Okay, I'm just curious... what's the best way to write character thoughts out?

With quotes?
Italics?
None?

Whatever you want. If in 3rd person, I usually do italics. If it's in 1st, you obviously don't have to worry.
The point is, the best way is whatever way you want. There is no set way.

I agree with Crazy Ivan... that's what i'd normally do. So long as it's quite obvious that they're thughts any format is pretty much ok... I just think italics are the best.

Ditto. I like italics.

With quotes?

...never, since they're properly used only for spoken dialog, not thinking...

Italics?

...too many misuse and overuse them for thoughts... imo, they're only called for if the inner dialog goes on for a paragraph, or more....

None?

...none are necessary, a good writer can let the reader know the character is thinking, without resorting to italics...

I only write in the first person, so, naturally, I just use them as natural sentences. It just comes naturally.
No, I can’t lie to my self, even in this state. Why’d I even try? I know I can’t do it any more; Rome had changed everything. Is more or less a fair example of how I write thoughts out on paper. Kinda like the character has a running diary in their head.

I read a book where the author used quotes to write a character's thoughts, although this isn't proper I felt it was quite effective.

Personally, I wouldn't use italics because I find sometimes they can make the text appear messy.

The most effective approach to your question is to find a creative way to weave your character's thoughts in to the narrative.

It's totally up to you what you use. If you use dialogue or italics for thoughts, I would suggest specifying who the character is and if they're speaking or thinking. I've seen a couple of stories that use symbols and stuff *can't think right now XD* besides dialogue and italics for thoughts and dialogue, like the book "Black Gryphon" by Mercedes Lackey uses colons :: some sort of phrase :: and the "Animorphs" series by K.A. Applegate uses the arrow things XD *still can't think* < some sort of dialogue > Anyways, those are my suggestions.

I agree with maia on this one, I have seen alot of books that have italics and so forth and sometimes yeah it works ok, but there are also those books that is really does work out terrible and they'd of been better off not doing it as you could tell quite easily that it was characters thoughts.

Basically just do what you are most comfortable with and what works for you is my suggestion.

~Torana

I guess that makes sense. Italics seem to be the standard for thoughts, so I guess they're best. Or maybe not at all.

Or you can blatantly state that they're thoughts:

What a rat-infested mess, he thought.

Italics seem to be the standard for thoughts, so I guess they're best.

they're not 'standard' among the majority of the best writers [not necessarily the most popular]... and are definitely not 'best'...

max has nailed the simplest, clearest, most reader-friendly method... and it's the one most of the best writers use...

they're not 'standard' among the majority of the best writers [not necessarily the most popular]... and are definitely not 'best'...

max has nailed the simplest, clearest, most reader-friendly method... and it's the one most of the best writers use...

What determines a best writer is a matter of opinion. I guess it's more of a style preference than anything else.

whenever i use the term 'best' in re writers, i am referring to the acknowledged best... those considered by the arbiters of the literary world to be well above the mean... i would have thought that would be understood... would anyone interested in being a writer think pen, pulitzer, booker, caldecott, or nobel winners not among the 'best'???

I believe that Italics are commonly used in dream sequences? It was also my understanding that italics represent characters thoughts.

I agree with mamma in regards to using the "she thought" "he thought" but only if it doesn't make the paragraph too wordy.

I believe that just as you can overuse the good ole "he/she said" you can just as easily overuse " , he/she thought".

I would have to say that how you do it depends largely on what you're writing, how lengthy it is, etc.

I was told by an agent that rejected my manuscript to use italics to represent thoughts. Other than that..my opinion is only my opinion *shrug*

would anyone interested in being a writer think pen, pulitzer, booker, caldecott, or nobel winners not among the 'best'???

No. I define for me what is best. Not the industry...any industry.

whenever i use the term 'best' in re writers, i am referring to the acknowledged best... those considered by the arbiters of the literary world to be well above the mean... i would have thought that would be understood... would anyone interested in being a writer think pen, pulitzer, booker, caldecott, or nobel winners not among the 'best'???

Many people would, yes, I'm sure.

I was told by an agent that rejected my manuscript to use italics to represent thoughts. Other than that..my opinion is only my opinion *shrug*

Hmmm... weird. Perhaps that was a guideline you overlooked?

it seems that when I write, I just write down his thoughts as they are, no italics, no quotations.

Dontae slumped into the lounge chair, defeated, as Cybil went back to reading her magazine yet again. He sat for a few minutes, thinking. He couldn’t help looking at Cybil; she reminded him of somebody. His mother maybe. His mother was a small, angry woman. She felt as if the world had it in for her, and that no matter how bad things got, they could always get worse. She died when he was fourteen, drunk and crazy, hating herself, and hating the world that killed her husband. She was drunk at the funeral.

I'd never really thought about this until I read this thread. I might be wrong in hw I'm writing his thoughts down, but it just feels natural.

Sometimes if it's a short, but imprtant thought, I'll put single quotations around it:

"One of the other girls said they saw a strange teal light outside, and Miranda's bed is all messed up, as if there was a struggle or something!”

‘There was a struggle alright…' Danny thought to himself.

"One of the other girls said they saw a strange teal light outside, and Miranda's bed is all messed up, as if there was a struggle or something!”

‘There was a struggle alright…' Danny thought to himself.

Yeah, I've seen lots of people do it like that...but it always seems kind of unprofessional and throwing off the groove. (Y'know. The groove. The groove.)

Horrible... use italics people.

Forget mamma's advice; it's old and obsolete

Well, this is bound to turn ugly.

So my final comment is: Use italics. And now I jump out of the topic before it heats up.

Eyez, mind your diction.

As for me, I rather like using 's/he thought' instead of italics. However, I feel as though the publishing company's wishes are much more prevalent. So what I would recommend is finding a couple books by a selected company and see what their authors have done. Also, there may be some information on a website of theirs.

S/he thought is pretty clear, but you may not to be limited exclusively to that. It can sound tedious if your character is revealing a series of thoughts, especially if he or she is also speaking aloud. An example might be where a character is interrogating someone, but you wish to show the reader the purpose of each question.

good writers don't need to use either 's/he thought' or italics, it'll be clear to the reader that the character is thinking, vs the narrator narrating...

as for:
Quote:
Originally Posted by SB108

"One of the other girls said they saw a strange teal light outside, and Miranda's bed is all messed up, as if there was a struggle or something!”

‘There was a struggle alright…' Danny thought to himself.

Yeah, I've seen lots of people do it like that...but it always seems kind of unprofessional and throwing off the groove. (Y'know. The groove. The groove.)

...yeah, it's not only 'unprofessional' and groove off-throwing, but also incorrect usage, as single quotes are properly used only for a quote within a quote... unless you're in the uk, where the singles are used for quotes themselves and the doubles within...

...bottom line: whatever you use, be consistent... if the publisher doesn't like it, it'll be changed, anyway...

I change my vote! :p

After flipping through a dozen or so of my favorite books, I noticed most of them used Italics alone, Italics with 'She thought', or Italics with a verb.

Grandpa will be surprised to see me.
Grandpa will be surprised to see me... Sophie thought
Grandpa will be surprised to see me! She laughed to herself.

Most of the books I checked had used all three of these in the same book.

So... in other words: I WIN!

Hehe. Sure, Adamant. ;)

I prefer none tbh. I guess it's a matter of preference

One thing though: Don't use sometimes italics and sometimes none for thoughts, stick to one thing and one thing only, otherwise it's going to get confusing.

But as Maia has said, the publisher will go through all this afterwards anyway, but ye, don't start switching, stick to one.

Having read this thread, I paid attention while reading some Patricia Cornwell I am in the middle of. She uses plain text for character thoughts, without punctuation of font decoration. The context alone makes it clear.

That is of course only one example, and although I enjoy her work, she has also penned some pieces I have been less impressed by.

Looking on the web, on the other hand, I saw several recommendations for italicizing character thoughts.

If there is a mandate, I think it will come from the publisher who accepts the work. But whatever method you choose, be consistent within that piece.

Ideally, if you are working in a word processor, you can create a named style for character thoughts; that way, you can change how it is represented at will, or at least locate all the occurrences more easily for manual repair.

removed

you mean there's another guy speaking to him in his head, or his conscience?

Hmm, ye I guess it would be apprioprate to use italics when your conscience kinda comes into it's own charachter?

Generally though, besides in situations like that, it's important to stick to one method, although I could understand someone using italics for that.

you mean there's another guy speaking to him in his head, or his conscience?

Ah, now you see, this is the dilemma with religious supernatural characters in stories.
After all, if someone says that "god spoke to me", then is that literally or figuratively? And how could you begin to write them in terms of actually speaking in his head or just the conscience?
I'm pretty sure that there is a specific answer which, funnily enough, I don't really know for sure. But the above example is the example I would use just to play it safe. After all, what the main character is hearing is not his own thoughts but the words of another character in his head. But the approach can most definitely be argued though.

If the character had appeared in person and spoken to the main character I would've written it as you normally would within a regular exchange between two characters.

She uses plain text for character thoughts, without punctuation of font decoration. The context alone makes it clear.

...which is the point i was making re good writers not needing italics!...

...which is the point i was making re good writers not needing italics!...

That's one way of looking at it. But who's to say that the readers are going to be good readers who will understand anyway? ;) Not every reader comes complete with the whole "package"! :D

That's one way of looking at it. But who's to say that the readers are going to be good readers who will understand anyway? ;) Not every reader comes complete with the whole "package"! :D

Or, to put it another way:

SARCHASM
sar · chasm [sahr-kaz-uh m]
-noun, origin Ivanian
1. The large gap between the writer's fantastic wit, and the reader's blatant stupidity.

That's one way of looking at it. But who's to say that the readers are going to be good readers who will understand anyway? ;) Not every reader comes complete with the whole "package"! :D

Never talk down to readers, or you wiull only collect readers you need to talk down to (this is an opinion, not a well established fact).

excellent advice/point, cog!

Never talk down to readers, or you wiull only collect readers you need to talk down to (this is an opinion, not a well established fact).

Alas, my poor attempt at humour has gone unnoticed.

haha I noticed it ;)

Although on a serious note Cogito is of course rgith, although I would be suprised to hear of a writer who would publicly denounce their readers, possible fan base, I would begin to question their intelligence if they did that