You must stay drunk on writing so reality cannot destroy you. ~Ray Bradbury
*******
On Monday I met with my small writing group. I read part of a chapter from IFFY that I'd written several days earlier. A couple things came up in the feedback that got me thinking--scary, I know.
The dilemma: do you or do you not italicize a character's thoughts? I had one person in the group (and I have to say, I've had another writer tell me the same thing) say that if writing in first person, you don't italicize at all because technically everything is in the character's head.
My feeling has always been that it is helpful to readers to italicize DIRECT THOUGHTS. For example, at the start of this scene, Jane comes in the house humming a tune.
The sentence I italicized (put in bold since blogspot italicizes all blockquotes) is a direct thought. I suppose I could have written something like-- I thought about calling her and straightening things out. Then I wouldn't italicize it.
Others in the group felt I should have italicized more than I did. At the end of the scene (after the mother clips off the thread) I didn't italicize and several people in the group thought I should. (**Remember: blockquotes are italicized on Blogspot--my original didn't italicize any of it.)
To me, last line wasn't direct internal dialog. Otherwise she would have said something like- Did she hesitate?
It all got me thinking, and so I did some digging. I found some helpful posts on the matter. Overall it seems like italics should be reserved for IMPORTANT direct thoughts. They should be written in first person present tense because it is the character talking to him/herself. People talk in first person, present tense.
This blog post, Points on Style, deals with the difference between direct and indirect thoughts.
I liked how this talked about how italics weren't necessary if you were writing "deep viewpoint" --as in, writing from inside one person's head. Point of View writing, I guess you could say.
There was another great post I read and bookmarked, but it was on a different computer. I'll link it in the comments when I find out the address.
What do YOU like to see when reading a book? What do YOU do when writing character thoughts?
The dilemma: do you or do you not italicize a character's thoughts? I had one person in the group (and I have to say, I've had another writer tell me the same thing) say that if writing in first person, you don't italicize at all because technically everything is in the character's head.
My feeling has always been that it is helpful to readers to italicize DIRECT THOUGHTS. For example, at the start of this scene, Jane comes in the house humming a tune.
The tune was one off the new CD Eva had given me a while back. I'll call her, straighten things out. I took off my boots and lined them along the wall.
The sentence I italicized (put in bold since blogspot italicizes all blockquotes) is a direct thought. I suppose I could have written something like-- I thought about calling her and straightening things out. Then I wouldn't italicize it.
Others in the group felt I should have italicized more than I did. At the end of the scene (after the mother clips off the thread) I didn't italicize and several people in the group thought I should. (**Remember: blockquotes are italicized on Blogspot--my original didn't italicize any of it.)
"What are you saying? That you're getting a divorce?"
"No."
Had there been a hesitation?
To me, last line wasn't direct internal dialog. Otherwise she would have said something like- Did she hesitate?
It all got me thinking, and so I did some digging. I found some helpful posts on the matter. Overall it seems like italics should be reserved for IMPORTANT direct thoughts. They should be written in first person present tense because it is the character talking to him/herself. People talk in first person, present tense.
This blog post, Points on Style, deals with the difference between direct and indirect thoughts.
I liked how this talked about how italics weren't necessary if you were writing "deep viewpoint" --as in, writing from inside one person's head. Point of View writing, I guess you could say.
There was another great post I read and bookmarked, but it was on a different computer. I'll link it in the comments when I find out the address.
What do YOU like to see when reading a book? What do YOU do when writing character thoughts?
12 comments:
I'm not a huge fan of first person POV, and I was going to say I don't agree that the thoughts should be italicized, but I guess I see your point a little. Maybe it's because I think writing thoughts really only works in a third person POV.
That's interesting. Why do you thing writing thoughts only works in 3rd person POV?
Sarah,
I just got the SAME feedback from one member of my writing group. I'm writing first person POV and have used italics to accent certain thoughts that seem to, in some way, deviate from the narrative. I have to admit, I haven't had a hard and fast rule about this.
An example:
I pushed past them and back onto the street and a car honked and squealed on its brakes, nearly hitting me and I jumped back on the curb. More laughter behind me and the fat kid again saying, “Man, you rude, know that? Gonna get yourself killed up in here, rabbit.”
Where the f... were the police when you need them? Get myself killed? Screw the traffic light. I burst across the street and straight into traffic.
Oh oh, I can't italicize on this blog! Well, the first sentence of the second paragraph is italicized, and represents the characters internal dialogue, which seems separate from the narrative of his telling the story. Just like people break from telling you a story verbally to go into their internal dialogue without stopping to say, "Then I thought...." or "then I said to myself...."
Since getting that feedback I haven't been using the italics and I'll look at how it lays on the page without it.
Mike,
As I understand it, if it is a direct thought (of importance) then you would write it in present tense: Where the f... are the police when I need them? Get myself killed? Screw the traffic light!
But you might find you don't need the italics at all since it is in first person.
And you are right, sometime it is a matter of how it looks on the page--and being consistent.
Here is another good post about character thoughts. http://littlecalamity.tripod.com/Text/Thoughts.html
After my comments, I noticed in the latest book I'm reading (written in first person), that she put her thoughts in italics, followed by "I thought."
So maybe you can do it. But I think you would have to say "I thought" afterward. Because really, isn't the first person POV all thoughts?
Stacy,
"Because really, isn't the first person POV all thoughts?"
Yes and no. First person is a character telling his/her own story, so it would include thoughts, dialog, and narration--just like any other story. But yes, it is all from within that person's frame of reference. Therefore thoughts would only have to be distinguished from dialog, which is done with standard dialog quotations.
The more I read about it, the more I feel one should go light on the italics in first person. And it sounds like even in third person a writer needs to be careful to italicize only direct thoughts.
But apparently there is no hard and fast rule. I even checked Strunk and White!
רציתי לחלוק איתכם במקרה אותו עברתי אחרי הפיגוע בדולפינריום. במשך חצי שנה אחרי הטראומה, חשתי מדוכאת, חסרת שמחת חיים, עייפה ומדוכדכת. עם טיפולים רפואיים רגילים לא יכולתי להשתקם ולכן פניתי ל- [b][url=http://www.maker.co.il/3_15707/%D7%9E%D7%90%D7%9E%D7%A8/%D7%9B%D7%9C-%D7%94%D7%A2%D7%95%D7%91%D7%93%D7%95%D7%AA-%D7%A2%D7%9C-%D7%A0%D7%A4%D7%A9-%D7%94%D7%90%D7%93%D7%9D-%D7%95%D7%A2%D7%99%D7%A1%D7%95%D7%99-%D7%A8%D7%A4%D7%95%D7%90%D7%99-(%D7%9E%D7%A1%D7%90%D7%92%60).html]עיסוי[/url][/b] רפואי אלטרנטיבי. המליצו לי על מעסה מקצועי מ-Spa-Vip.co.il - עיסוי עד הבית, אשר מכיל עיסוי שוודי מפנק במיוחד אשר עורר לי את החושים תוך טיפול אחד בלבד. השינוי אותו עברתי היה יוצא מן הרגיל, אפילו אחרי טיפול מסאג שוודי ראשון, השתפר לי המצב הרוח, פיזרתי את השיער ויצאתי מה- [b][url=http://www.academics.co.il/Articles/Article12945.aspx]מסאג[/url][/b]' עם הרבה כוח, שמחה ומוכנה להמשיך הלאה.
[b][url=http://www.tapuz.co.il/blog/ViewEntry.asp?EntryId=1679344]עיסוי שוודי[/url][/b] הוא עיסוי משולב עם ריח של קטורת, מוזיקה נעימה ומוזיקה נעימה. ההתחלה של עיסוי היא מגע עדין על המגבת לאחר חשיפה של הגוף מכף רגל ועד ראש. מריחת שמן חם מכף רגל ועד הראש, אחרכך תנועה עדינה ומלטפת מכף רגל ועד ראש ובחזרה. אחרי כמה תנועות מפנקות עוברים לצד השני של הגוף, לאחר אותם תנועות על הצד השני מתחיל תהליך של לחיצות רפואיות כי הגוף התרגל למגע מפנק ומרגיע וזה גרם לשרירים להרפות מעט... כל זה בטיפול פרטי של [b][url=http://www.academics.co.il/Authors/Author2173.aspx]מעסה[/url][/b] מקצועי עד בית הלקוח!
אישית לא האמנתי כי דברים כאלה יכולים להיות עד אשר התענגתי עם מסאז שוודי באיכות כזאת, המעסה המקצועי הגיע עד לביתי עם מגע שלא הכרתי שלא תיארתי שיכול להיות. אני ממליצה בחום לכל אחד ואחת אשר חשבו על [b][url=http://israblog.nana10.co.il/blogread.asp?blog=682132]מסאז[/url][/b]', עיסוי או פינוק מטריף חושים בחג על Spa-VIP.co.il.
[img]http://spa-vip.co.il/_images/apixel.gif[/img]
[url=http://spa-vip.co.il/#][img]http://spa-vip.co.il/_images/spa-vip-massages.jpg[/img][/url]
Thanks for news
I am sorry, that I interrupt you, but you could not paint little bit more in detail.
Битторрент трекер KINORELIZ.NET дает возможность бесплатно закачать бесплатно торрент фильмы, музыку, игры, книги, программы, документацию. Быстрый торрент трекер - лучший способ ускорить просмотр кино или прослушивание мелодий.
KINORELIZ NET: [url=http://kinoreliz.net]открытый торрент трекер[/url]
Если вы столкнулись с вопросом, как зарегистрировать компанию, не обладая надлежащей юридической подготовкой, то правильнее обратиться в ООО "Регистратор". Ведь для самостоятельного сбора всех необходимых документов необходимо время и знания, так как любая ошибка может обойтись слишком дорого. Высококвалифицированные специалисты ООО "Регистратор" возьмутся качественно оформить компанию.
Регистрация ООО: [url=http://www.registratorfirm.ru/howtoregfirm/]оформление фирмы[/url]
Несмотря на кажущуюся простоту, регистрация в качестве ип предполагает выполнение установленных норм и правил, поэтому надежнее доверьтесь специалистам, которые имеют многолетний опыт такого рода. Если вы спросите, как оформить ип, вам ответят очень запросто.… Квалифицированные юристы ООО "РЕГИСТРАТОР" возьмут всю операцию оформления и регистрации вашей фирмы, на себя...
Юридические услуги: [url=http://www.registratorfirm.ru/openip/]как оформить ип[/url]
Post a Comment