Show off Your skills Forum Question about the third perso..
Question about the third person point of view and the thoughts of the protagonist10 Years AgoI've got a story written in third person and am experiencing a conundrum about presenting the protagonist's thoughts. Should I put her personal thought into italics and use "I?" These examples are two ways to write one passage:
THIS? What should she do? She should go to the doctor. Tomorrow? Crouching on the bathroom floor she decides it can't wait for tomorrow. She clumsily dials Elaine, gets her answering machine. OR THIS? What should I do? I should go to the doctor.Tomorrow? Crouching on the bathroom floor she decides it can't wait for tomorrow. She clumsily dials Elaine, gets her answering machine. The story is Unlocking Bonnie, Chapter 1: Bonnie and the giant rodent. These examples are taken from the very last paragraph. |
|
Re: Question about the third person point of view and the thoughts of the protagonist10 Years AgoWhile working on the thoughts of a protagonist, if it is third person it would be:
Should she go to the doctor? The use of "I" is used for a first person narrative so it would be: Should I go to the doctor? |
|
Re: Question about the third person point of view and the thoughts of the protagonist10 Years AgoThis is actually a question of style, not correctness. Both versions are conventionally correct. Beth Hill of The Editor's Blog gives examples of the use of italics and "I" in third person narratives to express the protagonist's thoughts, here: She discusses third person deep POV vs standard third person POV, but both versions can employ italics as above. So I'm looking for opinions about style. What do you guys like better? BTW, that's a really cool article. If third person POV interests you, def check it out. |