#249. 5 POV Mistakes That Pull Readers Out of Your Story

Most fiction writers are making at least one of these point of view mistakes. Find out which one could be hiding in your draft.

You know that feeling when a scene isn't quite working, but you can't put your finger on why? Your pacing, dialogue, and structure all seem fine. And yet something is still off. Nine times out of ten, the culprit is POV.

In this episode, I'm walking you through the five most common point of view mistakes, what each one looks like on the page, why it pulls readers out of your story, and what to do if a POV mistake is hiding in your draft. 

The good news? It has nothing to do with your talent as a writer. I see these mistakes in the strongest of manuscripts. And every single one is fixable.

This is what I talk about: 

[02:27] Why head-hopping feels so disorienting to readers, and the simple scene-level rule that instantly creates cleaner, stronger POV. 

[07:11] The subtle "omniscience leak" that happens when your POV character knows things they realistically couldn't know in the moment.

[11:42] Why a POV character who only reports action—with no thought, reaction, or internal stakes—leaves readers feeling disconnected.

[17:13] How info-dumping and backstory disguised as thoughts can make scenes feel unnatural instead of emotionally immersive.

[22:00] The subtle voice drift that makes your POV character slowly stop sounding like themselves, and why this is the hardest mistake to catch.

These mistakes are fixable. Every single one. And once you know what to look for, you can write fiction so immersive that readers forget the real world exists until they reach the final page of your book. If that's the kind of story you want to write, this episode is for you. 

🔗 Links mentioned in this episode:

• Take Author Success Quiz (FREE)
• Get on the Notes to Novel Waitlist
• Ep. 90 - How to Choose the Best Point of View for Your Story
• Ep. 94 - How to Reveal Your Character's Inner Life on the Page
• Ep. 210 - 5 Tips To Write Multiple POV Novels Without Confusing Your Readers

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