Hello, fellow writers and readers! Today, I want to talk about a powerful tool that can bring your fiction stories to life – interiority. It’s not just about what happens on the surface; it’s also about delving into the depths of your characters’ minds, their thoughts, feelings, and emotions. By mastering interiority, you create more relatable, engaging, and realistic characters that readers can connect with emotionally and intellectually.
And I’ve got two definitions of inferiority for you, the easy one is from Savannah Gilbo.
“Interiority is on-the-page access to a protagonist’s thoughts and feelings as they process information.” – Savannah Gilbo
And the more expanded definition is:
Interiority is a term used in writing that refers to the portrayal of a character’s thoughts and feelings within a story. It allows readers to get inside the head of your characters, understand their perspectives, emotions, and motivations. By mastering interiority, you can create more relatable, empathetic, and dynamic characters that keep readers engaged in your story.
Imagine this, you’re reading a book where every character feels like a real person you could meet in the street or invite for coffee. They have their own unique voices, perspectives on life, and ways of processing information around them. This is what interiority does – it makes your characters come alive on the page.
So how do we use this technique effectively? Let’s break it down into three key aspects:
- Thoughts: These are not just italicised words that show a character’s inner dialogue. It’s about how they interpret the world around them and the things happening to them. They may think in different ways, have unique perspectives on life, or even struggle with their thoughts. By showing these thought processes, you give readers an insight into your characters’ minds, making them more relatable and human.
- Feelings: Interiority is not just about what a character thinks; it also encompasses their emotions. How do they react to different situations? What are the highs and lows of their emotional journey throughout the story? By exploring these feelings, you create empathy in readers, making them care about your characters’ fates.
- Processing information: This is where we see how a character makes sense of the world around them. It’s not just about what happens; it’s also about how they react to and interpret those events. By showing this process, you add depth to your storytelling, making it more immersive for readers.
Now that we know the basics let’s dive into some practical tips:
- First person perspective: Writing in first person can be a powerful way to show interiority. It allows you to get inside your character’s head and share their thoughts, feelings, and reactions directly with readers. However, remember that this perspective is limited to one character’s viewpoint only.
- Show, don’t tell: Instead of telling the reader what a character feels or thinks, show it through action, dialogue, or thought. This makes your story more engaging and helps readers connect emotionally with your characters.
- Vary your techniques: Use different methods to reveal interiority – internal monologues, free indirect speech, stream-of-consciousness writing, etc. Varying your techniques keeps the narrative fresh and interesting for readers.
- Consistency is key: Once you’ve established a character’s voice or way of thinking, stick with it throughout the story. Inconsistent interiority can confuse readers and make characters seem less believable.
So let’s see how you can use interiority in your fiction story. Interiority is all about showing the thoughts and feelings of your point-of-view (POV) character on the page. It helps readers connect with characters by understanding their worldviews, emotions, and inner struggles.
To use interiority effectively:
- Start by knowing your character inside out: Their background, experiences, fears, dreams, everything that makes them unique should be clear in your mind. This will help you create realistic thoughts and feelings for the character when they face different situations.
- Use their voice: Make sure the way your character thinks aligns with who they are. If it’s a teenager, don’t make them sound like an elderly person. Pay attention to the language they use, their slang or unique expressions.
- Show, don’t tell: Instead of saying “She was angry,” write something like, “Her blood boiled as she thought about his betrayal.” This way, readers can feel her anger and understand why it’s happening.
- Use metaphors and similes to draw from your character’s experiences: If your character is a soldier, they might compare their current situation to battles they fought in the past. Or if they grew up on a farm, they could relate everything to farming life. This makes your writing more engaging and relatable for readers.
- Be mindful of overdoing it: Too much interiority can be overwhelming. Balance it with dialogue, action, and external descriptions so that the story flows smoothly.
- Make use of free indirect speech or thought: It’s a technique where you write your character’s thoughts in third person but from their perspective. For example, “She knew she shouldn’t trust him again, but her heart wouldn’t listen.” This allows readers to get inside the character’s head without breaking the narrative distance.
- Don’t forget about body language: Our bodies often reveal our emotions even when we try to hide them. Show how your character sits, fidgets, or holds themselves while they think. It adds depth and authenticity to their interiority.
- Lastly, practice! Writing is a skill that improves with time. Keep experimenting with different ways of showing interiority until you find what works best for your story and characters.
Remember, the goal here is to make readers feel like they’re experiencing the world through your character’s eyes. By using interiority effectively, you can create empathetic, relatable, and dynamic characters that keep readers engaged in your story.
Some guidelines:
- First off, let’s get one thing straight – interiority is like the secret sauce of your characters. It’s what makes them feel real and relatable to readers. Think of it as peeking into their thoughts and feelings while they navigate through your story.
- Now, when it comes to showing these inner workings, there are a few things you can do. You could use free indirect speech or thought (that’s the fancy term for writing about what your character is thinking without using italics). For example: “She knew she shouldn’t trust him again, but her heart wouldn’t listen.”
- Another way to show interiority is through body language. How does your character sit? Fidget? Hold themselves when they’re deep in thought? These little details can reveal a lot about their emotions without having to explicitly state them.
- When it comes to using italics for thoughts, remember the golden rule: use sparingly and consistently. You don’t want your story looking like an Italian restaurant menu! Limit italics to isolated thoughts or emotional bursts, and try not to mix styles within a scene (i.e., stick with one method of showing interiority throughout).
- If you’re writing in first-person point of view, you’ve got it easy – the character’s thoughts are already being narrated by them! You don’t need italics for their inner monologue because they’re speaking directly to the reader through the narrative voice.
- Lastly, practice makes perfect. Writing is a skill that improves with time and experience. Keep experimenting until you find what works best for your story and characters. Remember, the goal here is to make readers feel like they’re experiencing the world through your character’s eyes. By using interiority effectively, you can create empathetic, relatable, and dynamic characters that keep readers engaged in your story.
- And most importantly, have fun with it! Interiority can be a powerful tool for creating depth and complexity in your characters. So don’t be afraid to dive deep into their thoughts and feelings – just make sure you bring them back up for air every now and then so the reader doesn’t get lost!
Some examples of before and after using interiority
Before:
Alice walked into the room and saw John talking to her best friend, Mary. She felt a pang of jealousy but tried not to show it on her face. They were laughing together, and Alice couldn’t help but wonder what they were discussing so animatedly. As she approached them, she could hear snippets of their conversation about the upcoming party.
After: (Using Interiority)
Alice walked into the room and saw John talking to Mary, her best friend. A pang of jealousy stabbed her in the gut as she tried to hide it from her face. She couldn’t help but wonder what they were laughing about so heartily. As she got closer, she could hear bits of their conversation about the upcoming party and how John was going to DJ it.
Before:
“Hey,” Alice said as she entered the room, “what’s up with you two?” She tried not to show her jealousy when seeing John talking to Mary. They were laughing like old friends, which made her feel a bit left out. It was weird because they had only met recently at that party last week.
After: (Using Interiority)
“Hey,” Alice said as she entered the room, trying not to show her jealousy at seeing John talking to Mary, her best friend. “What’s up with you two?” She couldn’t help but wonder why they were laughing so much; it seemed like they had known each other for ages, even though they had only met recently at that party last week.
Before:
Alice sat down next to John and Mary, trying not to let her jealousy show. “So,” she said, trying to sound casual, “what’s the plan for this weekend? Any fun ideas?” She hoped they wouldn’t mention anything about spending time together without her.
After: (Using Interiority)
Alice sat down next to John and Mary, still feeling a bit of jealousy but trying not to let it show. “So,” she said, attempting to sound casual as she covered up her insecurity, “what’s the plan for this weekend? Any fun ideas?” She hoped they wouldn’t mention anything about spending time together without her because that would hurt even more.
In these examples, interiority is used by showing Alice’s thoughts and feelings (jealousy) as she interacts with John and Mary. This allows the reader to empathise with Alice and understand her emotions better, making her a more relatable character.
5 Common mistakes to avoid when using interiority in a fiction story
- Overusing italics or formatting for thoughts: While it’s essential to differentiate between dialogue and inner thoughts, be careful not to overdo it. Too much emphasis on the format can make your writing appear cluttered and distracting. In first-person POV stories, you might not need italics at all since the narrator’s voice already distinguishes their thoughts from dialogues.
- Ignoring emotional tension in dialogue: Make sure to show how characters feel through their actions and reactions during conversations. Silences, interruptions, or changing subjects can reveal a lot about your character’s emotions without explicitly stating them.
- Overusing adjectives for interiority: While adjectives help create vivid images, using too many of them can overwhelm readers with unnecessary details. Be selective and use explanatory adjectives sparingly to keep the focus on the story’s progression rather than getting bogged down in descriptions.
- Overusing internal monologues: Internal monologues can be a powerful tool, but too much of it might make your character seem like they are talking to themselves excessively or unrealistically. Keep these silent lines short and only use them when necessary for the story’s progression.
- Ignoring the natural flow of dialogue: Always read your dialogue out loud to ensure it sounds like a real conversation, not a stiff script. Avoid fancy words that don’t fit the character or situation, as this can make your writing feel inauthentic and disconnect readers from the story.
5 Key takeaways
- Interiority is crucial for creating an immersive story and allowing readers to relate to characters by providing access to their thoughts, feelings, and perspectives.
- Be a master of interiority: Ensure your characters’ inner worlds are well-developed and accessible to the reader through dialogue, actions, and descriptions that reveal their emotions without explicitly stating them.
- Use adjectives selectively: While they help create vivid images, avoid overusing or overwhelming readers with unnecessary details by focusing on explanatory and concrete adjectives.
- Balance internal monologues: Keep silent lines short and only use them when necessary for the story’s progression to prevent characters from talking excessively or unrealistically.
- Ensure interiority is filmable: Make your character’s actions while thinking interesting, weaving backstory into scenes through action and dialogue to create a more cinematic story that moves the plot forward and reveals something about the characters.
Conclusion
In conclusion, using interiority effectively in your fiction stories can transform two-dimensional characters into living, breathing beings that captivate readers. By understanding how to reveal thoughts, feelings, and processing of information, you create a more immersive reading experience that keeps audiences engaged from beginning to end. So go ahead, dive deep into the minds of your characters, and let their stories come alive!
Remember, writing is all about practice, so keep experimenting with interiority in your work until it feels natural and seamless. Happy writing! 😊