What is an Interior Monologue?
A technique used in creative writing where the character's internal thoughts are presented in a stream-of-consciousness style.
Inside the Mind: Exploring Interior Monologue in Creative Writing
Interior monologue is a powerful technique in creative writing, allowing the reader to explore the inner thoughts and emotions of a character.
Using a stream-of-consciousness style, interior monologue blurs the line between the character's thoughts and the external reality, giving readers an intimate glimpse into their psyche. It's a tool used in both first-person and third-person narratives to help the reader connect with the protagonist and understand their motivations and desires.
From James Joyce's endless, looping sentences in Ulysses to Sylvia Plath's poetic and introspective narratives in The Bell Jar, interior monologue has been used to great effect by some of the greatest writers of our time. However, it's important to use this technique judiciously, as too much internal dialogue can slow the pacing of the story and cause the reader to lose interest.
So, next time you're writing a story or novel, consider using interior monologue to give your readers a deeper understanding of your characters, and to create a truly immersive reading experience.
Interior monologue is a powerful tool for writers, allowing them to explore the inner thoughts and emotions of characters. Here are two examples of how interior monologue has been used in literature:
In Mrs. Dalloway, Woolf uses interior monologue to give readers a glimpse inside the minds of her characters as they prepare for a party. Through their thoughts and memories, we see the rich inner lives of these characters and how they are affected by the world around them.
In The Catcher in the Rye, Salinger uses interior monologue to convey the tumultuous emotions of his protagonist, Holden Caulfield. Through his thoughts and reflections, we see a teenager struggling to find his place in a world he finds phony and unfulfilling.