Editing Tips: DPOV Intro
When writing in Deep Point of View (DPOV), there are numerous things to keep in mind.
As Deep Point of View expert Lisa Hall-Wilson expresses it, “Reading a piece written in DPOV is like sitting in the POV character’s lap, experiencing the story in real time.”
Below are seven additional basics to remember:
DPOV is most commonly used when writing fiction. However, keeping the principles in mind and applying them can strengthen your creative nonfiction (for example, memoir) as well.
When writing in DPOV, it’s best to limit the number of POV characters in your work and include only one POV character per scene. (Note: There can be more than one POV character in a chapter, but it’s important to make it clear when the shift happens.)
Always ask yourself if what you include is something your POV character would notice. For example, they wouldn’t comment on the colour of their walls and the layout of their home unless something was out of place or there was a particular reason they’d notice what you describe.
The entire piece, not just the dialogue, should be expressed as your POV character would express it, using the vocabulary they’d use.
Speaking of dialogue, of course each character should have a unique voice. The only time you shouldn’t necessarily relay information as your POV character would is when another character is speaking.
When writing in DPOV, it’s especially important to apply the principle of Show Don’t Tell. For example, instead of saying, “She was terrified,” say something like this: “She froze. Eyes growing wide. Her legs threatened to give way. She opened her mouth to scream, but no sound came out.”
Again, be careful not to comment on things in a way your POV character wouldn’t. For example, They wouldn’t refer to how their face looked, and some find it “cheating” to indicate that the POV character was looking in a mirror and, therefore, noticed things another would comment on.