BUILD CLOSENESS WITH READERS USING A DEEP POINT OF VIEW
Even if your book is about coding computer programs. Anytime you draw readers in deeper, you’ll keep them reading longer and enjoying the book on another level. The emotional level. With a technical book, you want to leave your reader with a better understanding of the topic while enjoying the words as they read. Using deep point of view in memoirs can place the reader in the author’s shoes as they read. This is the closeness that builds bonds with readers.
So what is deep point of view?
It’s a writing technique. And its purpose is to remove the distance between the point of view person in the book and the reader. It makes the story (fiction and non fiction) more personal and immersive. In fiction writing, deep point of view removes the distance between a character and the reader. In non fiction it removes the distance between the narrator and the reader. You can use it well with third person point of view or a more intimate first person point of view. Many people think writing in first person point of view puts you into deep point of view, but this isn’t true.
Deep point of view places the reader inside the character or narrator. Sound strange? It isn’t. And readers love it. Deep point of view will elevate your writing out of the ordinary. The best clarification is that it’s the difference between being told a story and living the story. This is a complex topic with many nuances, but you don’t have to master the entire subject to improve your writing.
Now that you know what deep point of view is, you need to know how to use it. And the best way to understand it is with examples. Some techniques apply more to memoirs than general non fiction. All deep point of view techniques applies to writing fiction.
The following examples show some simple ways to improve your writing through deep point of view.
Use the correct article.
This is a small one, but it makes a difference. When you are writing about something specific that is already known by the narrator, the correct article to use is “the”. If something not specific is referenced, use the article “a”. At times, this is obvious. You will probably be more concerned with this in a memoir.
An example of this technique is:
Known and specific to the narrator: She opened the cabinet and pulled out the file.
Unknown and not specific to the narrator: She opened the cabinet and pulled out a file.
Eliminate words and phrases that act as filters.
These put distance between the narrator and the reader. These are “telling” words and phrases. Memoir authors should pay special attention to these. Watch out for words regarding the senses: saw, heard, felt, smelled, tasted. Using these words incorrectly adds distance.
Don’t say something like: I saw the cleaning woman dust off the desk.
Instead, say something like: The cleaning woman dusted off the desk.
Also of interest to memoir authors is the avoidance of words describing emotions. You don’t want to say someone is happy, angry, sad… Instead, show what the person is experiencing.
Don’t’ say something like: I was happy to see the horse hadn’t broken out of his pasture.
Instead, say something like: The fence was intact. Tension eased away, and my breathing slowed. I strolled to the gate and unlatched it.
Another group of words to avoid are thought words: thought, wondered, wished, knew, realized, recalled, remembered, decided, considered, noticed, noted.
Don’t say something like: I wondered if I had enough money in my account.
Instead, say something like: Hopefully, I had enough money in my account.
Be careful of denoting time with: before, after, immediately, suddenly. These words tell the reader what is happening rather than letting it play out.
Use cause and effect in the correct order.
The reaction cannot come before the action that caused it. This mistake is easier to make than you might believe. But it isn’t how things work in life. This mistake may seem small, but it makes a difference if you want to draw readers in as deeply as possible. These mistakes are easy to miss when it appears that two things are happening simultaneously.
Don’t say something like: I jumped behind a tree when he turned right.
Instead, say something like: He turned to the right. I managed to hide behind a bush.
Don’t use “to phrases” with motivations. “To phrases” don’t show action. They tell why someone did the action.
Don’t say something like: She went to the bookcase to grab the book and sat at her desk with the tome before her.
Instead, say something like: She went to the bookcase, grabbed the book, and sat at the desk with the tome before her.
Eliminating unnecessary words will bring readers closer as well. One of those words is the. Sometimes removing the will lead to confusion. Never confuse your readers. And sometimes, as mentioned above, it refers to something specific. But if you can remove it, do so. Examples:
Don’t say something like: Her cat hated the wet grass.
Instead, say something like: Her cat hated wet grass.
Related to unnecessary words is another class of words to remove when possible. While this isn’t classed as deep point of view, it partners well with it. These words have become known as weasel words. In most cases, they should be removed when possible. Some will need to remain for sentence readability, but if you can remove them, do so. Some of these words are: that, very, really, a bit, quite, just, seem, sometimes, then, so, began to, quite, probably, much, began, completely, basically, certainly, totally, rather, kind of, sort of, slightly, almost, merely, nearly, like, even, actually, usually, often, started to, absolutely.
This is a small part of using deep point of view. But these are the parts that can be helpful to non fiction writers. There are many more parts that apply primarily to fiction writing. But using even these limited pieces of deep point of view can elevate writing and give your readers a more immersive experience.
Using deep point of view draws readers into your work. Use it wisely. Are there times when deep point of view might not be the best choice? If your audience suffers from PTSD or other trauma, depending on your topic, this may not be the place to use every technique. While it could be used when expressing empathy, correct articles, action/reaction, etc., digging deep into painful material with deep point of view may not be a good choice. You do not want to subject your readers to emotional pain when reading your book. Keeping the distance could be more beneficial in this situation. Use your best judgment depending on your audience.
This isn’t the only time deep point of view should be avoided. While showing and not telling is the hallmark of good deep point of view, there are times when telling will be the best option. You wouldn’t want to draw out something that would slow your writing and bore your reader. In that case, a summary is a right choice. Using deep point of view does add to your word count and will slow down the writing. However, if used correctly, it will place readers into the narrator’s shoes. Adding some deep point of view techniques would be valuable for any writer’s craft toolbox.
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Content credit: J. Coy
Image credit: Silje Midtgård