Free indirect discourse: what it is and how to use it
Take three ways of rendering the same thought. Direct: "I'll never make it," Marta thought. Indirect: Marta thought she would never make it. Free indirect: She would never make it. Never. In the third there are no quotation marks and no "thought", yet we know it's Marta thinking. That's free indirect discourse, a technique many writers use without knowing its name.
How it works
In free indirect discourse the sentence formally belongs to the narrator, in third person and in the tense of the narration, but its content and tone belong to the character. Readers hear their thoughts as if they passed straight onto the page, without the mediation of "she thought that".
Typical signs:
- the character's questions and exclamations: How could she have believed it?
- their words and judgements, not the narrator's: That idiot brother-in-law of hers, naturally.
- colloquial or slangy expressions the narrator alone wouldn't use;
- broken sentences, repetitions, the hesitations of thought.
Why it's so effective
Free indirect discourse brings readers close to a character's mind without interrupting the flow. Quotation marks and "she thought" create small frames that remind readers someone is reporting. Free indirect style removes the frame: for a moment, narrator and character coincide.
That's why it's the main tool of close point of view. It lets you narrate in third person with the intimacy of first.
The irony effect
There's a subtler use: because the character's voice blends with the narrator's, readers can sense a distance. If the character is deluding themselves, free indirect discourse reports their illusions in their own words, and readers work out for themselves that things aren't so.
It was obvious the director thought highly of her. He had looked at her twice during the meeting.
No comment from the narrator, and yet the reader smiles.
Common mistakes
Confusing readers about who is thinking. With several characters in a scene, free indirect discourse must clearly belong to the one who holds the point of view. Jumping from one head to another disorients.
Overdoing the character's tone. A whole chapter of exclamations and fragments is tiring. Free indirect style works best alternated with more neutral narration.
Mixing it with "she thought". Writing in free indirect style and then adding "she thought" is redundant: the reader had already understood.
How to practise
Take a passage where you wrote she thought that, he wondered whether, she realised that. Remove the verb, render the thought in the words the character would use, and reread. The passage often becomes livelier and shorter. Not every "thought" needs to go, but it's surprising how many can.
Frequently asked questions
Is free indirect discourse used in first person too?
In first person the narrator already is the character, so the distinction fades. The term mostly applies to third person, where it merges two distinct voices.
Can I use it for several characters in the same novel?
Yes, but usually one at a time, tied to whoever holds the point of view in that scene or chapter. Switching characters clearly, for instance at a chapter break, avoids confusion.
Do thoughts need italics?
Not with free indirect discourse: italics are used, if at all, for direct thought, in first person and present tense. Free indirect style blends into the narration with no typographical marks.