: Re: Is inner monologue a bad way to show character traits? Is directly showing a characters inner thoughts and conversations with themselves too telly or cheesy?

@Odierno164

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Inner monologue is used quite frequently, and it can reveal character traits that may not be revealed any other way: True feelings.

Such as, if Jack is telling the truth about never cheating on Jill, if the photograph of him doing so had to be faked.

The same with secret desires, dislikes, hatreds, plotting, faking friendship or even faking love or sexual attraction for nefarious purpose. Jack may have faked his love for Jill to get laid. Or alternatively, Jill may have faked her enthusiasm for Jack's clumsy and laughably stupid seduction of her, to become trusted enough by him to rob him blind.

You should not abuse inner thoughts, readers trust they are the real thing. Just like in real life, actions and dialogue can be misleading lies. Inner dialogue should be the true thoughts; I think it would be a violation of the "reader contract" to find out they were lied to by some previous passage portrayed as an inner thought or feeling.

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