Intropection. Some writers have a natural knack for it, while others need time and practice to at least get the bare bones of the concept down. Introspection is one of the key and pivotal mechanics in writing and successful writing—writing that has a profoundness and impact—cannot be achieved without it.
Let’s do a little exercise shall we? Sit in quiet. Turn the cover of your laptop down and take this article away from your mind for two minutes. Pick a pressing or important aspect of your life and then start to take long meditative breaths. Let the thoughts about your chosen topic come and go one after the other. You can even write them down.
What you’ll find is that you have allowed original thoughts to flood your mind. That’s how introspection works in writing for a character.
Good introspection allows this grade of internal dialogue to be effusive within the minds of characters. No readers wants to read the same piece of introspection over and over again. It gets boring and takes away from the impact of the novel; it also affects the vigor of the writing, because instead of a manuscript having a concrete form, it nulls it down and only creates a sense of vagueness. Not what we want.
When I first starting writing, I was deep in the novel The Winter People. Jennifer McMahon has truly mastered the skill of comprising thoughtful introspection with both depth and balance. I highly recommend this book if you want to learn talented introspection. I for one came up under Jennifer McMahon.
So what does successful introspection look like and how much is too much?
Good introspection has new alluring thoughts every time that adds emotional depth to the character that in turns makes the reader invested in the story. It is structurally spaced from one sentence by itself up to large paragraphs where appropriate. It takes into consideration the POV as a measure of how intense it should be, and also masters the right fitting internal dialogue that should be happening in the fiction.
Therefore the introspection recognizes inventiveness, works hand in hand with strengthening character, and gauges how the internal dialogue would affect the reader. First Person POV and Deep POV have quite intensive introspection, therefore the writer should have a careful mind of not making the introspection to heavy for the reader. In Third Person Limited there is more space between the writer and character, so its introspection feels a bit lighter. Think of your POV and gauge how you should treat it. Balance is key.
With this you should have a firmer grasp on how to write good introspection. Happy thinking.
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