Glad it was helpful!

You're welcome!!

I might have been caught doing something similar lol I think there is merit to the idea of method acting for writers 😀

Looks like you've got it sorted!

The direct ones are exactly the words the character would think 'to themself' (as if you could think any other way), and the indirect ones are all the other random stuff that goes through a character's mind and that you want to pass on to the reader.

The balance, to me, gives the feeling of being right behind the eyeballs, sometimes in the character's exact thoughts, and otherwise more generally.'

It is not difficult, because those direct thoughts also are the ones that have the most emotional power, and carry a lot of the weight of why we're in the character's head; small amounts of the indirect thoughts are almost a way to do short info dumps WITH THE CAVEAT that the character must be obviously (to the reader) motivated to think those particular thoughts at that time. Otherwise, info dumps are still info dumps.

It has become second nature to write that way. First I channel the character for a scene. Then I go about figuring out what the reader will want to know about what they're thinking - and how to make it seem motivated for the character.

I don't think I can add italics here, but if you check out the sample of either of my Pride's Children mainstream novels (PURGATORY or NETHERWORLD) on Amazon or Goodreads, where the formatting is correct, there will be plenty of examples of how I've used this.

It gives me, the storyteller, the capacity to be very immediate, 'right behind the eyeballs.' I love the control.