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...
Categories Characterization, Plot, & Setting/Literary Devices & Writing Techniques Comment: 1