I am having trouble showing the protagonist's train of thought in my story. (Third Person- does it make a difference?). I'm not talking about opinions like 'He thought the tree looked pretty' but showing how the character mulls something over in his/her head and completely changes their opinion on something, sort of like thinking about the pros and cons of an idea. Does that make sense? Sorry if I am being vague. Thanks.
Hi Adam.
For help with soliloquies there is always Shakespear.
For streams of thought, I highly recommend the book Talking Heads by Alan Bennett. It is a series of monologues that were adapted very successfully for television. The are excellent short stories that do not take to long to read.
I hope that helps.
you dont actually need to write 'He thought' when writing in a character POV. The reader will understand that everything written is from the characters perpsective and what he thinks anyway.
What does your main character think of the rounded characters in your book?
What are their characteristics? Does he like or dislike them? Does he find them interesting or boring? Are they cold, loving, uncaring or compassionate? Are they young, adult or mature? Are they naive or intelligent? Are they athletic, musical, or artistic?
There are many more options you can explore.
Let your characters describe each other, or themselves by their dialogue, thoughts and actions
Try not to explain your characters personalities, thoughts of feelings through narration.
To quote you, 'He thought the tree looked pretty' Describe the features of the tree. How did the tree look pretty? What did he feel about the tree? What did the tree remind him of?
CAN I SEE IT
Use your imagination. Picture the scene and write a pictoral or filmic description.
I hope that helps.