked about Deep Point of View. Now, let’s jump into some practical tips for application. Eliminate “Distance” Words Eliminate “distance” words like “saw,” “heard,” “felt,” “thought,” “wondered,” “noticed,” and so on. Is there ever a time you’d use those? Of course, but for now, let’s try not to use them. I call them “distance” words because they distance the reader from …

Read morePoint of View #4
Category: Craft, Writing Craft

Writing Out of Your Mind

By Dan Balowon November 6, 2024
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To be a successful working author, at some point in time you need to write about things that don’t already exist in your mind. Even Christian writers are not immune to this. If you write about something in the Bible and never learn the context or study the actual meaning of the text, you might be missing something important. Relying on memory or thinking, I know this stuff, can be dangerous. …

Read moreWriting Out of Your Mind
Category: Creativity

Developing Characters’ Inner Conflicts

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon October 30, 2024
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My husband and I just read The Pursuit of Christian Maturity: Flourishing in the Grace and Knowledge of Christ by A. W. Tozer, compiled and edited by James L. Snyder. Steve Laube represents a portion of Tozer’s literary estate. The book offers many excellent points and is worth reading. An overarching lesson on obstacles to a fulfilling relationship with God made me think of writing about the …

Read moreDeveloping Characters’ Inner Conflicts
Category: Craft, Writing Craft

Why Does It Take Editors and Agents So Long to Read My Proposal?

By Steve Laubeon October 28, 2024
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Recently, a writer posted this question: I submitted a proposal to a publisher 6 months ago. The guidelines said that a response would be provided at the end of 4 months. At the end of 5 months I sent an email query to confirm that they had actually received the submission–still no response. Now I am at the end of 6 months.…Do I give up? I wish I had a magic wand to solve this problem for …

Read moreWhy Does It Take Editors and Agents So Long to Read My Proposal?
Category: Agency, Book Business, Book Proposals, Common QuestoinsTag: book proposals, Rejection

Point of View #3

By Lynette Easonon October 24, 2024
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I’m back to talk a little more about point of view, continuing to build on what I talked about in the last post. If you’ll remember, last time I dissected POV into three different types—the ones most often in fiction. Today, in this last post on point of view, let’s dig a little deeper and talk in depth about deep point of view since this is the preferred POV in fiction writing. Someone asked why …

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Category: Craft, Writing Craft

When Characters and Settings Go Wrong

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon October 10, 2024
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A few months ago, I didn’t finish a general market book because of the setting and characters. Here’s what I believe happened: The author did not want to write about where she lives, but she needed: A police force allowing a crime scene to be contaminated, along with other sloppy police work. A police force with corrupt and adulterous officers. A remote vacation spot. A coffee shop within walking …

Read moreWhen Characters and Settings Go Wrong
Category: Rejection, Writing Craft

Point of View Post #2

By Lynette Easonon October 9, 2024
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Welcome back to our discussion about point of view (POV). I want to continue to build on what I talked about last time. In the last post, I explored what point of view actually is. Now I’m going to break down three different types of POV. Note that these are not the only other points of view, but ones used most often in fiction. First Person Point of View This is when the narrator is a character …

Read morePoint of View Post #2
Category: Craft, Writing Craft

A Scrivener Flunky Weighs In – Guest Post

By Guest Bloggeron September 30, 2024
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A Guest Post by Deborah Raney Deborah Raney’s first novel, A Vow to Cherish, inspired the World Wide Pictures film of the same title and launched Deb’s writing career. Thirty years, forty-plus books, and numerous awards later, she’s still creating stories that touch hearts and lives. A RITA and ACFW Carol Award winner and three-time Christy Award finalist, Deb is represented by our agency.  She is …

Read moreA Scrivener Flunky Weighs In – Guest Post
Category: Book Business, Guest Post, Technology, Writing CraftTag: Scrivener, Technology
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