Writing; Technique: Distanced POV

 I read Keeping Readers at Arm’s Length with Distanced POV from Live Write Thrive while I was still working my way through John Dos Passos' USA Trilogy. He made use of film techniques. The article mentions one that I think was used by Dos Passos:

Using the camera shot POV is a great technique novelists can borrow from filmmakers. For some writers, the idea of showing a scene completely devoid of emotion, reaction, internalizing, and opining may seem counterintuitive—or downright counterproductive. Isn’t the whole point to tell a story up close and personal?

Sure. But there may be times when you want to see action happening without coloring it with any subjective tint. When you want a feeling of emotional distance.

 The Trilogy uses three points if view of which two qualify as objective. 

The blog offers up a tip on how to implement the pov:

"Remember, the objective of every Scene is to lead to the high moment at the end, and it will take a number of shots to get there, and some shots often will follow after that high moment as well. Filmmakers will sometimes "storyboard," which means they actually sketch out frames of images implying which shot will be used when, how, and focusing on what. If you're good at drawing or can even manage a few stick figures, you could try laying out your scenes on big pieces of poster board. But you can also jot down camera shots in a list, playing around with them until you have a sequence that will meet your needs."

I suggest dipping into Dos Passos for how pov may well involve the tone and texture of one's prose. 

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12/30/21