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September 14, 2015

Behold The Art of the Unexpected Comparison

These are not your average similes. They are startling, funny, and somewhat disturbing – at the same time, they get their points across. Because they do, they are powerful. You could use comparisons like these to shape a character’s dialogue or to make a point with tone. Or you could just read them and laugh. “21 Actual Analogies Used By High School Students in...
Categories Humor & Wordplay/Literary Devices & Writing Techniques Comments: 0
September 13, 2015

Pulling 3D Characters out of Stereotypes

In “Show – Don’t Tell,” I mentioned that explicit characterization relies on the reader’s personal experiences to fill in the blanks: for example, saying that Grandmother Theresa was a sweet old lady doesn’t actually tell the reader much about the character. Instead, this statement is depending on the reader to associate Grandmother Theresa with any sweet old ladies that reader has met...
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August 16, 2015

You Mean Real People Don’t Talk the Way I Learned to from Books?

As writers, we always want our dialogue to sound real. We don’t want it to be stiff or awkward (unless the character is) because we want our characters to sound like people, not robots. The problem with writing the way people talk is that people don’t talk in sentences, and they don’t use correct grammar (if you use correct grammar...
Categories Characterization, Plot, & Setting/Literary Devices & Writing Techniques Comments: 2
August 10, 2015

Have Fun with Puns!

Wordplay often involves picking specific words or word combinations to create double meaning. It’s usually used to add humor, and a lot of it involves puns. Puns take homophones (words that sound alike but aren’t) and put the wrong one into the circumstances. If the sentence is talking about steak, for instance, the writer might use “stake” instead. These are also...
Categories Humor & Wordplay/Literary Devices & Writing Techniques/Research & Worldbuilding Comment: 1
July 29, 2015

But I Love That Scene!

Sometimes you’re writing or editing, and you realize that a scene you’ve written isn’t driving the plot or helping with characterization. It’s not building the setting. It’s not even comic relief. In fact, it’s not doing much of anything except slowing the story down (One might even call it a tangent.). So take that bit out. What’s the problem? Well,...
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