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Rivet Your Readers with Deep Point of View
Dear Would you like your readers to live your stories, not merely read them? Deep Point of View anchors your readers inside the point of view character(s) of your novel. This handbook shows you how to perform the transformation from ordinary narrative to deep narrative in clear, easy-to-master steps. I invite you to sweep your writing to the next level with a technique that creates immediacy and intimacy with your readers and virtually eliminates show/don't tell issues. My Best to You, Jill
63 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 5, 2012
About the author
Jill Elizabeth Nelson
68 books53 followersJill Elizabeth Nelson writes what she likes to read—tales of adventure seasoned with romance, humor, and faith, earning her the tagline: Endless Adventure, Timeless Truth. Jill speaks regularly at conferences, writer’s groups, library associations, and civic and church groups. When teaching classes for writers, she thrills to bring the Ahah! moment to her students as they make a new skill their own. Jill and her husband live in rural Minnesota where they raised four children.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 169 reviews
July 8, 2013
This would have to be the best How To writing book I've read.
It's easy to read, has clear instructions and helpful exercises with answers to check how you went.
And its a quick read. I highly reccomend it.
It's easy to read, has clear instructions and helpful exercises with answers to check how you went.
And its a quick read. I highly reccomend it.
June 13, 2013
Should be called "Show, Don't Tell"
Price of the book was very fair and it really shouldn't cost more than five bucks because it really is a booklet. I picked it up because I was contemplating changing point of view in my next novel. Currently, I am only comfortable with using first person and I was hoping this book would get me more comfortable with switching viewpoints.
This is not that kind of book. If you ask me, the book should have been called "The Art of Show, Don't Tell." It's very basic and more experienced writers might be annoyed at the basics of the book. I would imagine this book would be great for someone who is just starting out and is working on their first manuscript.
The only thing that actually really bothered me about this booklet is that it was like reading an advertisement for the author herself. I know they all do it when they do the nonfiction "how to" writing books, but this was nuts. At one point, she even says "From Evidence of Murder, award-winning 2009 Steeple Hill release.) For those who didn't know like me, I had to look up the book she was talking about and what do you know, she's the author of that one. I really like it when I am studying writing and the author of the nonfiction book uses very widely known books that I have probably read and uses excerpts from them. But then again, maybe they are not allowed to do that or something.
So here's why I'm giving it four stars. Even if I had only learned one thing, it would be worth the price of five bucks. For me, if one thing that could resurface in multiple pieces of writing is well worth it. Plus, it's a quick, easy read that is also a gentle reminder of what not to do. If you are a new writer, you must read this so you do not commit the most basic crimes new writers commit. Overall, a good review and I did pick up a couple of nuggets of info.
Price of the book was very fair and it really shouldn't cost more than five bucks because it really is a booklet. I picked it up because I was contemplating changing point of view in my next novel. Currently, I am only comfortable with using first person and I was hoping this book would get me more comfortable with switching viewpoints.
This is not that kind of book. If you ask me, the book should have been called "The Art of Show, Don't Tell." It's very basic and more experienced writers might be annoyed at the basics of the book. I would imagine this book would be great for someone who is just starting out and is working on their first manuscript.
The only thing that actually really bothered me about this booklet is that it was like reading an advertisement for the author herself. I know they all do it when they do the nonfiction "how to" writing books, but this was nuts. At one point, she even says "From Evidence of Murder, award-winning 2009 Steeple Hill release.) For those who didn't know like me, I had to look up the book she was talking about and what do you know, she's the author of that one. I really like it when I am studying writing and the author of the nonfiction book uses very widely known books that I have probably read and uses excerpts from them. But then again, maybe they are not allowed to do that or something.
So here's why I'm giving it four stars. Even if I had only learned one thing, it would be worth the price of five bucks. For me, if one thing that could resurface in multiple pieces of writing is well worth it. Plus, it's a quick, easy read that is also a gentle reminder of what not to do. If you are a new writer, you must read this so you do not commit the most basic crimes new writers commit. Overall, a good review and I did pick up a couple of nuggets of info.
July 1, 2020
Solid craft book for fiction writers explaining the difference between shallow point of view and deep point of view with many examples and exercises.
October 28, 2013
Thanks a lot, Jill. So now I need to remove all the shallow POV errors that plague my writing. As if adverbs and dialogue tags weren't enough! Your short handbook summarizes many important writing lessons which I've been learning the hard way---with rejections.
1) AVOID MRU VIOLATIONS (think cause and effect, logical order)
2) AVOID SENSORY TELLS
3) AVOID PREPOSITIONAL TELLS
4) AVOID NAMING EMOTIONS
5) ELIMINATE NARRATIVE DISTANCE (avoid he thought/realized/knew/wondered/figured/wished/decided...)
6) AVOID FLEA-JUMPING FROM HEAD TO HEAD
7) AVOID POV VIOLATIONS
8) Narrative Distance = Author Intrusion = Telling Not Showing = Shallow POV
1) AVOID MRU VIOLATIONS (think cause and effect, logical order)
2) AVOID SENSORY TELLS
3) AVOID PREPOSITIONAL TELLS
4) AVOID NAMING EMOTIONS
5) ELIMINATE NARRATIVE DISTANCE (avoid he thought/realized/knew/wondered/figured/wished/decided...)
6) AVOID FLEA-JUMPING FROM HEAD TO HEAD
7) AVOID POV VIOLATIONS
8) Narrative Distance = Author Intrusion = Telling Not Showing = Shallow POV
July 14, 2012
By Jill Elizabeth Nelson
I received a gift of several novels—new—but most had been published about 10 years ago. When I began reading, I was amazed at how Christian writers developed their craft since then.
Deep Point of View is one way they’ve changed, and it’s the latest technique to make ho-hum writing spellbinding.
Deep Point of View kicks out the narrator and jams the reader into the skin of characters and makes him stay in that person’s head until “The End.”
Jill quotes Warner Brothers who said of their Blu-ray movies, “This how our movies are meant to be—lived!” She believes that’s how novels are meant to be.
Of course, some of us don’t want to know how it feels to have a knife thrust in our back, or how we’d respond if we found a dead body. But when you read a Christian novel, there is more than murder and mayhem. The Person with the greatest power on earth is available with the whisper of His name, and with Deep Point of View, readers experience that, too. Authors can write about that because they’ve felt His touch.
In this book, Jill teaches point-of-view basics, what deep point of view is, and what to avoid. For instance, never name an emotion, and much more.
Deep Point of View turns “Telling” into “Showing.” How the character reacts in deep point of view shows what he’s feeling inside.
This is not a long book. The author wastes no time in getting to the guts of what we need to know about Deep Point of View so we’ll become better writers. The volume, however, will be read over and over by writers serious about their craft. I wish I could download it into my brain. It’s a great book and I recommend it.
I received a gift of several novels—new—but most had been published about 10 years ago. When I began reading, I was amazed at how Christian writers developed their craft since then.
Deep Point of View is one way they’ve changed, and it’s the latest technique to make ho-hum writing spellbinding.
Deep Point of View kicks out the narrator and jams the reader into the skin of characters and makes him stay in that person’s head until “The End.”
Jill quotes Warner Brothers who said of their Blu-ray movies, “This how our movies are meant to be—lived!” She believes that’s how novels are meant to be.
Of course, some of us don’t want to know how it feels to have a knife thrust in our back, or how we’d respond if we found a dead body. But when you read a Christian novel, there is more than murder and mayhem. The Person with the greatest power on earth is available with the whisper of His name, and with Deep Point of View, readers experience that, too. Authors can write about that because they’ve felt His touch.
In this book, Jill teaches point-of-view basics, what deep point of view is, and what to avoid. For instance, never name an emotion, and much more.
Deep Point of View turns “Telling” into “Showing.” How the character reacts in deep point of view shows what he’s feeling inside.
This is not a long book. The author wastes no time in getting to the guts of what we need to know about Deep Point of View so we’ll become better writers. The volume, however, will be read over and over by writers serious about their craft. I wish I could download it into my brain. It’s a great book and I recommend it.
April 25, 2012
I have just started this book. All I can say is 'finally' a book on Deep Point of View!
I have just started this book. All I can say is 'finally' a book on Deep Point of View! I would recommend getting this book in paperback. This is a heavy duty reference tool which will do you little good unless you are prepared to read it a dozen times. Why you ask? Because this is the most cutting edge tool of the modern fiction and fantasy writer. Only 63 pages long but a lifetime value.
5 Stars
My first review was with a Prime Amazon copy, have since bought a Kindle copy. I will probably read this once a week till I get it or get tired of it.
So now I am almost ready to read this little gem again. Stay tuned.
I have just started this book. All I can say is 'finally' a book on Deep Point of View! I would recommend getting this book in paperback. This is a heavy duty reference tool which will do you little good unless you are prepared to read it a dozen times. Why you ask? Because this is the most cutting edge tool of the modern fiction and fantasy writer. Only 63 pages long but a lifetime value.
5 Stars
My first review was with a Prime Amazon copy, have since bought a Kindle copy. I will probably read this once a week till I get it or get tired of it.
So now I am almost ready to read this little gem again. Stay tuned.
December 15, 2022
This book blew my mind!!!! There’s so much more to deep POV than I realized! I learned that deep POV is not just seen in the first person, but can also be done in the third and second person as well. (Now I feel like I haven’t read as many books that are in true deep POV.) I especially love the worksheets and examples given in this book!!! I found them super helpful for me to get a better grasp of the concept. Rivet Your Readers with Deep Point of View taught me so much, and I’m definitely going to read it again just to get a better understanding of everything I learned. I feel like even experienced writers can learn something new from this book. So, whether you have been writing for a while or just starting out, I absolutely recommend that you read this book!
June 10, 2012
After downloading this book, I spent spent an hour or two reading it, taking notes, and doing the exercises. I thought I knew all there was to know about point of view, but now I have enough knowledge to go from a 'passing grade' to 'full marks'. I can see this new skill is going to make me a better writer and may even get me one step closer to publication.
The book is short and easy to digest, but absolutely packed full of goodness.
Every writer who aspires to be an author should read this book.
The book is short and easy to digest, but absolutely packed full of goodness.
Every writer who aspires to be an author should read this book.
October 7, 2021
I’ve needed help with my Deep POV and this book was the ticket. Straightforward instructions, showing unnecessary words and phrases that state the obvious, instead of allowing the reader to use their intelligence, drifting through the character’s mind and senses. If you are a writer struggling with “showing” vs “telling”, this will help a lot, thanks to Jill Elizabeth Nelson.
May 26, 2014
As jy sukkel met perspektief/fokalisasie lees hier die boek. Baie maklik geskryf en verduidelik dit baie goed.
January 3, 2018
I needed this book. The examples were spot on and broke the mystery of how to go deeper into POV.
December 13, 2016
I picked this up because with my work in progress the consistent feedback I have received is that people have trouble connecting with the main point of view character. Nelson does an excellent job of giving examples of shallow point of view and distancing language, all things I was immediately able to recognize from my own writing. In that regard it is thus more useful than a lot of the lists you can find online of words and phrases to avoid.
However most of the deep point of view examples she gives as "corrections" are just plain bad writing. Here are just two examples:
Shallow: "Desiree's skin prickled with pleasant excitement."
Deep: "Shadows loomed. The place reeked of ancient secrets. Desi's skin prickled."
The tone of the verbs "loomed" and "reeked" don't lead me to think the prickling is due to excitement and "Desi's skin prickled" reads like a sentence fragment, it isn't dramatic enough to stand on its own. If Nelson wanted to go for "excitement" she should have used different verbs and found a less awkward phrasing for the skin prickling. The first two sentences draw you in enough, she could even have gotten away with "Desi's skin prickled with excitement" without distancing the narrative.
Shallow: "Tony closed his phone, frustration and fury surging through him."
Deep: "Tony slapped the phone shut. If steam could escape his pores, he'd be a toxic cloud."
Steam isn't toxic? I don't understand this image at all. It doesn't leave me thinking "Tony is furious," it leaves me confused. It also does nothing to convey his frustration.
Providing examples from other writers' works would have gone a long way to show how to use this technique with diverse writing styles and voices. I realize there is concern about copyright, but surely there are plenty of works in the public domain to provide examples of either shallow or deep writing. Ultimately I will be using this as a reference for spotting distancing language in my writing, but I won't be using it as a guide on how to fix those phrasings.
However most of the deep point of view examples she gives as "corrections" are just plain bad writing. Here are just two examples:
Shallow: "Desiree's skin prickled with pleasant excitement."
Deep: "Shadows loomed. The place reeked of ancient secrets. Desi's skin prickled."
The tone of the verbs "loomed" and "reeked" don't lead me to think the prickling is due to excitement and "Desi's skin prickled" reads like a sentence fragment, it isn't dramatic enough to stand on its own. If Nelson wanted to go for "excitement" she should have used different verbs and found a less awkward phrasing for the skin prickling. The first two sentences draw you in enough, she could even have gotten away with "Desi's skin prickled with excitement" without distancing the narrative.
Shallow: "Tony closed his phone, frustration and fury surging through him."
Deep: "Tony slapped the phone shut. If steam could escape his pores, he'd be a toxic cloud."
Steam isn't toxic? I don't understand this image at all. It doesn't leave me thinking "Tony is furious," it leaves me confused. It also does nothing to convey his frustration.
Providing examples from other writers' works would have gone a long way to show how to use this technique with diverse writing styles and voices. I realize there is concern about copyright, but surely there are plenty of works in the public domain to provide examples of either shallow or deep writing. Ultimately I will be using this as a reference for spotting distancing language in my writing, but I won't be using it as a guide on how to fix those phrasings.
May 13, 2015
I intend to give a full and thorough review soon, but the biggest problem with this book is that the examples are terrible on many levels.
The big reason that I've given the book one star is that the advice might be good, but based on the quantity of mistakes I spotted even as a beginner writer, I'm not convinced that the core lessons come from a place of true understanding; and subsequently feel that they might do more harm than good, if the reader is not careful to question those lessons.
On the argument of show don't tell, I recommend (And indeed, anything by Ursula Le Guin). The subtlety inherent in narrative distance is barely touched on, and simplified to 'cut all you can.'. I appreciate the point made that closer to the character is more dynamic, but not every feeling needs to be so close to the bone.
The points made can be good, but you need to make your own examples and really examine what's being said critically. There are gross absolutions made like 'Never show, unless it is critical', which kills any opportunity for subtlety, or style.
I spent a good month going through this book carefully, so it hasn't been a 'skim and shred' review. I Think there's genuine opportunity for a great book here, if the author were to take some time to re-edit it and have other writers cast a critical eye over it.
The big reason that I've given the book one star is that the advice might be good, but based on the quantity of mistakes I spotted even as a beginner writer, I'm not convinced that the core lessons come from a place of true understanding; and subsequently feel that they might do more harm than good, if the reader is not careful to question those lessons.
On the argument of show don't tell, I recommend (And indeed, anything by Ursula Le Guin). The subtlety inherent in narrative distance is barely touched on, and simplified to 'cut all you can.'. I appreciate the point made that closer to the character is more dynamic, but not every feeling needs to be so close to the bone.
The points made can be good, but you need to make your own examples and really examine what's being said critically. There are gross absolutions made like 'Never show, unless it is critical', which kills any opportunity for subtlety, or style.
I spent a good month going through this book carefully, so it hasn't been a 'skim and shred' review. I Think there's genuine opportunity for a great book here, if the author were to take some time to re-edit it and have other writers cast a critical eye over it.
December 30, 2014
This is a very short guide on:
* First person narrator
* Second person narrator
* Third person narrator: single, multiple or omniscient
As the title says, this book also explains how to express things, mainly emotions, more deeply, by showing them instead of only telling them.
The author self-quotes to give us examples of "good writing".
I am not sure about the "toxic cloud". Is it really this way that you give depth to your stories?
When the author gives a list of good authors with deep points of view, she puts herself in the list.
As I said at the beginning of my review, it's a very short book, so you can't hope for miracles in only 61 pages. But it could help new writers to know that it's better to show things instead of only tell them and how to do it.
I give this book 3 stars and a half rounded up to four.
* First person narrator
* Second person narrator
* Third person narrator: single, multiple or omniscient
As the title says, this book also explains how to express things, mainly emotions, more deeply, by showing them instead of only telling them.
The author self-quotes to give us examples of "good writing".
(From my raw manuscript) Shallow: "Tony closed his phone, frustration and fury surging through him."
(From my published version) Deep: "Tony slapped the phone shut. If steam could escape out of his pores, he'd be a toxic cloud."
I am not sure about the "toxic cloud". Is it really this way that you give depth to your stories?
When the author gives a list of good authors with deep points of view, she puts herself in the list.
As I said at the beginning of my review, it's a very short book, so you can't hope for miracles in only 61 pages. But it could help new writers to know that it's better to show things instead of only tell them and how to do it.
I give this book 3 stars and a half rounded up to four.
September 23, 2020
This is a decent introduction to writing in deep POV. I dodn't realize how short it was when I bought it and was honestly a bit disappointed by that. I did wish some of the information had been expanded on or explored a little more, but the examples provided were useful and it did give some good, practical tips for diving deeper into your POV character's perspective and ways to spot and eliminate some of the things that can create separation between the reader and the character.
January 13, 2018
I spent 1,600 bucks per class going to a very private, very prestigious school, majoring in English and minoring in Creative Writing. I should have saved myself the tuition. The information in Ms. Nelson's book was exactly what I was trying to pry out of my college professors. I've recommended it to everyone who had ears and was interesting in improving their writing. Excellent.
March 24, 2021
Excellent book that covers deep POV, but doesn’t get too wordy. I love the inclusion of the workbook sections.
I took a star away because I think deep POV has some weaknesses and can lead to melodrama if the writer overuses physical description to avoid telling. The book would have been complete with a section on how to avoid melodrama and overusing “emotion thesaurus” type descriptions.
I took a star away because I think deep POV has some weaknesses and can lead to melodrama if the writer overuses physical description to avoid telling. The book would have been complete with a section on how to avoid melodrama and overusing “emotion thesaurus” type descriptions.
July 6, 2024
An excellent, short run down on great storytelling techniques
This is an excellent, short run down on using Deep POV to enhance your storytelling. Someone in a writing webinar recommended this book as a great source for understanding what Deep POV is, with excellent examples and exercises. I’ll be referring to it any time I do rewrites or edits, and also to get more Deep POV into the story in the first place.
This is an excellent, short run down on using Deep POV to enhance your storytelling. Someone in a writing webinar recommended this book as a great source for understanding what Deep POV is, with excellent examples and exercises. I’ll be referring to it any time I do rewrites or edits, and also to get more Deep POV into the story in the first place.
March 3, 2017
Don’t be misled by the size of this book. It is an excellent resource for writers of all levels (and their editors). It contains numerous tips which can be applied to your WIP (work in progress) immediately. The author includes numerous examples (mostly from her own books) to show the difference between shallow POV and deep POV. It can help the author, and reader, get inside the heads of their characters. This tips can be applied to first, second, or third person novels.
August 28, 2018
Why I picked up this book:
Recently I joined another writing group on Facebook, and one of the first threads posted happened to be on writer craft resources. This book stood out because deeper point of view and character connection is a constant struggle when I write. So, I checked it out on Kindle Unlimited with the notion to read the first chapter and see if anything sparked or I’d be asleep by the second page. Let me tell you… sparks flew.
This review may contain spoilers.
What I loved:
Everything… like absolutely everything. I’ve been circling the drain with deeper POV for awhile now, and Jill’s book pulled all the pieces together in one clean, easy shot. I was riveted from the first page and immediately saw where I was in my writing journey. The knowledge gleaned from every page was easy to absorb and apply directly to my own manuscript. This is hands down a must read for any writer.
This book didn’t just go into character connection, it tackled several writer mistakes and how to flip the switch from don’t wanna read to can’t put it down.
Areas needing a touch of refinement:
One of the only areas the book didn’t touch on was how to deepen world building and sensory detail using similar techniques. Not saying it should have this element, but I personally would have loved to hear her take on this particular nuance, which I find falls through the cracks with many books set in modern Earth.
Overall:
This is the book I wish I would have stumbled upon years ago. It would have saved me a lot of easy to correct mistakes. If you’ve struggled with connecting readers to your characters, or ways to pull in narrative details while the character is still in motion, this is the craft book you want. It’s a quick, easy read, breaks narrative down into simple to digest terms, and she even has worksheets to help you work through the lines. Any writer who applies this skill to their writing will notice the difference right away and make a huge impact on their stories.
Recently I joined another writing group on Facebook, and one of the first threads posted happened to be on writer craft resources. This book stood out because deeper point of view and character connection is a constant struggle when I write. So, I checked it out on Kindle Unlimited with the notion to read the first chapter and see if anything sparked or I’d be asleep by the second page. Let me tell you… sparks flew.
This review may contain spoilers.
What I loved:
Everything… like absolutely everything. I’ve been circling the drain with deeper POV for awhile now, and Jill’s book pulled all the pieces together in one clean, easy shot. I was riveted from the first page and immediately saw where I was in my writing journey. The knowledge gleaned from every page was easy to absorb and apply directly to my own manuscript. This is hands down a must read for any writer.
This book didn’t just go into character connection, it tackled several writer mistakes and how to flip the switch from don’t wanna read to can’t put it down.
Areas needing a touch of refinement:
One of the only areas the book didn’t touch on was how to deepen world building and sensory detail using similar techniques. Not saying it should have this element, but I personally would have loved to hear her take on this particular nuance, which I find falls through the cracks with many books set in modern Earth.
Overall:
This is the book I wish I would have stumbled upon years ago. It would have saved me a lot of easy to correct mistakes. If you’ve struggled with connecting readers to your characters, or ways to pull in narrative details while the character is still in motion, this is the craft book you want. It’s a quick, easy read, breaks narrative down into simple to digest terms, and she even has worksheets to help you work through the lines. Any writer who applies this skill to their writing will notice the difference right away and make a huge impact on their stories.
November 1, 2017
I got Rivet Your Readers with Deep Point of View at the suggestion of my writing coach, Rich Marcello (and he's great. I've learned things I didn't know I didn't know. It don't get much better than that!). He told me I already did most of what Jill Nelson explained in the book and that I might pick up a few incidentals, which I did.
I read the book last week (while traveling) as I write this and have already caught myself a few times with her "gotchas".
The only real flaw I had with her book was the exercises. I felt they could have been better explained and/or better examples given. More than once the reader is invited to rewrite a sentence to incorporate lesson elements. Excellent! Except the given solutions (and she does give solutions to the exercises. Thanks for that!) often incorporate information that was no where in the original sentence and the solution becomes several sentences long. The added content not being part of the original problem sentence threw me.
I understood her suggested solutions but found myself saying "Where did she get that?" or "Where did that come from?" more than once. A little frustrating (for me) and it didn't stop me from highlighting many items and learning.
I do suggest it for writers/authors wanting to improve their craft.
I read the book last week (while traveling) as I write this and have already caught myself a few times with her "gotchas".
The only real flaw I had with her book was the exercises. I felt they could have been better explained and/or better examples given. More than once the reader is invited to rewrite a sentence to incorporate lesson elements. Excellent! Except the given solutions (and she does give solutions to the exercises. Thanks for that!) often incorporate information that was no where in the original sentence and the solution becomes several sentences long. The added content not being part of the original problem sentence threw me.
I understood her suggested solutions but found myself saying "Where did she get that?" or "Where did that come from?" more than once. A little frustrating (for me) and it didn't stop me from highlighting many items and learning.
I do suggest it for writers/authors wanting to improve their craft.
November 10, 2021
Excellent and to the point. Very informative.
June 13, 2014
The problem that Ms. Nelson gives us is that her take on Deep Point of View being something different than regular Point of View as we know it, is only supported by examples from her own writing.
Why has she not delved into the best of literature to find examples and show us that there, Point of View would fall flat or that great writers, other than she, use this technique. Were she credentialed and able to provide years of course work showing how this has been applied over and over by writers making break out books, then we would know that the adoption of these techniques lend something to prose.
But we see rather that one can expend the effort and still have no idea if by doing so, you as an author have poured over your manuscript a few more times to add dripping observations of the senses into your point of view character, only then to find an editor who might give you LiM, Less is More.
And by doing so, reverse all of the points that Ms. Nelson makes. Still, there are ideas in the work, just they need to be presented better, with reference to the masters. And they need to be taken with a modicum of perspective. Some tales lend themselves to what Ms. Nelson presents, and some, I think, do not.
Why has she not delved into the best of literature to find examples and show us that there, Point of View would fall flat or that great writers, other than she, use this technique. Were she credentialed and able to provide years of course work showing how this has been applied over and over by writers making break out books, then we would know that the adoption of these techniques lend something to prose.
But we see rather that one can expend the effort and still have no idea if by doing so, you as an author have poured over your manuscript a few more times to add dripping observations of the senses into your point of view character, only then to find an editor who might give you LiM, Less is More.
And by doing so, reverse all of the points that Ms. Nelson makes. Still, there are ideas in the work, just they need to be presented better, with reference to the masters. And they need to be taken with a modicum of perspective. Some tales lend themselves to what Ms. Nelson presents, and some, I think, do not.
April 17, 2013
Have trouble getting 'into your characters head?' This book nails it...
This book was a quick, worthwhile read with easy-to-understand examples to pick apart and quickly improve your writing without a lot of fluff. After reading this, I was immediately able to hone in on some of those little buggy issues when you edit your own work and it's not quite right, but you can't figure out why.
Why only four stars instead of five? The content was five, but this book was really short. The author used -only- her own writing as examples. The examples were, for the most part, really good, but I would have rated it a five if it had also included examples from classic literature.
If your critique partners tell you 'I just couldn't get into your characters head,' then this is most definitely the book for you!
This book was a quick, worthwhile read with easy-to-understand examples to pick apart and quickly improve your writing without a lot of fluff. After reading this, I was immediately able to hone in on some of those little buggy issues when you edit your own work and it's not quite right, but you can't figure out why.
Why only four stars instead of five? The content was five, but this book was really short. The author used -only- her own writing as examples. The examples were, for the most part, really good, but I would have rated it a five if it had also included examples from classic literature.
If your critique partners tell you 'I just couldn't get into your characters head,' then this is most definitely the book for you!
June 11, 2012
Excellent tips on a writing style I've observed but had no idea how to accomplish. Short, sweet, and works like a charm.
This is one reference book I'll read over and over. Someone said somewhere that the book starts, offers clear examples, then it ends. I have to second that. That's what makes this such a gem.
Deep POV is the snappy narrative from the character, whether third person or first person. It eliminates those narrative-distance-causing "he thought, he felt, he saw" etc. Also the book shows how to avoid ever naming an emotion. Instead of saying, "He felt angry," you write, "He clenched his teeth until his jaw ached." So simple in theory, so complex in practice.
This is one reference book I'll read over and over. Someone said somewhere that the book starts, offers clear examples, then it ends. I have to second that. That's what makes this such a gem.
Deep POV is the snappy narrative from the character, whether third person or first person. It eliminates those narrative-distance-causing "he thought, he felt, he saw" etc. Also the book shows how to avoid ever naming an emotion. Instead of saying, "He felt angry," you write, "He clenched his teeth until his jaw ached." So simple in theory, so complex in practice.
August 7, 2012
BJ ripped the package open. A sigh escaped her lips. Such a small book. How can it help me? She flipped through the eight chapters. The last one on DPOV hooked her. She read it first. She thumbed through three more before placing it on the table. It'll make a great resource tool for writing. It's a neat, handy resource tool I'll refer to as I write. At first, I was disappointed when I opened it because it was so small, but it's 59 pages of very useful instruction, and I'm glad I found it. In fact, I like it because it's small and makes an easy to use resource. There are eight easy to read and understand chapters. The last one focuses on first person DPOV.
July 5, 2014
For any writer who wants to draw in the reader and make their characters come alive, this is a fabulous craft book. It's a quick, straightforward read with practical tips and examples on how to move into a deep point of view. Whether you're writing in first or third person, Nelson's advice is applicable. I expect to reference this book from time to time as I write and edit.
October 13, 2014
Excellent book on writing deep point of view! It's short and sweet, and it has some very helpful excercises at the end of each chapter. I read it in a couple of hours, and it is already changing the way I write. If you struggle with "showing vs telling", then this is the handbook you need.
July 10, 2012
I felt my writing make leaps and bounds after reading this book. The only problem is, now I feel like I need to start editing all over again! But I know my book will be better because of it. =)
September 20, 2012
This book is 5 stars all the way. I recommend it to all writers looking to go deeper into their characters, deeper into their description and emotion, and deeper into their writing.
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