Deep Point Of View with Rhay Christou

Today I have as a guest one of my very dear friends, Rhay Christou. She’s a fabulous writer and teacher, and her critique of my work has done more than just about anything else to help me get a handle on deep point of view. She teaches for Margie Lawson’s Writer’s Academy, and on November 1st will begin a class in Deep POV. (Go HERE to see the course description and to sign up.) It’s the perfect opportunity to learn from one of the best, and to give you just a little taste of what Rhay can do, here are some of her thoughts on the subject…

 

You’ve heard it talked about in craft books and writing workshops. More than likely, you’ve been told once or twice that you need to go deeper into your Character’s point of view. Deep point of view is all the rage.

But what is deep point of view?  

Deep point of view is an intense view point that not only represents the sights, sounds, and actions through a POV (point of view) character but goes deeper into emotions as well as unique worldview. In short, the character owns the page, and the author becomes nonexistent. As a result, the reader is brought closer the story.

How do you go deep?  

The key to deep point of view is to discover the rules, the tricks and the tips for getting deep.

Let’s dive into four tricks for creating deep point of view.

 

1. Disappear tags

In true deep point of view speech tags—he said/she said—virtually disappear.

While speech tags clarify a speaker, they also remind the reader he is reading and not living a story.  In deep point of view tags are replaced by action, body language, voice description, emotion. Replacing tags makes the reading feel genuine to life.

How the words are said and the actions behind the words act as subtle cues to reveal more about a character, his emotional state of mind and the story.

Example:

Distant point of view: “I don’t want to talk about it,” he said.

From his words we have no real understanding of what he truly means. Does he really not want to talk? Or is he saying something he doesn’t mean? Does he want to talk but not know how to talk?

Deeper:  “I don’t want to talk about it,” he said, shredding the napkin.

We are closer. The action – shredding the napkin – gives a clue he is upset. However, that he said isn’t only a blip, reminding the reader he is reading. He said is also redundant. Reading rules tell us that if dialog is in the same paragraph as the character’s action, then the action character is also the speaker. You don’t need both.

Deeper still: “I don’t want to talk about it.”Focused on his fingers, he tore a long strip from the edge of the recycled napkin and then another and another, until a paper mountain stood between us.

The character’s body language is closed in. He is focusing on something else instead of the interrogator. He is creating a mountain between them. The specifics also give us a bigger context of story. It isn’t just a napkin, but a recycled napkin. He doesn’t just shred the paper, but tears it into strips. This takes time. This takes concentration. This tells a lot.

 

2. Goodbye thought words/sense words.

Thought words/sense words are telling words. These words put an author on the page, and creates a distant between character and reader. Thought words are disingenuous to the “real life experience” of deep point of view.

How often do you think, I’m thinking? Or I’m wondering if I’ll get a raise. How often do you think, Oh, I see bad boys up ahead.

You don’t. And if you’re truly in deep point of view, your character won’t either. He will think. He will wonder. He will see, hear, feel, but they won’t add the filter words. He’ll just do it.

Example: He felt the pain shoot through his gut and wondered if he was going to die.

The reader is kept at a distance to the character. He hears the author tell what the character’s thoughts are but doesn’t feel what the character feels.

Deep: Pain shot through his gut, and he clutched his stomach. This was it. He was going to die.

No thinking. No wondering. Just happening and the reader is pulled deep.

While the first two tricks for getting into deep point are relatively straightforward what comes next deals more the nebulous aspects of character; the character’s worldview that leads to her voice.

 

3. Understand your character.

This is my favorite trick. However, this is the trick that most writers skim over with “Of course I know my character. I created her.” You know your character better than anyone else, but do you know your character well enough?  If you spend some time listening to your character, you will discover your character’s unique worldview and even her voice.

Answer the following questions in the character’s voice capturing words, phrases, her syntax, unique worldview. Pay attention to her body language as she speaks, ad let her ramble.

What do you want more than anything?


How far would you go to get it?


Why is what you want so important?


How do you feel about the people in your life? Yourself?

If you have truly taken the time to listen to your character, you probably have learned something new.

 

4. Understand your character’s worldview 

Along with knowing character comes understanding character’s worldview. A worldview is shaped by experiences and expectations of self, life, and society. How a character faces or describes each situation or place will be colored by his worldview. Here’s an example of three ways that a writer might write a description from a character’s point of view.

On the day after the character Puck has decided to race in Maggie Stiefvater’s Scorpio Races, Puck goes to the barn to feed her horse.

On the surface: It is early morning as I make my way out to the pasture. It’s cold, and I slide across the muddy yard.

Simple to the point, giving time, temp and place.

Slightly deeper: The morning is raw and early as I make my way out to Dove’s pasture. It’s not cold enough to freeze the mud, however, so I stomp and shiver my way across the muddy yard. I’m nervous but trying not to be.

We have a bit more specific detail, tie the cold to nerves. Deep but are we deep enough?

Maggie Stiefvater Scorpio Races: The morning is raw and pink as I make my way out to Dove’s pasture. Cold as a witch’s tit my father used to say, and my mother would say is that the sort of language you’re teaching your boys? And apparently it was, because Gabe said it just the other day. It’s not cold enough to freeze the mud, however—only a few years does it ever get cold enough for that—so I slide and stomp and shiver my way across the muddy yard. I’m trying not to notice that I’m nervous. It is nearly working.

In this short paragraph we have so much character. Deep in her thoughts and worldview, all tied together with setting, backstory, emotion. All bringing forth the character’s voice.

There you have it. Four tips for creating deep point of view.

Keep in mind these are only of a few of the ways to explore deep point of view. There are many more out there to discover. So explore, learn, practice and then use what works for you and your story.

 

Enjoy your journey,

Rhay

Bio

Two of the things I love are teaching and writing. With my MFA in writing from Vermont College, I have had the great fortune to combine these loves. I’ve taught everything from creative writing to academic writing at the university level as well as writing workshops in the USA and on the lovely island of Cyprus, where I live.

Currently, I am teaching three courses online for Lawson Writer’s Academy: Diving Into Deep Point of View,  Create Compelling Characters and From Blah to Beats: Giving Chapters a Heart.

I am represented by Pam van Hylckam Vlieg, and my first novel, I Do Not will be released in May of 2016 by Spencer Hill.