MY FATHER came into my room. He was angry.

How do we know he was angry? Let’s try again.

My father came into my room.

I’m cross with you,” he said.

He might just be saying that, though.

Pretending.

Anyway, it all sounds a bit flat.

My father burst into my room without knocking, which he’s not supposed to do. There was a scowl on his face.

“I’m cross with you,” he snapped, and I believed him.

He’s usually got quite a red face but when he’s really angry you can tell because he goes pale. That day, he was very pale.

That’s better: the violent way he comes in, the angry expression and tone of voice, the pale face; they all add up an impression that he’s more than a bit miffed.

It was common in the big, classic novels of the 19th century for a writer to hover over his or her characters and describe what everyone was doing, thinking and feeling, rather like David Attenborough still does in Blue Planet II.

That technique has fallen out of fashion, and most novels these days are written from the point of view of one or more of the characters.

Sometimes it’s the first person, like the made-up examples here.

Often it’s third person. (‘Her father burst into her room so suddenly that he made her jump and give a little cry of fright.’)

Rarely it’s the second. (‘You know that time your dad came bursting in, white with rage, yelling at you?’)

Used well it brings a scene to life, like watching a good TV or film actor show what they’re thinking with just a tiny change of expression.

Through the eyes of one of the people involved it’s possible to evoke the sights and sounds, even the smells and texture of an event, and to bring out all the emotion and drama of the moment.

But it’s not always straightforward.

It can be tricky keeping your imagination firmly fixed on one character, restricting yourself to what he or she could be expected to know.

At the November meeting of the Airedale Writers’ Circle we were looking at this question of point of view and trying to test its edge.

There’s no hard and fast boundary, of course, just as in life some are better at reading facial expressions and body language than others.

And strangers will understand less about what each other is thinking than characters who know each other well — is that face pale because he’s angry?

Or doesn’t get enough fresh air?

Or ate a dodgy prawn sandwich at lunchtime and now feels a bit sick?

But the signs are there if you look for them, in the smile, the eye contact and the tone of voice.

In fiction, as in life, there’s much we can tell about the people we meet — if we’re prepared to look closely, listen hard, and not jump too quickly to conclusions.

* Members of Airedale Writers Circle take turns to write the monthly Write On article in the Keighley News. Our website is full of previous articles offering a host of hints and tips for budding writers.

Visit keighleynews.co.uk, click on What’s On then Write On and you’ll find lots of the articles.