if writing a story if someone thinks something, do you have to put it in quotes?

Question

like if it was
Lindsay thought, “ I am so lucky to have a dog like this."
would you put quotes around it
or would it be
Lindsay thought, I am so lucky to have a dog like this.
know what i mean?

random sentence i know but it was the only one i could think of. thnkx

Answer 1

It is hard to justify what someone else is 'thinking'. His thoughts are his and unless he tells someone what he had been thinking, I feel it should remain unknown. I suppose you could suggest that you know what Lindsay is thinking. Example: Knowing Lindsay and the way that his mind works, I bet he is thinking ''I am so lucky to have a dog like this'' but he is far too shy to admit it.

It is straightforward if the storyteller has inner thoughts. Example: I knew exactly what I wanted to tell the shopkeeper but I kept my mouth shut. ''You are an arrogant pig'' is what I would like to have told him, but kept it to myself.

Answer 2

I see it in italics sometimes. If you wanted it to be different from the rest of the text but not in quotes, you could do that.

Answer 3

oh, I run into this all the time. I usuall put it in itallics, and I've seen it done in parentheses and quotes. It really depends on the context, and you should be consistent throughout the story.

Answer 4

You can put it in quotes, italics or simply leave it unformatted. If you leave it unformatted, you should make it clear that it is a thought and not just part of the narrative.

Answer 5

usually thoughts are in italics-some writers put it in quotes, but that can get confusing if it is mixed in with dialogue.

Answer 6

quotes are for said words not for thoughts

Answer 7

i normally put thoughts in italics.

Answer 8

no it has to be in a regular sentence like this: lindsay thought wow i hate this

Answer 9

put it in italics