If the reader has everything filtered through the POV (point of view) character--the author telling us she heard this, noticed that, saw the other--then the reader can’t feel as if he’s right there. It puts him at a distance. It’s the difference between Susan heard the door creak. She wondered who was there. She noticed the smell of lavender and dust. “Grandma?” she said. and The door creaked. Who was there? Lavender, dust... “Grandma?” Okay, not a timeless classic, but it’s 21 words versus 9, and filtered-through-Susan distance versus immediacy.
Phrases like Joe knew, thought, considered, regarded, wondered, noticed, sensed, felt, saw, smelled, heard and it seemed, appeared, was obvious (to Joe) filter the experience, putting the reader at a greater distance. Better is cutting right to what was known or sensed by the POV character to give the reader a great deal more closeness to the character’s experience.
I think what we have to do is learn to identify the words we tend to use which put distance between the reader and the work, then literally search and destroy within our manuscripts. This doesn't sound like fun, but it should result in a markedly more intimate reading experience and quite possibly in tighter, leaner writing.
Maryn, who needs to work on this (and so much more!)