Suggestion on POV

[YadhavaKrishnan Ranjani S]

I'm working on my second novel; my first is in the publishing phase.

My second novel is a sci-fi psychological thriller where the protagonist is blind.

I came across the term "deep third-person limited POV," which I find quite interesting for developing tension when the protagonist is blind.

Can anyone suggest books that use a deep third-person limited POV?

 

[Louanne Learning]

This post probably better fits into Writing Discussion

@Homer Potvin - can you please move?

 

[Homer Potvin]

This post probably better fits into Writing Discussion

@Homer Potvin - can you please move?

Sorted!

 

[Banespawn]

Orson Scott Card's Characters and Viewpoint is an excellent reference for understanding 3rd person POV depth. Here are some examples from the book:

Limited 3rd person, light penetration:

Pete waited fifteen minutes before Nora showed up wearing a vivid blue dress that Pete had never seen before. "Do you like it?" asked Nora.

It looks outrageous, thought Pete, like neon woven into cloth. "Terrific," he said, smiling.

Nora studied Pete's face for a moment, then glared. "You always want me to be frowsy and boring," she said.

Limited 3rd person, deep penetration:

Pete wasn't surprised that Nora was fifteen minutes late, and of course she showed up wearing a new dress. A blue dress. No, not just blue. Vivid blue, like neon woven into cloth.

"Do you like it?" asked Nora.

Pete forced himself to smile. "Terrific."

As usual, she could read his mind despite his best efforts to be a cheerful, easy-to-get-along-with hypocrite. She glared at him. "You always want me to be frowsy and boring."

See the difference? The deep version gives us much more of Pete's attitude toward Nora. Pete's thoughts bleed through the page.

Keep in mind that you will naturally vary the depth of your 3rd person POV based on what's happening in the story. If you need to quickly sum up events at the beginning of a new scene, to catch the reader up after a time shift, your narrative depth will be much shallower. When the MC's best friend is bleeding out in his arms, the narrative depth should be much deeper to fully engage the reader in those emotions.