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Tag: Audience

January 13, 2016

People Always Use Irony Correctly (Oh, the Irony of That Statement!)

So. Irony. A major literary device that is often misunderstood or just plain missed. Possibly because there are different kinds of irony. The big idea of irony, however, is that the literal/actual meaning and the intended meaning are opposites. (The title of this article, for instance.) Often confused with sarcasm, verbal irony is when a speaker says the opposite of what he/she...
Categories Literary Devices & Writing Techniques Comments: 3
November 19, 2015

6 Methods to Hook Readers

Anyone else learn about hooks in high school? You know, those one-line bits of magic that supposedly made your college application essay more interesting and enthralling to the poor brain-numbed grader? They’re baaack… Joking aside, hooks are in everything – or at least the concept of hooks is. A hook isn’t necessarily a one-liner. It can be an idea, a...
Categories Characterization, Plot, & Setting/Literary Devices & Writing Techniques Comments: 3
November 1, 2015

You Can’t Scare Your Audience Without Suspension of Disbelief

All this talk about horror seems like the perfect time to mention suspension of disbelief – the ability to set aside reality long enough to enjoy the story. As readers or audience members, we have to accept the underlying “lies” of the story (supernatural monsters, magic, amazingly advanced technology, talking animals, or even people bursting out into song and dance),...
Categories General Thoughts & Updates/Literary Devices & Writing Techniques Comments: 3