Italicizing, is it necessary

[Dearelliot]

In first person, inner dialogue, my character talks to himself, discusses his options and argues the pros and cons.
Say:


Elliot, sat waiting for his wife, not happy about going to see his mother in law. I dont feel like I'm being unfair. I try to do the things she likes.
(Do I have to add, 'he said to himself', or 'he thought' or italicize.


I'd like to simplfy this and just write the dialogue as if the reader knew my hero is talking to himself, aloud or ...

 

[Crystal_Dust]

I’d be more worried about your usage of commas.

 

[Britva415]

In first person, inner dialogue, my character talks to himself, discusses his options and argues the pros and cons.
Say:


Elliot, sat waiting for his wife, not happy about going to see his mother in law. I dont feel like I'm being unfair. I try to do the things she likes.
(Do I have to add, 'he said to himself', or 'he thought' or italicize.


I'd like to simplfy this and just write the dialogue as if the reader knew my hero is talking to himself, aloud or ...

You can use the marker ("he said to himself", or "he thought") once, at the beginning, to establish that he's talking to himself, and thereafter, only use the italics or quotation marks. If he stops and does it again later, then you should mark it again. It can still be only once, but since it's a different "conversation," now, then the marker from the previous scene probably doesn't carry over.

You don't have to italicize the content of his thoughts. But you definitely should do one or the other of either quoting it or italicizing it. Leaving it completely un-indicated is bad and will confuse people.

And, if there's more than one character, you should be very critical about judging whether the reader can tell who it is who's "talking" and to whom.

 

[SmilingLez]

In first person, inner dialogue, my character talks to himself, discusses his options and argues the pros and cons.
Say:


Elliot, sat waiting for his wife, not happy about going to see his mother in law. I dont feel like I'm being unfair. I try to do the things she likes.
(Do I have to add, 'he said to himself', or 'he thought' or italicize.


I'd like to simplfy this and just write the dialogue as if the reader knew my hero is talking to himself, aloud or ...

This would be my re-write. I don't believe that a monologue in someone's head should be treated the same way as a conversation between 2 people. YMMV

Elliot sighed, sat waiting for his wife, not happy about going to see his mother-in-law. So unfair having to do what pleases her.

 

[Dearelliot]

Thank you

 

[Britva415]

I'd like to simplfy this and just write the dialogue as if the reader knew my hero is talking to himself

You have to make sure the reader DOES know.

aloud or ...

and you either have to make sure the reader knows whether it's aloud or not, or else have a very good reason for making it ambiguous. By "good reason" I mean a reason which matters to the story.

 

[kreemi_pi]

i don't understand why people feel the need to italicize.

 

[Britva415]

IT BEATS CAPSLOCKING

 

[EmilyMiller]

I’d be more worried about your usage of commas.

 

[kreemi_pi]

IT BEATS CAPSLOCKING

For some reaon i initially read that as COCKSLAPPING

 

[Britva415]

For some reaon i initially read that as COCKSLAPPING

lol, you would