If you’re a writer, then you’re probably a reader. Ever wonder how authors make their characters come alive? One of the ways is through deep point of view.

Take someone who can’t act. Their sentences are stilted. It would be like watching American Idol contestants—the ones who don’t make the cut! It’s not enough that you have them moving around on stage. You have to inject life into your characters.

And how is it done, you ask? I’ll tell you: become the character. That sounds easy, and for a long time I thought I was doing that, but I wasn’t. For me, it takes total concentration.

Picture this: You’re not writing about the character, you’ve now become the character. Say your heroine is running down a dark hallway, she knows a serial killer is after her. Instead of moving her down the hallway become your heroine.

What do you see? Close your eyes for a moment and visualize it. Do you see the hallway? What are you feeling? Fear? Yes, but describe it. Is your heart pounding? Are you sweating? What emotions are going through you? As the heroine, what will you leave behind if the killer catches you?

Even if the hero/heroine aren’t running from a bad guy, you can still get into the mind of the character. Are they drinking that first cup of morning coffee? Did someone else make it? Is the coffee too strong? Bitter? Weak? Remember, become the character.

The funny thing about writing in deep point of view is that I found when I wrote Southern Comfort I had a lot more confidence in myself. The heroine is a tough, DEA agent. I would find myself swaggering around the house. Thankfully, my husband understands my oddities.

My tip for June is get into deep POV with the characters in your book. Feel the character's pain, their laughter and their tears and they will become more than stick figures.