Internalization is the glue that holds a story together. It’s where the readers learn why those awesome descriptions matter, who those great characters we create really are, and shows why those cool conflicts hurt so badly.

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But good internalization requires a balance. Too much and the character in too in their head and slows the story, too little and the reader can’t connect to the character enough to care about the story.

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If you’re unfamiliar with the term, internalization is what’s going on in your point of view (POV) character’s head. It’s how they see the world and how they choose to tell the reader about it. It’s the filtering process that makes everything in the story have meaning, and conveys the opinions and judgment of the POV character.