02 September 2012

Deep POV by Jill Elizabeth Nelson


Throughout the years, I’ve purchased my share of “how to” books on writing fiction, but this one was worth mentioning because it is short and very comprehensive. I purchased Rivet Your Readers with Deep Point ofView two weeks ago, and like many books I plan to read, it sat on the bar until I could find the time to get some reading done. This almost never happens, but when we decided to make a trip to St. Augustine, I packed an overnight bag and grabbed my book off the bar on our way out the door. I’m so glad I did!

Only fifty nine pages, it is full of information related to getting into your characters’ heads and staying there. Jill Elizabeth Nelson provides a brief summary of POV terms and concepts before introducing the Deep POV methods she uses to keep her readers riveted. In several of her chapters, she provides examples and exercises which help when applying these methods. She also provides her own revisions for comparison.

Ms. Nelson doesn’t just tell the reader how something should be done, she shows by the examples she provides in the book. She shows how a shallow sentence can be transformed into a tight, Deep POV sentence.

She discusses everything from Narrative Distance to Prepositional Tells to Sensory Tells. These are all exceptional topics and after reading about them, I am anxious to begin transforming much of my own pages.

My favorite transformation from this book:

Shallow: With smug satisfaction, he turned in the perfect paper.

Deep: He smirked and dropped the paper onto the teacher’s desk. Shazam! Let’s see Mr. Perfectionist give him anything less than an “A” on this one.

If you haven't read this one, I think you will enjoy it. Have you read any "how to" books lately which have you excited about writing? Please share!

38 comments:

  1. Sounds like a great book. Thanks for sharing it Diane. I love the example too.

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  2. That's a great example. This sounds like an amazing book.

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    1. It's not very long, but I think it's well worth the cost.

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  3. Diane, thanks for sharing. I think I bought this book a couple of months ago on my kindle. I haven't read it yet, but now you have inspired me to read it! It sounds simple yet useful and interesting! Take care!

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  4. I actually bought this book a couple of months ago on Kindle, and I haven't read it yet. You have inspired me to read it. It sounds simple yet useful and interesting! Thanks for sharing!

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  5. Sounds like a helpful book. Something I think I may need to read.

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    1. Honestly, with all the examples, I can't see where anyone would be disappointed. I'm that excited. :D

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  6. This is a great book. Everyone in my critique group has read it. The examples make the difference.

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    1. I'm going to suggest it to both my writing groups. It's invaluable.

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    2. Sounds like an interesting book. I wouldn't mind improving my craft in this way.

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    3. Oh it is. It's one of those tips you get and when you put down the book you aren't going to keep it as a reference, because it's so comprehensive that you can hit the ground running as it is ingrained in your brain as "ah ha" information, it ain't going to go away. :)

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  7. Sounds like a must have book for writers.

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    1. I would say it's a better read than 75% of the writing books I've purchased. It's just that comprehensive and to the point.

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  8. Hi, Diane! Thanks for sharing! I looked it up on Amazon, and read the sample page - it seems a necessity for writers. Short, to the point and educational. Excellent post!

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    1. I hope you like it as much as I did. I was a little put off by the number of pages, but hey, the material was worth it. :D

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  9. I'm going to get it today! I think this is one area I could definitely improve my skills. Thanks for the suggestion!

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    1. Please let me know what you think of the information. I'd like to think other serious writers gain some value from the same books I read. Thanks, Lara!

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  10. That is a superb example. If the book keeps up to that standard in terms of examples and "how to" then it sounds like a must-have.

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    1. I loved all her examples, but that was my favorite...only because I love the word Shazam! lol

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  11. Ahhh!!! Are you a mind reader or what??? I finally took the plunge and joined a critique group and one of the first things they told me was that I was not in my character's head enough. I was going to go this weekend, but next weekend I'm off book hunting to get the book you reviewed!

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    1. Please send me your own feedback. I'm curious to know what others think, especially those whom I know love to write. I'm bringing this up to my critique group as well.

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  12. I add my testimonial. It gives you great focus to get those weasily clauses out of your narrative.

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    1. I loved the section on Narrative Distance and never would have realized I do exactly those things.

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  13. I love hearing about well-written books for writers. Too often I’ve purchased such books only to be disappointed. The content is either too basic, or something I’ve read dozens of times before, or out of date, or inadequate in some other way. Finding a good instructional writing book that includes examples is always a joy. I’ll definitely pick this one up—thanks for the recommendation, Diane!

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    1. I agree, Susan! The best books for me is when they give instruction and then back it up with some compelling examples. That tells me the author really wants me to improve, not just sell a book! :)

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  14. Too funny...I'm actually reading a POV book right now, too. It's called Characters, Emotions & Viewpoints, by: Nancy Kress. I'm around halfway thru and already have about a million ideas as to how to tinker around with and improve my work in progress. I'm always looking for a good writing book, though--I might try yours out and see how Nelson's view differs from Kress's!

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    1. Now I definitely want to read a contrast/comparison post from you, randi! :)

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  15. Thanks for the recommendation! I could definitely use some POV coaching since I plan on using third person for next project!

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    1. You bet! I'm doing third person and already revised three chapters!

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  16. I haven't put a lot of faith in writing how-to books, because so many contradict each other. This one, though, sounds like it might be a good resource. I do like good examples. Need to get back into the Emotion book...ahem :)

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    1. Yes, Mysti! I sat down to write a piece on fear and I got afraid, really afraid. The writer's block was staring at me with these eyes, black as coal...and visions of my middle school bully popped up everywhere. I couldn't breath and my heart constricted like a boa suffocating its prey. ARRGH!!! You're write, I mean...right. lol

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  17. Thanks for sharing this insightful gem, Diane.

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    1. Most welcome! Love these nuggets that I find, not too often, but am grateful.

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  18. Thanks Diane, this looks like a helpful read. I'll have to check it out sometime. :)

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  19. Sounds informative, I'll have to check it out. Thanks

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