P.H. Solomon's Blog, page 261
September 5, 2016
Sketch of the day no 960 in my moleskine art journal: Garden spider.
Garden Spider. The perfect predator. The perfect predator is silent, patient and ready to pounce. Sketch of the day in my moleskine art journal is of a Garden spider. There are many of them this time of the year.
Short Stories and The Experimental Notebook II – A Visit from C.S. Boyack
Today I’m delighted to welcome Craig Boyack, author, blogging friend and mastermind behind Lisa Burton (I hope Lisa won’t mind me saying that). Craig is a tireless promoter of bloggers and writers across the blogosphere, plus posts plenty of entertaining content, so hop on over to his blog and…
Deep POV Pt. 10: Near & Far
September 4, 2016
Memo Pad: August Reviews
The busy schedule of a reviewer – the August list from forthenovellovers – Reblogging on Archer’s Aim
So if you read my wrap-up, here’s all the books I reviewed this month.
Iris by Toni Owen Blue **** – Before I get into my review about the story I want to
start by saying that the artwork in this novel are absolutely stunning. I believe the pictures add a lot to the story and help you get a more physical and emotional sense of the novel. Also this novel is very short at only 85 pages. Although meant for middle grade children, I’d advise caution when allowing children to read Iris as it contains some themes about the age rating of the novel. Iris is a novel which is centered on the heavy topic of child neglect and abuse. This book, at first, seems to be the straight forward story of a young girl who feels different, with an overly strict mother, no friends and wild fantasies, however it is…View original post 3,822 more words
Filed under: Uncategorized
Deep POV Pt. 9: The Overhaul
This is an ongoing series about using the writing technique – deep point of view. The original posts began over last summer after I attended a webinar on the subject. Previous are listed at the end of this post.
I’ve written eight other posts about using deep POV as a fiction writing technique. Today, I want to share why I took on changing my technique and writing philosophy to this style of writing.
Some of the benefits of deep POV are evident if you recognize it in a book. The style is more gripping and therefore readers are more engaged, turn pages and share their enthusiasm with other readers. This technique also eliminates the showing versus telling issues if done well (and trust me, I’m still learning). Also, if done well, deep POV is much easier to edit – when you lapse out of the POV when you shouldn’t it jarring to the point you what must be edited.
But why did I ever decide to use deep POV? How did I even transition from my old way of writing? Here are three answers to these questions:
1. I was fortunate enough to receive a critique last year that gave me clues to the nature of my writing and the direction it needed to go – deeper. At the time the suggestion was made I really was at a loss as to what to do with it and rather overwhelmed at the prospect of such a fundamental change to my manuscript. I sensed that this would require an extensive overhaul. However, I was fortunate to sit-in on a seminar by an editor at a conference I attend that addressed reasons why manuscripts are rejected. After discussing these many reasons, the editor strongly advised using deep POV and explained what it was. It got my attention and motivated me to begin using this writing style.
2. At that point, I knew what I needed to do but not precisely how. Fortunately, I came across a free webinar on the subject through another writing group of which I’m a member. This webinar has been the basis of this series since last July, In it, I was provided better explanation about what deep POV is and how to use it.
3. Armed with this I was able to enact more decisive changes in my writing. With a clearer understanding of my path ahead, I began making increasingly substantial progress in my novel’s revision. As I progressed, I understood more of what needed to be done. Frankly, the last half of my most recent revision is better than the first half but that is being addressed through more editing. Now I’m to the point where I’m able write my current short fiction in this style and edit them better. I also expect to make faster progress through my long fiction drafts in the coming months.
Here are previous posts based on deep POV that may help:
3 Tips for Editing to Deep POV PT 1
Deep POV Tips Part 2
Deep POV Tips Part 3
Deep POV Tips Part 4: Of Sneaks and Shallow POV
Deep POV Tips Pt. 5: Eliminate Narrative Distance
Deep POV Pt. 6: Editing for Emotion
Deep POV Pt. 8: How to Use Internalization
And of course here are more resources for deep POV and showing emotion rather than telling:
Rivet Your Readers with Deep Point of View
So that’s why and how I’ve made the transition in my writing style over the last year. What have you learned about the writing craft in the last year? What tips do your have for deep POV or any other style? Please share your thoughts and ideas in the comments section. I’d also love to connect with you over social media so check my Contact page for that information. See the News page for announcements and remember to sign-up to receive news and posts by email. I’ve added a new sign-up tab on my FaceBook page to simplify the process. New followers can download The Black Bag via free coupon today! Also, the cover of my book, The Bow of Destiny, was revealed recently so take a look.
About the Author
P. H. Sol
omon lives in the greater Birmingham, AL area where he strongly dislikes yard work and sanding the deck rail. However, he performs these duties to maintain a nice home for his loved ones as well as the family’s German Shepherds. In his spare time, P. H. rides herd as a Computer Whisperer on large computers called servers (harmonica not required). Additionally, he enjoys reading, running, most sports and fantasy football. Having a degree in Anthropology, he also has a wide array of more “serious” interests in addition to working regularly to hone his writing. The Bow of Destiny is his first novel-length title with more soon to come.
To find out more about The Bow of Destiny, click over to one of these online retailers:
Sign-up to receive my free ebooks today.
Clip art licensed from Microsoft Office.
Cover art provided on commission from Chris Rawlins
Filed under: Blogging, Cover Reveal, Creativity, Deep POV, Editing, Fantasy, Fiction, Indie Publishing, Self-publishing, Social Media, The Black Bag, The Bow of Destiny, Tips, Twitter, Writing Tagged: blogging, creativity, Deep POV, Editing, Facebook, Goodreads, Indie Publishing, P. H. Solomon, Self-publishing, Short Stories, Social Media, The Black Bag, The Bow of Destiny, Twitter, writing
September 3, 2016
The Kindness of Strangers
Reader Response from Twitter
Someone who reads will never be lonely. #amwritng #amreading #books
I agree, reader and writer meet on the page, like stories being told around a campfire. Reblogging on Archer’s Aim!
Filed under: Uncategorized
The Strangeness of Voice
I’ve been a guest on Annette’s show before and found it a wonderful conversation and less of an interview. You’ve done well – and we all get over those squeaky times. Reblogging on Archer’s Aim!
In 1970 a friend recorded me for the first time on his father’s new-fangled tape machine. It was a sunny afternoon and his father was installing patio doors – odd those memories. As his father introduced me to a new vocabulary that I will forever associate with glazing, Dave introduced me to my voice.
These days it is something I seek in my writing; back then it was something of an embarrassment. I was 12 and I squeaked. Really. These days I’ve dropped a tone or two, though when answering the phone the interrogative ending I use in my Hello (more Helloooo) means I am often mistaken for my wife. So it should be less embarrassing to hear my own voice. Hmm, I hope so because blogger and broadcaster Annette Rochelle Aben has had me as a guest on her talk radio show, The Magic Happens. We had a blast…
View original post 31 more words
Filed under: Uncategorized
GUEST POST: P.H. SOLOMON
Here’s a recent appearance by yours truly and The Bow of Destiny on Bookwraiths.com. My thanks to Bookwraiths for hosting me! Reblogging on Archer’s Aim
Today, I am very excited to host P.H. Solomon, author of the The Bow of Hart Saga, to Bookwraiths. His debut novel, The Bow of Destiny, is an epic fantasy in the classical style, which I was happy to review yesterday. (You read the review, right?) And Mr. Solomon is such a gracious guy he was nice enough to write a guest post for all of us. So enjoy!
Of Withlings and Dualism
by
P.H. Solomon
The Bow of Destiny depicts conflict between good and evil as is common in epic fantasy. But what is not specifically in the series to this point is the basis of the 
conflict. While my prequel short story, What Is Needed, shows something of the conflict in the demise of most of the mystic order of Withlings, the conflict is much older. But to better grasp this history for the book…
View original post 696 more words
Filed under: Uncategorized
