Writing Techniques

Most popular posts

Someone working hard at a desk to suggest how to write suspense

How to Write Suspense

Suspense is all about what might happen.  It’s not the moment of danger itself that evokes suspense, but the growing...

A woman in bed late at night suggests a seeker archetype may have a dark side too

The Seeker Archetype: Writing the Restless Character 

The Seeker archetype is a character beset by a divine discontent, an inner yearning for something just beyond their reach....

A first person omniscient perspective image of a hand reaching over a city

How First-Person Omniscient Breaks the Rules on Purpose

Is first-person omniscient narration even possible? Most writers are taught point of view as a set of hard and fast...

Hands shaking, lightness suggests how to get a book deal

How to Get a Book Deal: The 6-Step Process

You’ve finished your manuscript and you want to get a book deal with a traditional publisher. Where do you start? ...

A door leading open to nature, writing portfolio as a freeing element

Build a Writing Portfolio That Opens Doors

“Can you send me your writing portfolio?” For many writers, that’s the moment everything stops. You might feel like a...

A frame that says "shoot for greatness" but can be read different ways based on the visual syntax that users are used to reading it with

Syntax: The Secret Power of Sentence Structure

Two sentences with the exact same words rearranged can mean entirely different things. That shift is syntax at work. “Syntax”...

Three windows on a yellow wall opened to different lengths, a visual metaphor to represent the progression in a rule of three
Blog
Alan Watt

The Rule of Three

Master the rule of three to create satisfying patterns, memorable character trios, and a rhythmic story structure that resonates with your readers.

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Two people reading a newspaper named intertextuality for comedic effect
Blog
Alan Watt

Intertextuality

The active usage of intertextuality prevents passivity in archetype, story, and statement to give an author singular purpose through historical context.

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writing hooks
Blog
Alan Watt

How to Write a Hook

When you’re at the bookstore surfing for a good read, you’re often trying to get a sense of the tone and texture

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Recent posts

Three windows on a yellow wall opened to different lengths, a visual metaphor to represent the progression in a rule of three

The Rule of Three

Master the rule of three to create satisfying patterns, memorable character trios, and a rhythmic story structure that resonates with...
Two jesters in frame wearing yellow depicting the visual carrier of satire.

Satire: Turning Humor into Insight

Understand satire, a technique that allows you to smuggle truth into critiques of power by critical construction of context and...
Two people reading a newspaper named intertextuality for comedic effect

Intertextuality

The active usage of intertextuality prevents passivity in archetype, story, and statement to give an author singular purpose through historical...
paradox

Paradox in Writing: Revealing Truth Through Contradiction

“The way of paradoxes is the way of truth. To test reality we must see it on the tight-rope.”– Oscar...

hyperbole

Hyperbole: When Exaggeration Strengthens Story

Hyperbole is how we speak when ordinary language isn’t big enough. Do you remember your first heartbreak? Even though you...

extended metaphor

Extended Metaphors: Turning Simple Comparisons into Lasting Impact

Metaphors are one of the first additions to our writing toolbox, usually paired with the simile in our high school...

Prologue

What is a Prologue? How and When to Use One

Occasionally, tucked somewhere between an introduction, epigraph, and dedication, a book might have a prologue. This is the story before...

theme in literature

Theme in Literature Explained (With Examples & Tips)

Theme is a mysterious and often misunderstood term. Simply put, a theme is a unifying or dominant idea explored in...

worldbuilding

Worldbuilding: A Step-by-Step Writer’s Guide

Crafting a compelling story comes with several responsibilities. You are in charge of creating the plot, the characters, the prose,...

How to Write Dialogue

How to Write Dialogue that Sounds Authentic

Writing dialogue can be intimidating, even for the most experienced writers. Sometimes the words feel clumsy and unnatural, or we...

novella

What is a Novella? Key Characteristics Explained

Some of literature’s greatest stories aren’t in novel form at all, but a different kind of prose. Rich characters like...

purple prose

Purple Prose: When Lyrical Language Goes Too Far

Like all things in life, the way we write requires balance. When you look back on your first attempts at...

magical realism

Magical Realism: Writing Wonder into the Everyday

Magical realism invites the impossible into the ordinary. This genre asks us to accept the fantastical without question. The supernatural...

parallelism

Parallelism: Crafting Meaning in Repetition

There’s no rhythm without some repeated notes. Certain literary and rhetorical devices are so ingrained in how we speak and...

high fantasy vs low fantasy

High Fantasy vs Low Fantasy: Key Differences You Should Know

All stories have some magic in them. On one end of the spectrum, you have stories spanning across galaxies with...

setting

Setting: Establishing the World of Your Story

Setting isn’t just a backdrop; it’s a signal, cueing the reader how to read what comes next. Before a character...

writing hooks

How to Write a Hook

When you’re at the bookstore surfing for a good read, you’re often trying to get a sense of the tone...

symbolism

Symbolism in Storytelling: Writing with Deeper Meaning

Does the word “symbolism” give you unwelcome flashbacks to your high school English classes? The idea is foreign when we...