Thought Punctuation?

[JackLuis]

I was wondering about the correct punctuation/style for a characters thoughts?
I had always used

"That Slut," she thought.

But was corrected by an UK editor to either:

'That Slut,' she thought.
or
'That Slut,' she thought.

It may be a difference in UK vs US style?

What would be the correct way to identify a characters thoughts?

 

[Handley_Page]

I was wondering about the correct punctuation/style for a characters thoughts?
I had always used

"That Slut," she thought.

But was corrected by an UK editor to either:

'That Slut,' she thought.
or
'That Slut,' she thought.

It may be a difference in UK vs US style?

What would be the correct way to identify a characters thoughts?

I was taught that the correct mode is:-

'That Slut,' she thought.

 

[PayDay]

dunno. valid argument.

I've always thought that 'when something is quoted like this' that it is a paraphrase of something "That has been specifically stated out loud," and there fore, thoughts, being spoken in one's head, specifically, should not be markedas 'paraphrased' but instead as: "Dialogue."

 

[sr71plt]

The correct way depends on whether you are using U.S. or UK style, as you seem to have found out. It's up to you on Literotica as long as you're consistent, but Literotica itself uses U.S. style on this U.S-homed site and sometimes authors here get criticized by readers as doing something wrong when they use UK style, even though it's right for the UK. (Somewhere in here you might get a hint on best practice for Literotica. )

The single quotes are purely UK. In the U.S. system, you always use double quotes at the first level (and then single, and then back to double for the third level, if you must).

I'm surprised your UK editor put the comma inside the dialogue quotes, though. That's another difference. The U.S. style is to put it on the inside; the UK style seems to have a sliding scale on this, but puts it outside the quotes for dialogue, I think.

On rendering of the text of thoughts, the current U.S. style (Chicago Manual of Style 13.41) gives you two options (which don't include using italics--that dropped out as acceptable several years ago, although it's my favorite choice): put the thought in roman font inside double quotes just like spoken dialogue and use the dialogue slug to make clear it's a thought, or put it roman font without dialogue quotes. I know of no authority that suggests what you used: both italics and quote marks, but I guess as long as it's consistent and clear . . .

Someone else will have to address the UK style on this, if that's what you want to use on this U.S.-based site that uses U.S. style itself ().

 

[slyc_willie]

I always just use italics for a character's thoughts.

"You want to come in for a drink?" Mike asked. And maybe take your clothes off?

Stacy considered the question, reading her date's face. He probably thinks I'm easy, she thought.

Whether that's "correct" or not, I've used it in over seventy stories here on Lit and in published works and have never had anyone tell me it was the wrong thing to do, so I'm sticking with it.

 

[sr71plt]

Whether that's "correct" or not, I've used it in over seventy stories here on Lit and in published works and have never had anyone tell me it was the wrong thing to do, so I'm sticking with it.

According to THE U.S. authority on style for fiction such as this, it's wrong (Chicago Manual of Style 13.41). (There, now you've been told )

That said, it always was my favorite way too (although I no longer use it) until the CMS dropped it as a choice, so I certainly wouldn't suggest that you stop using it for Literotica, if you like it. It seems clear enough to the reader, I think.

 

[slyc_willie]

According to THE U.S. authority on style for fiction such as this, it's wrong (Chicago Manual of Style 13.41). (There, now you've been told )

That said, it always was my favorite way too (although I no longer use it) until the CMS dropped it as a choice, so I certainly wouldn't suggest that you stop using it for Literotica, if you like it. It seems clear enough to the reader, I think.

Such a sarcastic shithead, I thought.



I'm not sure why I fell into using just italics. I suppose I saw it written that way somewhere and thought it looked concise and conveyed the expression of thought nicely. I tried at one point to use single quotes, but it just didn't look right to me.

 

[sr71plt]

Such a sarcastic shithead, I thought.

Why? You led with your chin on it (assuming it's right because no one told you it wasn't and you didn't bother to find out yourself).

And I most certainly didn't tell you you couldn't do it if you wanted to.

 

[slyc_willie]

Why? You led with your chin on it (assuming it's right because no one told you it wasn't and you didn't bother to find out yourself).

And I most certainly didn't tell you you couldn't do it if you wanted to.

Calm down. I was just being snarky.

 

[Saxon_Hart]

Such a sarcastic shithead, I thought.



I'm not sure why I fell into using just italics. I suppose I saw it written that way somewhere and thought it looked concise and conveyed the expression of thought nicely. I tried at one point to use single quotes, but it just didn't look right to me.

Right or wrong, I've always used italic wrapped in quotation marks. It was taught to me by my freshman English teacher and I've always used it.

 

[Weird Harold]

On rendering of the text of thoughts, the current U.S. style (Chicago Manual of Style 13.41) gives you two options (which don't include using italics--that dropped out as acceptable several years ago, although it's my favorite choice):

Despite CMS dropping the Italics option, I still see Italics used for internal dialogue in about two-thirds of the mass market paperbacks I buy and hard-back books I borrow from the library. That does represent a strong bias towards Science Fiction and Fantasy genres, but I don't read much else that isn't online.

 

[slyc_willie]

Right or wrong, I've always used italic wrapped in quotation marks. It was taught to me by my freshman English teacher and I've always used it.

I've seen some pretty interesting variations here and there. A few stories I've found used the asterisk to indicate thought:

*What is he doing?* she wondered.

I thought that looked a little strange, myself. Elsewhere, I saw where someone used brackets:

<What is he doing?> she wondered.

To each their own, I suppose. There's the right way, and then I guess there's the way that looks right to either the writer or reader.

 

[sunandshadow]

Ending a quoted phrase with a comma is icky. I'd use an exclamation point or an ellipsis, depending on the intended emotion of the thought.

 

[Saxon_Hart]

If seen some pretty interesting variations here and there. A few stories I've found used the asterisk to indicate thought:

*What is he doing?* she wondered.

I thought that looked a little strange, myself. Elsewhere, I saw where someone used brackets:

<What is he doing?> she wondered.

To each their own, I suppose. There's the right way, and then I guess there's the way that looks right to either the writer or reader.

True. It's been a long time since I sat in a classroom so I just go on old instincts. I've never read anyone's internal dialog and thought "That guy's an idiot for doing it that way."

 

[sr71plt]

Ending a quoted phrase with a comma is icky. I'd use an exclamation point or an ellipsis, depending on the intended emotion of the thought.

I have to assume you're pulling our legs.

 

[SamScribble]

Ending a quoted phrase with a comma is icky. I'd use an exclamation point or an ellipsis, depending on the intended emotion of the thought.

'Hmm!' I thought. 'She has to be joking! Just one exclamation point!? Why not three!!!?'

 

[Weird Harold]

I thought that looked a little strange, myself. Elsewhere, I saw where someone used brackets:

<What is he doing?> she wondered.

In my experience, Science Fiction and Fantasy genres reserve angled brackets for telepathic communications. I don't know of any "official" direction on how to punctuate shared thoughts. A few authors use asterisks instead of angle brackets for shared/directed thoughts, but they're fairly rare in my experience.

 

[slyc_willie]

In my experience, Science Fiction and Fantasy genres reserve angled brackets for telepathic communications. I don't know of any "official" direction on how to punctuate shared thoughts. A few authors use asterisks instead of angle brackets for shared/directed thoughts, but they're fairly rare in my experience.

I've seen a lot of that, too, as well as different-sized fonts to indicate such things as telepathic communication.

I've used angled brackets to indicate someone is speaking in a foreign language:

The soldier spoke in perfect Russian. "<You there! Stop what you are doing!>"

I actually got the idea for that from comic books.

 

[electric1]

I always just use italics for a character's thoughts.

"You want to come in for a drink?" Mike asked. And maybe take your clothes off?

Stacy considered the question, reading her date's face. He probably thinks I'm easy, she thought.

Whether that's "correct" or not, I've used it in over seventy stories here on Lit and in published works and have never had anyone tell me it was the wrong thing to do, so I'm sticking with it.

Bingo. I don't give a rat's ass if someone considers this correct or not. Plenty of authors do it, and I find it's the best. When I, as a reader, see quote marks, I imagine the words being spoken. To use both quotes and italics strikes me as overkill. Italics works beautifully.

 

[JackLuis]

It seems to me that italics for thoughts give the reader a extra clue that it is not spoken text. Much better in communication of the authors intent, particularly when the slug follows the thought.

If you don't use Italics then the slug has to lead or the readers will not know, particularly if you use double quotes. like the CMS is advocating. But to use double quotes without italics for thoughts is poor communication encoding, IMO.

Maybe it's my old school attitude, but I think I'll use italics. It seems more excepted in my reading and a lot better encoding.

 

[Ironiclaconic]

Italics without quotes is very common, everyone will understand you, and if you get dinged it will be by Chicago purists. Thoughts without italics or quotes gets confused with narration. Quotes with thought attribution is also common, but I don't like being forced to use tags to indicate thought when italics can do it for me.

"It's no bother. I like you." More than you will ever know. "Want to get dinner?"

Forcing tags and quotes on the above text ruins the way I would want that sentence read. Style should help the writer and reader, not interfere with them. Fuck Chicago.

 

[Bramblethorn]

I was wondering about the correct punctuation/style for a characters thoughts?
I had always used

"That Slut," she thought.

But was corrected by an UK editor to either:

'That Slut,' she thought.
or
'That Slut,' she thought.

It may be a difference in UK vs US style?

What would be the correct way to identify a characters thoughts?

On a side note, "slut" should not be capitalised there.

 

[Jim44444]

It seems to me that italics for thoughts give the reader a extra clue that it is not spoken text. Much better in communication of the authors intent, particularly when the slug follows the thought.

If you don't use Italics then the slug has to lead or the readers will not know, particularly if you use double quotes. like the CMS is advocating. But to use double quotes without italics for thoughts is poor communication encoding, IMO.

Maybe it's my old school attitude, but I think I'll use italics. It seems more excepted in my reading and a lot better encoding.

If I may offer a readers opinion, I find that the use of italics for thoughts is an effective tool. Of course, I am US biased but that seems the easiest for the reader and the writer. Putting thoughts inside quotes and italicizing them is just downright confusing. Punctuation should be used to clarify the prose not to obscure it. Thank you authors for your hard wok.

 

[glynndah]

On a side note, "slut" should not be capitalised there.

Maybe it's her name.

 

[sunandshadow]

In fact, I was completely serious. I hate, loathe, and detest that stupid convention that punctuation which would normally be a period is replaced by a comma when it's the last thing within double quotes. A comma at the end of a complete statement makes no damn sense! And judicious use of exclamation points and ellipses can help convey tone of voice and emotion. They are perfectly valid punctuation marks.

I have to assume you're pulling our legs.

'Hmm!' I thought. 'She has to be joking! Just one exclamation point!? Why not three!!!?'