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in third person and past tense, introspection may be presented in first person present tense. For example:

Introspection using third person and past tense: Cisco hoped Bart would listen to reason before someone got hurt.

Introspection using first person and present tense: I hope Bart listens to reason before someone gets hurt, thought Cisco.

PERSON. Narration may be written in any of the three persons. In the rare situations when second person is used to tell a story, any introspection would also be in second person; so that isn't an issue. And when a story is presented in first person, any introspection would also be in first person; so that too is not an issue.

But authors writing in third person are faced with a choice for each line of introspection: third person or first, each with advantages and disadvantages. Switching to first person allows the use of the character's exact words, but it also creates a narrative shift that may confuse and annoy the reader. Staying within third person for introspection may not allow for the use of the thinker's exact words, but it retains narrative consistency. As stated by Browne and King, ". . . unless you are deliberately writing with narrative distance, there is no reason to cast your interior monologue in first person."

According to Kress, the use of third person and past tense "is a more seamless, less intrusive way to handle thoughts, because you switch neither person nor tense. It's true that the third-person thought will feel slightly less immediate - more reported to us than directly overheard by us - but the difference will be slight. And the gain in readability should offset that."

DIRECT VS. INDIRECT INTROSPECTION. According to Evan Marshall, direct introspection uses the character's exact words. Indirect introspection summarizes or paraphrases the thinker's words. For example:

Direct Introspection, using third person: Maybe Bart will listen to reason before someone gets hurt.

Direct Introspection, using first person: I hope Bart will listen to reason before someone gets hurt.

Indirect Introspection: Cisco hoped Bart would listen to reason before someone got hurt.

As stated by Evan Marshall, in The Marshall Plan for Getting Your Novel Published, "To convey a character's thoughts, use the indirect method whenever possible. But use the direct method to convey a character's thoughts when you feel the exact inner words of thought will have greater impact."

VERBS OF THOUGHT. Verbs of thought may be used in attribution tags

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