- Joined
- Oct 15, 2010
- Messages
- 1,030
- Reaction score
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- Pacific NW
- Website
- www.melissa-c-alexander.com
I agree with FennelGiraffe and with the idea that italicized lines should be short. The reason I think it's important to use italics with direct thought is because the tense can vary from the rest of the paragraph.
Here's an example:
Not just tense -- pov. In the middle of that paragraph I jumped from third person past tense to a sentence in first person present. It's entirely correct because it's a direct thought. But if it weren't called out as such, it would be a "bump" for a reader. Would they figure it out? Probably. But it would stop the flow while they figured out what happened and why.
Here's an example:
His mother stood frozen, mouth gaping open. Then a tell-tale red built in her cheeks, and her shoulders began to shake. Lucas smothered his guffaws under clasped hands and cringed. Not grounded. Dead. I am so dead. Instead, there was a snort, then a chuckle. Then deep belly laughs. Lucas’s jaw dropped open, and for a moment he forgot his own amusement and just stared.
Not just tense -- pov. In the middle of that paragraph I jumped from third person past tense to a sentence in first person present. It's entirely correct because it's a direct thought. But if it weren't called out as such, it would be a "bump" for a reader. Would they figure it out? Probably. But it would stop the flow while they figured out what happened and why.