Inner Dialogue Is Simply the Speech of a Character to Himself.Hehears It and the Reader

Inner dialogue is simply the speech of a character to himself.Hehears it and the reader hears it, but other characters have no idea what’s going on in his head.

It’s the same for us and our thoughts. Unless we reveal them, no one knows what we’re thinking. In our worlds, however, even if we do reveal our thoughts, it’s likely that no one hears those thoughts uncensored. Lovers may share most of what they’re thinking, or an abusive parent might dump every thought on a child, but for the most part, men and women don’t share every thought. If they did, they’d be talking nonstop.And they’d be opening up the very most intimate part of themselves. Most people simply don’t tell what they’re thinking, in full, to others. To do so would make them vulnerable, naked, without protection.

With characters, however, we get to listen in. And we hear not only passive thoughts—the stream of consciousnesspatter that flows through the mind—but deliberate dialogue—a character giving himself a pep-talk or talking himself into or out of particular actions.

• Thought and inner dialogue give the reader insight he or she can’t get from watching a character’s actions from the outside. Inner dialogue and thought reveal truth. They reveal darkness. They reveal hope or dreams or resignation.They reveal emotions or beliefs too painful to be shared with other characters.They reveal the heart. They reveal despair of the soul. They reveal strength of the spirit.
• Thought and inner dialogue can be used to raise the emotional level of a scene.
• Character thought can alsolighten a scene.

What else can thought and inner dialogue do?

• They allow characters to be differentiated.
• They give characters an honest voice.
• They can reveal character motivation.
• They can slow the pace of a scene.

So, how does the writer convey the thoughts and inner dialogue of a character?

The character must be the viewpoint character for a scene. Unless you’re writing from a completely omniscient viewpoint, which is quite unusual these days, you won’t be dipping into and out of every character’s head.

Try to reveal thoughts and inner dialogue that advance the plot. We don’t need to hear everything, just the good stuff. Give the reader thoughts that reveal the character and have bearing on the plot. Thoughts that up the emotional temperature for the reader.

How to Write Inner Dialogue

First-and third-person narration are likely the options most writers will use for most genres most of the time. Thus, the reader will knowandwill feel he or she is in the character’s head.

Third person example:Montrose tilted his head to get a clearer view of the high-spirited girls behind Giselle. They looked nothing alike, these two women posing as his dead wife’s sisters. He dismissed both with a flick of his wrist. They also looked nothing like his sweet, sweet Margaret.Montrose thought, Why does my Margaret haunt me so?

First person example:I tipped my head to get a clearer view of the women behind Giselle. They looked nothing alike, these two women posing as Margaret’s sisters. I waved them away. And they certainly didn’t favor my sweet Margaret.Stupid, ignorant fool. I should have known better than to believe. Than to hope . . .Notice that the point of view is of the main character.

Choice: It’s a matter of style when it comes to quotation marks or italics- or even nothing at all! Many people believe that if there are quotation marks, then the words must be spoken by the character, or using the word “thought” is all you need to show ID, so keep in mind not everyone will agree with your choice. Whatever you decide, keep the format the same throughout your paper.