Thought - Writers Forum

Gunther409 · 08-01-2006, 04:18 AM

Hello, I'm wondering, what is the rule for when a character is thinking to himself? I'm writing a short story and I keep writing his thoughts as though it were a normal sentence. Do I need to put quotes for thoughts or can I just write them normally? Thanks!

dwellerofthedeep · 08-01-2006, 04:28 AM

Don't put anything that's not spoken in quotes, it's confusing. I italicize thoughts as I use them a lot in my writing.

bob rulz · 08-01-2006, 04:33 AM

Italicizing is the way it's done in most works of fiction, and it seems to me to be the easiest way to go about it.

Gunther409 · 08-01-2006, 04:40 AM

Thanks guys ^_^ I thought about italisizing, but I wasn't sure that was the right way to go. Well now I know

Kelhanion · 08-01-2006, 07:53 AM

It also depends on the style of your narration. If you write thoughts indirectly then you shouldn't (my opinion) italicize. An example:

Jack tried to open the door but to his surprise it didn't open. Had he missed something? Was this because of the beggar he had killed earlier? Did the lock have something to do with it?

Then again if you write in first person there is no need to italicize then either as the whole thing is inside the character's head.

Come to think of it, when do people actually italicize? I don't remember seeing it a lot in books I've read and I have never done it. Do some people put 1st person thoughts in 3rd person narrative or would they italicize the indirect thoughts in my example? I'm not being sarcastic here

- I know that it's done - so could someone post an example of italicizing thoughts in prose?

dwellerofthedeep · 08-01-2006, 09:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kelhanion

It also depends on the style of your narration. If you write thoughts indirectly then you shouldn't (my opinion) italicize. An example:

Jack tried to open the door but to his surprise it didn't open. Had he missed something? Was this because of the beggar he had killed earlier? Did the lock have something to do with it?

Then again if you write in first person there is no need to italicize then either as the whole thing is inside the character's head.

I do this whenever I go first person in somebody's head during an otherwise third person story. I usually italicize any and all thoughts, for example:
Start
When Sam awoke the day after he was still in his uniform and could feel a buzzing sensation beginning at the back of his head, probably should have called it quits after the dance. The young officer had rolled out of his bed while he slept so he felt he had no choice but get up. Departure in twenty-eight hours, wonderful. Sam headed downstairs recalling that he’d dropped by the mansion last night as he placed his hand on the silver banister. I guess I must have stayed too.
End
Hope that helps.

imrhati · 08-01-2006, 10:39 AM

i use a semi omniscient 3rd person that focuses on one character. i never italize, i jsut simply write the thought.

on the other hand, italics are often used for flash backs.

Fantasy of You · 08-01-2006, 10:50 AM

[/quote] Italicizing is the way it's done in most works of fiction, and it seems to me to be the easiest way to go about it. [/quote]

Quote:

Don't put anything that's not spoken in quotes, it's confusing. I italicize thoughts as I use them a lot in my writing.

Only a tiny amount of books I have read use italics compared with those that don't. Usually, ''/"" is used, but some of my favourite books simpoly put ',he thought' ect.. It's only confusing when it is written like shit like anything else..

Mike C · 08-01-2006, 12:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fantasy of You

It's only confusing when it has been wrote poorly

Oh, the irony...

thoughts should generally be italicised.

Dave King · 08-01-2006, 02:18 PM

Hey, Gunther,

Actually, how you handle your interior monologue mechanics is one of the ways you can control narrative distance. The Readers' Digest Condensed Version of narrative distance is that it's the distance between your narrative voice and your main character's voice. When you want to put some distance between the two (there are times when you might), then use IM mechanics that set off the interior monologue, such as a shift to first person or italics. (Never quotes -- the other posters were right about that.) When you want to write the more narrative intimacy (I recommend this more often than not), then keep the interior monologue in third person, normal font. Just move seamlessly from your description to your character's thoughts, and your readers will feel they're seeing things through your character's eyes.

If I might take the liberty, I once wrote an article on the topic for Writing Fiction, a sister magazone to Writer's Digest. You can find it on my website, www.davekingedits.com. Just click on "Writing Advice" then on "Decoding Narrative Distance."

cacafire · 08-01-2006, 03:07 PM

You seem to really know your stuff, Dave. That's good, because we could always use people who know their stuff. If I might add, it's perfectly acceptable to use them like you have been using them, gunther. Though you might want to put "he thought" afterwards occasionally.

-Cacafire

Gunther409 · 08-02-2006, 01:31 AM

Yeah, I almost always put a "he thought" after he has a thought, unless it's obvious that it was a thought. Though I am now italisizing I'm wondering if I still need to put "he thoguht" after it. I do, but I'm not sure if I'm just being redundant. Thanks for the article Dave, I'm reading it as I do my homework. It seems to make the goings a little easier.

bob rulz · 08-02-2006, 06:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gunther409

Yeah, I almost always put a "he thought" after he has a thought, unless it's obvious that it was a thought. Though I am now italisizing I'm wondering if I still need to put "he thoguht" after it. I do, but I'm not sure if I'm just being redundant. Thanks for the article Dave, I'm reading it as I do my homework. It seems to make the goings a little easier.

I personally don't, but I don't think it really matters. Just depends on your writing style.