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Category Archives: Literary devices
The Happiness Requirement
“And they lived happily ever after” is not just a matter of fairy tales. A Happily Ever After (HEA) ending remains a favorite of many readers and has likely been one ever since stories were first told. In this age … Continue reading
Fiction from my Family Tree
One of the reasons that there is “nothing new under the sun” is because human creativity depends on our experience. But, I have only lived one life. Rather than writing an autobiographical series about a rather sedate existence, I would … Continue reading
Reading the lines… or the space between them?
Reading between the lines doesn’t refer to reading blank space. But, sometimes it is almost as difficult. It requires astute attention to pull out what is not explicitly stated in the text. How much should an author expect a reader … Continue reading
My POV Journey
Initially, when I was eight years old, I started writing in the third person point of view and all my characters were animals. Did I mention that Black Beauty was one of my favorite books? A few years later, I … Continue reading
Posted in Literary devices, Literature, Novels, Style and voice
Tagged Black Beauty, Fiction, Frankenstein, Nectar in the Sieve, point of view, POV, Writing, writing-tips
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Journeying away from the Hero’s Journey
Want a plot that’s been used successfully thousands of times? Research Campbell’s monomyth or simply read Christopher Vogler’s book on the hero’s journey. The hero’s journey is an idea manufactured as a result of popular literature from Greco-Roman times. However, … Continue reading
How Can Writing Not Be “Telling?”
I find the “show don’t tell” adage for writers a curious contradiction. Unless you are writing a movie script that will be produced, everything that you record is actually told to the reader. Writing is very abstract, so providing this … Continue reading
How Monumental Should Fantasy Heroes Be?
Fantasy provides a kind of escapism for young adults (and even some older adults). Characters come from a less technological era, in which a teenager could be considered an adult capable of making all their own decisions. The popular fantasy … Continue reading
Posted in allusions, Characters, Literary devices, mythology, Novels, Trends in books
Tagged Fantasy, mythology, superheros
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Defining Sci-Fi
In Perelandra, an earth man is sent to Venus on a mission from God to counsel the ‘Eve’ of that planet so she does not fall prey to the wiles of Satan’s agent. I, Robot is a collection of short … Continue reading
Posted in Literary devices, Writing trends
Tagged H.G. Wells, Jules Verne, Star Wars, Ursula Le Guin
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A Series of World Building Woes
I am tentative about announcing a series because I recall the thrill of reading Kidnapped by Robert Louis Stevenson when I was much younger. In this historical fiction a teenager escapes imprisonment on a ship and flees through the wild highlands of … Continue reading
Comments About Commas
Among literary devices, one of my favorites is polysyndeton. Despite its fancy name this is a plain device and easy to use. Simply repeat “and” after every word in a list. Polysyndeton provides quick and simple emphasis. “While driving through … Continue reading
Posted in Ideas for writing, Literary devices, Literature
Tagged oxford comma, polysyndeton
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