What is the considered the best way (if any) to differentiate, in the written form (obviously!) between actual speech and thoughts - along the lines of 'blah, blah, blah," he thought to himself/wondered etc. I'm wondering particularly about the use (or otherwise) or speech marks versus italics. In my drafts I seem to be using inverted commas for actual speech, and italics (or even italics with speech marks!) for thoughts, but I'm not sure what is actually the correct way. It's starting to irritate me now, as I haven't resolved this issue yet. So far, it hasn't mattered, because no-one has seen anything I've written yet, but I obviously want to get it right at some point! Thanks!
I forgot to add last night:
The trouble with Lorraine's suggestion of double speech marks for actual speech, single for thought is that we all have probably read whole novels in which doubles are used for actual speech, other novels in which singles are used for actual speech. Some of us are forgetful: SOME of us have encroaching Alzheimer's (and yet still somehow enjoy reading).
I couldn't swear to you that - if you used double speech marks for actual speech and singles for thought - I wouldn't ever get confused. Having read whole novels in which singles are used for actual speech, I MIGHT forget that you exclusively use doubles. And that singles are used for thought. I probably wouldn't ever get confused with italics for thought.
Apologies for much repetition, but I'm using StupidPhone, which has a memory function. It's a lot easier to keep tapping on suggested words than picking at a tinyKeyboard with clumsyFingers.
Hi, Jackie!
Frankly, of the 4 techniques suggested, I think that you pretty much hit the nail on the head with inverted commas for speech / italics for thought. I've seen this system used in several works and it does just that: it works.
The trouble with Dawn's first 2 examples is that the stories are written in the first person. Narrator. When you think about it, EVERYTHING a narrator writes is thought:
He went over to the window and I thought wow!
Actually, the narrator is THINKING "He went over to the window and I thought" AS WELL as "wow!" A narrator writes down what (s)he's thinking...
The example given for the piece written in the third person works perfectly... But I suspect that it's an exception to the rule. More complex thoughts might be confused with reported action:
Sally watched Mark closely. He killed his wife without batting an eyelid. She had to stay on her guard!
Now tell me: Is that 2nd sentence a thought running through Sally's mind while watching Mark... or does he kill his wife while Sally is watching?
Put the 2nd sentence in italics and there's no confusion. Leave the first 2 sentences normal and put the 3rd one in italics and you mean something completely different!
In short, my advice: use italics (well) for thought and you pretty much hit the nail on the head.
Jackie, the Oxford Style Guide says that thoughts and imagined dialogue can be placed inside quotation marks or not - just be consistent throughout.
So if you use single quotes for dialogue, you could use none for thoughts (doubles would be too much, I feel); if you use doubles for dialogue, you could use singles or none for thoughts.
Lorraine