I love a story that grabs me by the throat (or the heartstrings) and won’t let go.

In short, I enjoy books that are unputdownable.

I would love for the same to be said about something I’d written.

Although writing fiction from a deep point of view isn’t the only way to make this happen, it can be a powerful factor in the process.

Questions to ask if you want to write from a deep POV:

1. Who is my POV character in this scene? (Especially when writing in DPOV, it’s important to limit the number of POV characters.)

2. Does each POV character have a distinct voice? Even without dialogue tags (she said/he said), could readers tell who was talking?

3. Do these unique voices carry over not only in dialogue but also in the narrative portion of the scene?

4. When writing the narrative portion, is it expressed as the POV character would?

5. Do you share only what the POV character would know for sure? For example, do you show that a non-POV character is incredibly happy by relaying what the POV character can see or hear, or do you state that the character is ecstatic, something the POV character couldn’t know with 100 percent certainty?

6. Do you describe only what your POV character would notice, or do you describe details that they wouldn’t give a second thought to (i.e. the layout of their living room, the knickknacks on their desk, etc.)? If everyday locations and events play a crucial role in the story, it can be challenging to find a way to include them, but it can be done.

7. And maybe most importantly, when someone else reads your story, do they tell you they couldn’t put it down and felt as if they were right there with your characters?

Can you think of other questions that would help writers determine if their work is written in DPOV?

Book Recommendation (with a caveat)

I’ve just begun to read The Next Chapter Bookshop by Brooke Skie. While I can’t guarantee that I’ll feel the same way about the story (and the writing) as I continue, so far, I would give it five stars.

Is it technically written in DPOV? It’s too soon to tell, but it has drawn me in, and more than reading it, I am experiencing the story. And that’s a good sign.

What book has kept you turning pages recently?