SPRINKLES OF INTROSPECTION
Probing within a character's mind provides a reader interesting insight into a character's true nature and deepest thoughts including those they would rarely be caught dead uttering aloud. Such introspection exposes the character's hidden emotions and allows the reader to experience the same intuitions and gut feelings felt by that person such as pain, horror, admiration, or elation.
When identifying the "point of view" (POV) character at the beginning of a chapter or scene, introspection from that individual reinforces a reader's buy-in to that character's perception of the surrounding environment and the people of that scene. Introspection comes in two flavors: the person's internal dialog with themselves, often represented in italics to differentiate it from dialog with others, or a simple statement of the character's feelings or thoughts.
Take care when including introspection. "It should be used like spice," as one of my great writing mentors, Ron McAdoo, often stressed. "Occasionally sprinkle a bit throughout your story," to entice the taste buds — just enough to enhance the understanding of the POV character. As with soup, too much spice ruins the flavor!
Here are a couple of examples of introspection from Chapter 3 of my sequel, The New World: Blue Moon Generation.
Internal Dialog (in italics):
Proto's chest pounded as he stopped and gazed at Caru. Her pink-dyed deerskin shorts and top clung to her attractive, slightly muscular figure. I wish she cared about me as much as I do her.
Combination of Stated Feelings (first sentence) and Internal Dialog (in italics):
Even as her cousin, Proto couldn't help but fall for Caru's spunky, fun-loving nature. Why did we have to end up being related?
For more examples of "introspection" to probe characters' minds, take a peek into the "Look inside" feature of my sequel, The New World: Blue Moon Generation, on Amazon!
When identifying the "point of view" (POV) character at the beginning of a chapter or scene, introspection from that individual reinforces a reader's buy-in to that character's perception of the surrounding environment and the people of that scene. Introspection comes in two flavors: the person's internal dialog with themselves, often represented in italics to differentiate it from dialog with others, or a simple statement of the character's feelings or thoughts.
Take care when including introspection. "It should be used like spice," as one of my great writing mentors, Ron McAdoo, often stressed. "Occasionally sprinkle a bit throughout your story," to entice the taste buds — just enough to enhance the understanding of the POV character. As with soup, too much spice ruins the flavor!
Here are a couple of examples of introspection from Chapter 3 of my sequel, The New World: Blue Moon Generation.
Internal Dialog (in italics):
Proto's chest pounded as he stopped and gazed at Caru. Her pink-dyed deerskin shorts and top clung to her attractive, slightly muscular figure. I wish she cared about me as much as I do her.
Combination of Stated Feelings (first sentence) and Internal Dialog (in italics):
Even as her cousin, Proto couldn't help but fall for Caru's spunky, fun-loving nature. Why did we have to end up being related?
For more examples of "introspection" to probe characters' minds, take a peek into the "Look inside" feature of my sequel, The New World: Blue Moon Generation, on Amazon!