I have no idea what I’m doing please help

[Avmech]

I have an idea for a harem fantasy novel I know very original but I can’t figure out out to get what the main character thinks vs talking out loud with out saying it all the time
I was wondering if doing something like a * would work or if it’s better to just do keep going with “insert random bs” thought my dumbass

 

[OnlyHappyEndings]

Are you talking about internal monologue? Just use single quotes. Or are you talking about point of view?

 

[joy_of_cooking]

I think you're asking how to quote a character's internal monologue? I would do the second thing you proposed, use quotation marks and indicate in the text that it's a thought rather than speech.

 

[StillStunned]

I have an idea for a harem fantasy novel I know very original but I can’t figure out out to get what the main character thinks vs talking out loud with out saying it all the time
I was wondering if doing something like a * would work or if it’s better to just do keep going with “insert random bs” thought my dumbass

I use italics for unspoken thoughts. If you're copying into the Lit text box, though, the formatting will disappear. So you have to use tags: <em> and </em> to open and close the italicised section.

 

[TarnishedPenny]

I’m with stillstunned - italics for internal dialogue - but the most important thing is to be consistent and easily understood.

I might add however that straight < em > text < / em > more text (not separated) sometimes leaves no gap between the text and the ‘more text’. One way to solve that is to add &hairsp; after the < / em >.

 

[pink_silk_glove]

I usually straight prose internal thoughts.

He wondered if ...

The thought occurred to her that ...

It seemed like a bad idea to ...

And I usually try to word it as a statement rather than a question.

 

[shelleycat1]

I found myself thinking: this is a useful thread.

 

[mildlyaroused]

I usually straight prose internal thoughts.

He wondered if ...

The thought occurred to her that ...

It seemed like a bad idea to ...

And I usually try to word it as a statement rather than a question.

I agree. To my eye, italics or rhetorical questions often look a little tacky - unless your narration is omniscient. But in close perspectives (first or close-third), it makes more sense to just state stuff in the narrator's voice. Readers will intuitively understand that your prose is the POV character's thoughts and perspectives!

 

[ztrawberry]

I use italics for unspoken thoughts. If you're copying into the Lit text box, though, the formatting will disappear. So you have to use tags: <em> and </em> to open and close the italicised section.

This is what I wanted to post!

 

[pink_silk_glove]

I agree. To my eye, italics or rhetorical questions often look a little tacky - unless your narration is omniscient. But in close perspectives (first or close-third), it makes more sense to just state stuff in the narrator's voice. Readers will intuitively understand that your prose is the POV character's thoughts and perspectives!

My reasoning is this. Whether I'm writing first person or third person, I'm telling a story. I am relating events that have happened. There are no questions in the past, only events that have happened that are being recounted. If the character thinks something, even in first person, then I will state that they thought it. I will make a conscious decision in the writing process of whatever story I am working on, when I develop the voicing and the style, whether to stick rigidly to this rule or not, usually I do. The only time that I might break it is if I decide to get cute with the voicing, in which case I will be consistent with it throughout the piece.

 

[TheLobster]

I found myself thinking: this is a useful thread.

This is indeed a useful discussion, Lobster thought.

 

[ElectricBlue]

This is indeed a useful discussion, Lobster thought.

I found myself thinking: this is a useful thread.

This is what I do, and use context to make clear it's a thought, not spoken, regardless whether it's first or third person, limited or omniscient. The key is to be consistent. I don't think italics are necessary, because there's no emphasis. It's a thought.