Use characters to guide not just what the reader sees, but what they feel and understand. Ask: are observations loaded or are characters sleepwalking through a scene? Are they interpreting the facts or parroting them? Are they shrugging off the big emotional beats in the story or experiencing them?

The POV character is also a vessel of information controlling what the reader knows and when they know it. The flow of information controls if a locked drawer is just a that or if in ten chapters it holds a key. Your characters play a role in what is being noticed, glossed over, etc.

Your POV character isn’t neutral. They carry biases, opinions, misbeliefs, thoughts, interpretations.The characters and worlds in your stories come alive b/c the reader experiences them filtered through your POV character. e.g., a room to one might be a prison to another.

POV characters are there to do more than observe: what they see, smell, hear, etc. If we limit POV characters to only sensory experiences, we rob the reader of a chance to connect to them. You’re not just showing readers a world, you’re showing them how *this* character uniquely interacts with it.

I appreciate that so much!

Thank you!! 🥹

Use these characters to guide not just what the reader sees, but what they feel and understand. If you're stuck, ask yourself: are the observations loaded or are the characters sleepwalking through the scene? Are they interpreting the facts or parroting them? Are they participating in their own POV?

They're also vessels of information, they control what the reader knows and when they know it. A locked drawer could be nothing or it holds a key revealed 10 chapters later. Your POV character determines what is noticed, what is glossed over, when/why the reveals happen, and what the payoff is.

Your POV character also isn’t neutral. They bring biases, opinions, misbeliefs, thoughts, and interpretations. The characters and the worlds in your stories come alive because the reader experiences them filtered through your POV character. e.g., a room to one might be a prison to another.

It's easy to think that your POV character is purely there to observe: what they see, smell, hear, etc. But this robs the reader of a chance to connect. You’re not just showing readers a world, you’re showing them how *this* character uniquely interacts with it, what stands out to them, and why.