Deep POV with Amy Ruttan and Giveaway!

Author Amy Ruttan with a great post about Deep POV in Fiction Writing. There is a print signed copy of PREGNANT WITH THE SOLDIER'S SON  for one commenter. Open International.

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Over to Amy now...


Deep Point of View and Showing vs. Telling are very similar tools a writer can use to engage a reader further into the story.

One easy way to sometimes punch up some drab tags is to add a little bit more kick to them.

For example:

“Let’s go this way,” she said.

“No, I want to go this way,” he said.

“Why?” She asked.

“Because I said so.”

It’s kind of a bland bit of dialogue. So let’s snap it up with some Deep POV.

“Let’s go this way.” The words came out in a pant as she tried to catch her breath.

“No, I want to go this way.”

“Why?” She asked, finally regaining her composure. She didn’t understand his need to go left instead of right and couldn’t understand why they were arguing about it at this moment. The longer they lingered, the more danger they were in.

“Because I said so.” There was finality to his tone, one which brooked no argument.

Deep POV doesn’t always work this way. We sometimes need the he said, she said and dialogue tags aren’t needed after every piece of dialogue. It’s a bit of a balancing act.

You want the reader to be able to follow along, but readers can get annoyed when you over do it.

“I like ice cream,” Jane said.

“Do you?” Adam asked.

“Of course,” Jane said.

“I do to,” Adam said.

“Really?” Jane asked.

It’s knowing when to add and when to subtract.

I know that’s not very helpful, but that’s why the fresh eyes of a critique partner or a good Beta reader come in handy. They can help cull things for you. I have a habit of repeating words or choosing similar names.


There are no hard and fast rules to writing. As I said before and will say again, always keep learning your craft. Your readers will thank you for it.


When "living a little"…
While celebrating her promotion, the last thing strait-laced orthopedic surgeon Ingrid Walton expects is to be seduced by mysterious dashing soldier and army medic Clint Allen. Especially when there are consequences to their passionate night!
…becomes "living for two"!
Seven months later Ingrid comes face-to-face with the father of her unborn baby…now the new trauma surgeon! But Clint has changed—his last tour of duty has left emotional scars. Can sharing their baby, their work and an undeniable chemistry give them a chance to heal their pasts and enjoy the future…together?

Read REVIEWS

BUY LINKS:

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There is a print signed copy of PREGNANT WITH THE SOLDIER'S SON  for one commenter. Open International.


29 comments:

  1. Thanks to Amy for her tips on craft. I wish her much success with her new book. :)

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  2. Good luck Amy... Nice points for a writer too.

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  3. It definitely is a balancing act, and CPs are great for helping with that.

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    1. It is, Kelly. It's hard to figure out, but if you keep working hard it will come to you and I would be lost without my awesome CP. She knocks sense into me.

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  4. Hello to Amy and best of luck on your new book!

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  5. My CPs helped me slash millions of dialogue tags when I first started writing! Hadn't thought of it before then - great advice! The book sounds great too!

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    1. Thank you, Jemi. Yes, when I was first starting out I did a lot of things I shouldn't and my grammar was atrocious. As long as you're willing to learn and grow you'll find success.

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  6. Yet more great tips, I'm sure my problem would not be embellishing the text but knowing how much was too much.

    Thanks Amy and good luck with the book.

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    1. And that is a problem in itself too, Tracy. Knowing when enough is enough and where not to embellish.

      Thank you for the best wishes.

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  7. Great examples! I worry about overdoing it, but there's nothing worse than totally bland dialogue.

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    1. Thank you, Meradeth. Yes, bland dialogue can totally pull a reader out of a story just as much as overdoing it.

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  8. These are good examples. It's always a matter of knowing when to embellish the text with thoughts and action, and when to keep it simple.

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    1. Exactly, Sherry! Having fresh eyes definitely help.

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  9. Great advice! And critique partners are so helpful in pointing out repetition. Congrats, Amy!

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    1. Yes a good CP is worth their price in gold, Cherie! I really pick a pet word every first draft and repeat it over and over. I'm getting better, but it's a quirk to my writing.

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  10. It's all about getting into the character's heads, eh? I love it when we get so deep into a character we can't bear to be parted with them and have to read the story again or latch onto anything else the author has penned.

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    1. Yes, it certainly is, Crystal. Though when I'm on tight deadlines I have to shake my characters faster than I would like. As for characters I read, I don't mind them sticking around. :)

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  11. Great examples of deep POV. Pushing deeper into the characters really does bring the story alive.

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    1. It does, Lynda! :) Thank you for visiting.

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  12. No wonder writing is called an art! I have no idea how anyone even begins to write a book – but I’m glad they do because I really enjoy reading them.

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    1. Aww thank you, Barbara. It's all about learning. Constantly. Though when I told that to my daughter's class the kids weren't impressed, but the teacher certainly was. LOL

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  13. Sometimes I struggle with telling during deep pov instead of showing...
    ...Soldier's Son sounds like a great book!

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  14. I love the example...it illustrates it perfectly. Good writing is finding that perfect mix of dialogue and action/narrative.

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  15. Hello Kelly Steel!! Thank you for the sample of using deep POV to spice up bland dialogue! Using this technique really elevated the conversation to something else amazing! Yay!

    Awww hope Ingrid and Clint heal their wounds and traumas to face a beautiful future together! Take care
    x

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  16. Great examples. It's not easy to explain. Well done.

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  17. I thought this was very helpful advice. Great example of deep POV. I agree that having a critique partner or someone else to give you feedback on your writing is so important. Dialogue tags are one place they can tell you if the tags aren't needed or if it is too confusing without them. :) Thanks for sharing!

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