on Fiction University:

Italicized thoughts can be a powerful tool to draw attention to what a character is thinking, but it’s easy to over do it.

Before I dive in, I’m guest posting over at Writers in the Storm today, with Writing from Within: Crafting Internal Narratives. Which ties in well with today’s post on formatting internal thoughts. Come on over when you’re done here and check it out.

Italicized thoughts are one of those things you either like or can’t stand. Some writers love them (I’m in that camp), and others don’t use them at all. Like so many things in writing, there is no hard and fast rule here, because personal taste plays a role.

A general guideline for italics in all forms is to use them sparingly. If you emphasize everything, then nothing stands out anymore. They’re an accent, a spotlight.

I’ve found italics work best when you want to draw attention to a particular thought, but they’re also useful when you want to show an internal thought directly “heard” from the character rather than a line in the narrative.

Let’s take a look at some options.