I was introduced to the concept via
Scribophile, a writing forum that encourages critique and knowledge exchange for writers. Michael Emmert, long-time writer and
ACFW member, penned an
article on the topic, where he quoted a conference speaker as saying:
“In writing there are no absolutes, but there are two important items to avoid: Filtering, and an overuse of adverbs.”
Well, I’d never heard of it before, but it made a lot of sense. Filtering is essentially delivering the story through a narrator rather than your POV character. Emmert compares it to pouring sand into a bucket through a screen.
Think about writing a story as if you’re looking through the viewfinder of a camera. Where is the viewer with respect to the reader? In a filtering story, the reader is held at a distance from the characters, as though they are peeking through a viewfinder. Without filtering, the psychic distance diminishes and the reader moves through the story as though they are the character. When the character’s heart races, theirs does, too.
Writing without filtering can be powerful,
emotional writing. Filtering makes writing come across as bland and lifeless. It’s almost like the author doesn’t trust the reader enough to discern the character’s emotion and just has to tell them or explain.
Just as the lens is able to focus on a single daisy in the feature picture, a writer should be able to focus their lens as though they’re peering out from the main character’s eyes. What the character feels, the reader feels. What they hear, the reader experiences as a sound. What they smell triggers the olfactory senses in the reader to the point they can smell it themselves. In essence, the reader BECOMES the POV character. Removal of filtering is the secret to writing that gripping, can’t-put-it-down story.
For example:
Emily felt tired. She looked to her right, where Steve had already fallen asleep. He was curled up in the stiff, plastic chair and snoring. She wondered how he could possibly sleep with all the noise from the other bus passengers.
Notice how the writer is just telling everything. When an editor or critique partner suggests showing and not telling, a lot of times they mean a writer should stop filtering.
Now–let’s remove the filters.
Emily felt tired. Rather than telling how she feels, give her a couple actions to show it.
She looked to her right. Rather than having her look to the right, show what’s on her right. If it’s another character, just give their actions. It’s implied by mentioning it that Emily is looking and that’s what she sees.
She wondered how. Instead of telling she wondered, give it as the deep POV thought.
Emily yawned and rubbed her burning eyes. To her right, Steve sat curled in his chair, snoring. How could he possibly sleep with all the noise from the other bus passengers?
A lot of filtering words are sensing words and thought words–watching, seeing, feeling, hearing, understanding, realizing, wondering
Here’s a few other examples.
Emily looked at the passenger across from her, who was smiling. (filtering)
Versus: The passenger across from Emily smiled.
This is a cute children's book written and illustrated by Jenny Harp.
This collection of skits was originally used during vacation Bible school in Port Lavaca, Texas to introduce the kids to each Bible character for that days studies. Every time I read through them I can see the great fun everyone had that week. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.
Daily Spiritual Growth for Your Life is a potpourri of devotionals, and I am so happy that I can present it to you in this format. There are 30 devotionals, and the book features a hyperlinked table of contents so you can select which ever devotional you feel like reading on any given day. I hope you enjoy it, as much as I do!
Odds & Ends: A Collection of Short Fiction
Today, I encourage you to use the following creative writing image prompts as props within your story. The key is to use the items in a way that they are not designed for, or turn them into a new creation entirely. The story is in your hands. Feel free to share these prompts with your friends or students.
This key holder is too funny! What do you think you can use this little pink woman for? Remember she must be a prop, or a new creation in your piece of creative writing.
OK, I freely admit these cute socks are on my wishlist. In fact, I almost bought them the other day when I was out shopping. They are just too fun, and I think they'd be great to wear around the house on a cool day.
Greetings!
Kelli has a new romantic suspense out! She just let me know via the Church of Christ Women Authors Facebook Group, and what's more it's only .99 for a limited time. So, if you have the chance, don't miss getting her newest book while it's still on sale.
While I don't know Katheryn very well, I do know that she is one busy woman. I see her posting in the Church of Christ Woman Authors group page on Facebook all the time about the lectureships she's attending and the places she's set up book display tables. I truly believe her drive should encourage us all to work harder to make our dreams come true.
"Do you have a lady friend who is under stress or even hurting? Inside the Hearts of Bible Women is a series of twelve short stories to help women understand some of the more serious problems and challenges facing us in our modern age, just as women did thousands of years ago...To read more click: here.
Writing in a distinct POV can be tricky, be it first person, third limited, third omniscient–it’s easy to slip “out of character.” Violations of POV are one of the things I find most when I edit. One reason is that many writers engage in a practice called filtering.
