posted
Structurally speaking, "when did it happen" is like a quote, only without the quotation marks. So I'd treat it as a quote and put the question mark with it.
Generally, I prefer phrasing this kind of thing as "I wondered when it happened", which is clearer (IMHO) and doesn't need any special punctuation.
posted
The words "I wondered." are a complete sentence. All you need for a complete sentence is a subject (I) and a verb (wondered).
Posts: 8826 | Registered: A Long Time Ago!
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posted
I thought about it, but as the sentence goes like this:
quote:When did it happen, I wondered. When did she become so beautiful?
it doesn't really work as well. "I wondered when it happened" makes it sound like he's thinking back on it. The first way is like it's happening right now...uh, only...past tense.
Posts: 552 | Registered: Jan 2002
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posted
I've wondered the same thing myself. In fact I usually wind up rearranging the sentance to avoid the problem.
Although these examples use exclamation points, they are similar.
quote:Her assurance! her deceit! but I will not allow myself to dwell on them; they will strike you sufficiently.
and
quote:Oh, how delightful it was to watch the variations of his countenance while I spoke! to see the struggle between returning tenderness and the remains of displeasure.
They are both from Jane Austen, Lady Susan. I think that now, the words after the exclamation points would be capitalized, but it has a different read this way.
In your specific case, I think you could cut the "I wondered" altogether. You are in the character's POV so any questions are, by default, wondering.
Yours, Mary
[This message has been edited by MaryRobinette (edited June 03, 2004).]
posted
The troubole with italics is that in modern writing it is considered poor form to put thoughts in italics in a limited third person or first person narrative. I think they're still ok in omniscient, since it's not clear who is thinking the thoughts. I've run into this issue myself, and I usually go with the comma and a period, no italics, no quesiton mark. If I can, I rephrase the sentence to say something like "I wondered when..." but honestly, this phrasing can break the flow of a paragraph.
Posts: 3567 | Registered: May 2003
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posted
Is it? I've come across people on both sides of the fence. Stephen King uses italics to express thoughts when he writes in 3PLO (at least in some of his books -- the one I have in front of me is "The Girl who Loved Tom Gordon", copyright date 1999 -- I haven't read it yet but it appears from a quick glance to be in 3PLO and definitely uses italics for thoughts), and most people agree that his writing techniques are pretty reasonable.
[This message has been edited by Jules (edited June 03, 2004).]
posted
Christine, I'm with Jules on this one. I'm not sure it's bad form to put thoughts in italics. In fact, I've seen new writing books listing it as one way to highlight thoughts.
It's not necessary if you have a lot of deep penetration in your story--such as OSC does in Ender's Game. But if you maintain a cinematic or light penetration throughout, then it doesn't seem to matter either way. It might even help the reader.
posted
Well, when I see a book with few character thoughts, or with multiple viewpoints, I don't begrudge the italics. (I don't like them....but that's a personal thing.) But I've read amateur work in which nearly every paragraph contains italicized character thoughts. This bothers me, because it seems entirely redundant.
Posts: 3567 | Registered: May 2003
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posted
One reason for the excess of italics in amateur writing is that many new writers have a tendency to put way too many thoughts into words--as if the POV character actually verbalizes all those thoughts. It can get really annoying.
The reason I don't like using italics to set off thoughts is probably stupid. I have this fear that I will want to emphasize one of the words within the italicized thought. Yeah, I know, the way to handle it is to put that word in regular font. But what if it's the first or last word in the italicized part? Then you have some weird thing where you start reading a sentence that only changes to italics with the second word, and it just creeps me out. That's all.
posted
Good Lord! I actually found a definitive answer to the question mark question. I picked up a book on punctuation (which I highly recommend; it's funny and clear) called "Eats Shoots & Leaves."
The author, a copy-editor, says:
quote:Question marks are used when the question is direct: What is the capital of Belgium? ... When the question is inside quotation marks, again it is required: "Did you try the moules and chips?" he asked.
But when the question is indirect, the sentence manages without it: What was the point of all this sudden interest in Brussels, he wondered. I asked if she had something in particular against the Belgian national character.
[This message has been edited by MaryRobinette (edited June 04, 2004).]
posted
Rick, I've stopped using italics for emphasis entirely. It seems to me to be completely unnecessary. I don't usually use italics for thoughts, although I have done it in the past, and might do it again in the future. I do use italics for certain types of names, e.g. those of ships, and words from foreign languages.
Posts: 626 | Registered: Jun 2003
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posted
I use italics for emphasis, but sparingly; generally it's only when the emphasis of a word changes the implication of a sentence.
To illustrate this point, let me use a joke I heard years ago:
A man gets a small speaking role in a play. He only has one line: "Hark, I hear the cannons roar."
Since he only has the one line, he doesn't bother going to the rehearsals, but he does practice saying the line on his own time.
He begins to wonder about different ways of saying the line.
Perhaps the important thing is to catch people's attention: "Hark, I hear the cannons roar."
Or maybe the importance of the line lies in dispelling any doubt as to who hears the cannons: "Hark, I hear the cannons roar."
Or is the very act of hearing important, because it indicates how close the cannons are? "Hark, I hear the cannons roar."
Maybe what really matters is that the sound is cannons, as opposed to something else making noise. "Hark, I hear the cannons roar."
And possibly the kind of sound being made is relevant: "Hark, I hear the cannons roar."
So he practices the variations, unable to decide which one to use. Finally he decides to go with the moment and choose the one that fits best during the performance.
He stands on the stage during his scene, waiting for his cue. Finally, the lead actor says the line before his.
Just as he's about to say the line, a booming sound comes from offstage. Caught by surprise, he exclaims, "What the heck was that noise?"
posted
I'm glad you brought that up, Mary. I heard about that book last year and recommended it here on the forum in "Punctuation and Grammar," Dec. 27, "03. Almost forgot about it. Gotta get it.
(Stupid link won't work. )
[This message has been edited by Kolona (edited June 05, 2004).]
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