Writers use techniques called literary devices to create imagery and mood with words. Some literary devices subtly affect the subconscious while others hammer ideas and descriptions into the reader’s brain. Because there are so many devices, we will examine them in groups. In this article, we review literary devices which create sound and rhythm. Read beautiful prose, song lyrics, and poetry aloud, and it sounds like music. Shakespeare’s plays were known for having a specific rhythm that sounds like elevated … Read More »

If you’re like most writers you’ve probably found yourself getting bogged down at some point during the process. It’s really frustrating if you’re a novelist and after days, weeks or months you’re already 25,000 or 35,000 words into it. Often enough, everything started out well: You chose an interesting setting or milieu, created solid relatable characters, and involved them in compelling situations or conflicts. You may even have a pretty good idea of how you want it to end. But … Read More »

I recently watched a workshop on screenplay writing that presented some ideas every novelist can use to advantage. With my own embroidery added, I’d like to share one of them with you (and my thanks to J.V. Hart). That idea is the nemesis. Not just an antagonist, an opponent, but a character that represents everything your protagonist fears, so that, in fighting her nemesis, your gal must confront her own self. First, the Antagonist Of course, they are also an … Read More »

The writer’s adage of “show don’t tell” suggests telling is less effective in presenting a story than showing; however, great storytellers do both. Let’s explore how we lure readers into our story to enjoy our fictional dream through balancing show and tell. Show Showing slows down the pace to immerse the reader in a detailed sensual and emotional experience. Readers will ignore a full bladder, an empty stomach, and the need for sleep for the unique thrill of being in … Read More »

One, and done should not be the case for many poems. Why waste such a wealthy resource as a poem by only publishing it once in its entirety, or reprinting it whole? The truth is, like any good non-fiction writer who mines their research and articles for possible other perspectives on the material—poets can do the same. If you’ve got a longer poem, is it possible to pull out bits and pieces of it for a micro-poem? Can you reword … Read More »

Let us all bow down to the caring souls who slog through our unedited early drafts. And then let us ignore them. Maybe. I used to think that if only one or two people didn’t like something in my writing, I could ignore them. My rule-of-thumb was “three” for a manuscript change. The problem is, there’s no way to know what that critical mass (pun intended) actually is, so it’s important to pay attention to every critic, every beta-reader, every … Read More »