Thread by @astarte73

#ammteasers I had some questions about DEEP POV & CHARACTERS WHO LEAP OFF THE PAGE and I feel like y'all have a whoooole lot of confidence in me! 😂😂😘
I also think the two can go hand in hand—so buckle up for a thread!
1/14

#ammteasers Okey-doke! Sometimes, if you get the feedback that an agent/editor "didn't connect with the voice" it *can* mean other things, BUT it often signals that your writer's voice overpowered the narrative, rather than the reader immersing themselves in you MCs POV
2/14

#ammteasers What does this mean, actually?

Well, deep POV bridges the distance between the MC and the reader and bypasses the more neutral voice of the writer. It makes your MC come alive to a reader, and that brings their journey/arc closer on many levels.
3/14

#ammteasers So how do you do it?

You get inside the brain of your POV character and shut off outside(Writer Person/s) reactions.

If an event happens on page, you only write how it appears to your MC. Just the details they'd naturally care about.

You use "their voice"
4/14

#ammteasers "Their voice" means a number of factors: your MCs speech patterns, thought patterns, ideas that make sense *to them*. You can use certain phrases, & structure sentences in a special way. (These also work in dialogue!)
They're the criteria that sets your MC apart
5/14

#ammteasers, You are no longer part of the equation. It's a conversation between your MC and your reader. It is so deeply imbedded into your MCs POV that your reader forgets they're reading a book.

YOU know that feeling.

YOU need to make it happen on page.
6/14

#ammteasers The deeper we are into your MCs mind, the more insight we have into why the STAKES are so vital to them, and what are the consequences if they aren't met.
So!
Plant yourself into the MCs brain.
What do they notice? (If it's familiar territory, not much)
7/14

#ammteasers And this last is important--YOU can't describe everything in a scene without slackening tension from the plot. (That's a writerly sin)
Instead, describe things as your MC's focus turns there. (IE: They drop eye contact and rub their corduroy pants, repeatedly.)
8/14

#ammteasers INCORPORATING SENSES *beyond* sight & hearing adds a vibrancy to your writing. TRY to add all 5 into a scene if you can.
I also do my best to add them to action beats rather than in dumps of description. Combining sensory language w/behaviors that SHOW is key!
9/14

#ammteasers This is also important w/BACKSTORY
Your MC knows their history & will casually refer to things as *it connects* w/what’s occurring on page.
They don't randomly think about something from when they were 10 *unless* it's triggered by something in the present
10/14

#ammteasers Also, inasmuch as you can, make what your MC notices, things that do double duty. If it can show emotion PLUS backstory PLUS add tension PLUS move the story/scene forward, you're golden!
Breadcrumbing info as it becomes PERTINENT is a skill, and you can do it!
11/14

#ammteasers And remember, if we're in your MCs head, enjoying the ride as they do, we also need access to WHY they are doing some things. Often, writers keep everything close to their chests and merely *hint* about some Important Backstory, but that gets frustrating a bit.
12/14

#ammteasers By all means keep The BIG Mystery mysterious for the black moment, but not everything is *worthy* of being skirted around, & *you can annoy readers if you appear to have been coy for the sake of drama.*

(read it again)

13/14

#ammteasers Recap: You want your readers to forget they're reading.
They should visualize what's happening!
Bring your MCs POV front & center by writing someone w/a unique voice/thought pattern/backstory & who has clear goals & wounds (expressed when vital to a scene!)
14/14