Let Point of View Characters Speak Their Minds

Pull Readers Into Character’s Thoughts With Internal Monologue

Sep 1, 2009

Internal dialogue, also referred to as internal monologue, occurs when a writer transposes the character's thoughts or emotions into the text.

Using internal monologue allows readers to relate to characters, because they understand what the characters are thinking and feeling. When a writer considers adding internal monologue to his or her fiction writing, he or she should understand the rules regarding internal dialogue.

Stick with the Point of View Character’s Internal Monologue

Point of view is a literary technique that indicates who is telling the story. The reader sees the events unfold from the mind of the point of view character. An author can use what the character knows, sees, hears, tastes, smells, feels, or thinks to help the story progress.

Unless writers are using an omniscient point of view, they need to reveal thoughts and emotions the point of view character knows and feels. If a writer reveals the internal dialogue for a character that is not the main character of the scene, it can create a point of view breach. Not only will this jar the reader from the story, it can also indicate lazy writing.

Format Internal Monologue with Italics

Some writers place internal monologue in italics to indicate the character is speaking to himself. If an author wants the character to actually speak the words in his or her head instead of just thinking the thoughts, italics can indicate this.

Another time where italics benefit the story is when the author wants to tell the thoughts in first person but the rest of the story is in third person. The italics indicate the shift in the style of the point of view is intentional rather than poor writing.

Avoid Gawking Characters with Deep Point of View

If a novelist creates a deep point of view, it isn’t necessary to use italics: the reader will understand that the author is showing the character’s thoughts. A deep point of view makes a story written in third person feel like it is written in first person. The reader understands that every thought and action is done by the main character.

This can help an author to avoid gawking characters. Examples of this include the following sentences:

In a deep point of view, the author doesn’t have to use the gawking verbs like “saw,” “thought,” “smelled,” and “felt.” He or she can skip right to what the character experienced.

Blend Internal Dialogue Into the Story

With the correct format and point of view, an author can seamlessly use internal monologue to add to the plot of the story. Novelists should keep in mind that to use this writing tool correctly, they need to understand whether they are using first person, second person, third person, or an omniscient point of view.

The copyright of the article Let Point of View Characters Speak Their Minds in Writing Techniques is owned by Tara McClendon. Permission to republish Let Point of View Characters Speak Their Minds in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.