How POV Affects Your Story

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Segment 1 (Announcements/Author Updates):

• (Valerie): launching my four-month book coaching container Aligned Author TODAY. The price is drastically cut this week (it's $667 off the regular price.) Go to valerieihsan.com/alignedauthor for all the details.
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• (Erick):
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• My Favorite Thing is Monsters (gn)

• Segment 2 (Resources/Tips/Tidbits):

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Segment 3 (Main Topic):

Notes:

1. POV = promise: what intimacy, information, and bias will the reader get? • 1st = interiority + voice; close 3rd = balance of interior/exterior; omniscient = scope + theme.
2. The camera test: what can the narrator see/know/believe in this scene? • Ban anything they couldn't realistically perceive; use misbeliefs to create tension.
3. Distance is a dial, not a switch: • Zoom in (sensory, thought-beat, micro-movements) for emotion; zoom out (summary, context) for pace/theme.
4. POV shifts = scene breaks + reason: • Change only to add net new conflict, clue, or consequence. Track continuity of diction and metaphor.
5. Try this: rewrite a 200-word scene in 1st, close 3rd, and omniscient. • Ask: which version delivers the most tension, clarity, and theme resonance?

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