Tip #7 for writing deep POV is: Start your scene with your POV character. While this may seem obvious, many writers start their scene with a description of the setting. While this is not necessarily a bad approach, it fails to orient your reader immediately in the head of your character. And deep point of view is just that: orienting your read immediately–and intimately– in the head of your character.
Starting your scene with your POV character does the following:
- It connects your reader with the character through whose eyes your reader will experience the story.
- It places your reader squarely in the perspective of that character.
- It establishes a sense of time and place for your reader so that she can jump into your story with both feet.
Try this little exercise during the coming week. Take a scene from your novel where you start with a description of the setting. Then revise that scene by introducing your POV character right up front. If you want to share what you write, please do so.
Next week: Tip #8: Use specific details to deepen POV.