The Art of Writing: How to Write Bestselling Novels

Third-Person Deep POV

(NOTE: I cannot take reading requests since my business and family take most of my time.)

Ever wonder how to get deeper into the character's head when writing in third-person, which is inherently outside the character's head? Those two things sound impossibly at odds, don't they? Actually, they're not if you use the right techniques.

Deep POV in third-person can be a tricky skill to get used to, but there are a couple of different techniques for utilizing the skill. Let's explore them.

FIRST TECHNIQUE

This technique is going to sound very strange, at first, but once you see it in action, it'll make sense.

You simply write in first-person POV first, then convert everything into third-person by changing the pronouns, making some tense corrections, and a few other little adjustments. First-person POV is the deepest POV of any of the POVs.

A veteran writer friend of mine once told me that the first time she read first-person POV, she thought it was cheating because of how it got the reader so close to the character. For her, it had always been a lot more work to create that feel with third-person POV.

She was right--it is a very effective way to get inside the character's head. So utilize it to get your third-person POV deeper.

Here's an example:

First-Person
I ground my teeth, balling my hands into fists, ready to pounce on the jerk. What kind of idiot tries to start a fight with an MMA fighter?

Third-Person Converted
Jack ground his teeth, balling his hands into fists, ready to pounce on the jerk. What kind of idiot tried to start a fight with an MMA fighter?

So all I had to change was I to "he" or "Jack" and shifted the tense of "tries." I'm first-person POV, you can get away with certain present tense usages due to the fact that it's basically like the character is speaking all of the narration himself. Therefore, you'll have no italicized internal monologue. And that's great, because publishers and readers DO NOT like a lot of italicized internal monologue or italicized words in novels. So you just convert them to past-tense in third-person and you've gotten a deeper POV. It's really very simple.

SECOND TECHNIQUE

Honestly, I'd start out using the first technique, and then switch to this technique. Once you do enough converting, you'll get used to writing in deep POV.

The key to writing deep POV in third person without converting from first-person is to approach the narrative naturally, as if you're in the head of the main character as opposed to outside of her. If you're in her head, you'll write like you are...except that the narrative will use pronouns like she rather than I.

When I say naturally, I mean your natural thoughts and observations. But instead of making those thoughts into italicized internal monologue, just turn them into normal narrative.

Example:

Shallow POV
He grabbed the axe and headed for the agents covering the door. These guys won't know what hit them, I thought.

Deep POV
He grabbed the axe and headed for the agents covering the door. They'd never know what hit them.

See how it's seemingly a breech of POV and yet it isn't? It works perfectly and the reader really has no idea that the narrative strayed into internal monologue. This gives a sense of being in the character's head without breeching the publishers' rules of eliminating most italics.

Deep POV is the most valuable skill a writer can use nowadays because it causes such string engagement for the reader, so learn it well.

Now, as always, go use this skill immediately through an entire book or story you've written. Then write some new scenes using it. By the time you're done, it'll be a normal part of your writing style.

Good luck! And if you liked this chapter, please vote for it!