Writing Techniques

Most popular posts

A model modeling the effects of great tension in writing.

How to Use Tension in Writing

Tension can arise from anywhere — in a simple conversation, a family dinner, a job interview, or even with a...

A collection of word magnets representing the idea that all language is invented, including made-up words.

The Purpose of Made-Up Words in Stories

Have you ever read a book and come across a word you’d never heard or seen before? At first, you...

A sea of people, all of whom might share a voice in the fourth person point of view.

Fourth Person Point of View

Fourth person point of view is a unique and rarely used perspective in stories.  First person gives us “I.” Second...

A character waves at the camera, which is a sign of a writer not knowing how to introduce a character.

How to Introduce a Character: 5 Key Methods

A character’s introduction is one of the most important parts of your story. Done well, your reader can make a...

A fencing match is one of many scenes you can write once you know how to write a fight scene.

How to Write a Fight Scene in 6 Steps

Learning how to write a fight scene isn’t really about choreography. It’s about tension and what’s truly at stake for...

An eye peering through a page, symbolizing a point of view in literature.

Point of View in Literature

There is no “correct” approach to point of view in literature. Your sole consideration is how you want your reader...

A sign says please do not use quotation marks for emphasis to humorously suggest that quoting poems correctly is quite important
Blog
Alan Watt

How to Quote a Poem 

Writers often quote a poem within their own work. This can help to set the tone, build deeper thematic connections, or key

Read More »
An image of the painting by Muntz Lyall - Interesting Story - to make the authors reading this post feel that story structure is accessible, native, and important for readers of any gender or age to enjoy their work
Blog
Alan Watt

Story Structure

Think of story structure as the skeleton of your tale. We all have different lives, different styles, different appearances. But for the

Read More »
A woman is being chased by a stork in a picture used to represent historical fiction and the many ways it creates powerful images for readers.
Blog
Alan Watt

Historical Fiction

If you’ve found yourself enchanted by tales of a bygone era, you’re likely a fan of historical fiction.  In this genre, the

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Every writer wants to know how to write faster, a race car visualizes how you may speed up your process in time
Blog
Alan Watt

How to Write Faster

Every writer at one time or another thinks: I need to write faster. The page is blank. The clock is ticking. And

Read More »
Featured image for flash fiction. It's fast, it's fun, and it's meant to go by in a blur. Hopefully the intention and quickness you embrace in the simplicity brings you closer to the writing and it evokes feelings of this image as a writer
Blog
Alan Watt

Flash Fiction

If you want to become a better writer, flash fiction is a powerful way to strengthen your storytelling muscles. Flash fiction is

Read More »
A nondescript white woman paints a realistic image of hands for the blog realistic fiction. perhaps the writer reading the article may be able to imagine themselves as a painter making something realistic too
Blog
Alan Watt

Realistic Fiction

There’s a particular kind of courage in writing about the world as it actually is. Although our imaginations can take us to

Read More »
A winding road used as a visual metaphor to conceptualize how foreshadowing may be utilized by a writer in the plot of a novel, movie, or play
Blog
Alan Watt

Foreshadowing examples

Can you recall some of the most well-executed foreshadowing examples in books you’ve read? Or in your favorite films? In a great

Read More »
People in an art gallery taking photos of different walls, a woman with a child in a carriage taking a picture of a wall with the word "Euphemism" on it to visualize the art of euphemism
Blog
Alan Watt

The Art of Euphemism 

Sometimes honesty means not saying the thing outright. Master the art of euphemism to deepen character voices and explore the power of subtext.

Read More »
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.

Read More »
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.

Read More »

Recent posts

A sign says please do not use quotation marks for emphasis to humorously suggest that quoting poems correctly is quite important

How to Quote a Poem 

Writers often quote a poem within their own work. This can help to set the tone, build deeper thematic connections,...

A picture of a comic panel where someone bursts into a room with a word description to help understand what is onomatopoeia

What is Onomatopoeia? How Sound Brings Your Writing to Life 

As a writer, your goal is to keep your readers immersed by drawing them into the world your characters inhabit....

An image of the painting by Muntz Lyall - Interesting Story - to make the authors reading this post feel that story structure is accessible, native, and important for readers of any gender or age to enjoy their work

Story Structure

Think of story structure as the skeleton of your tale. We all have different lives, different styles, different appearances. But...

A woman is being chased by a stork in a picture used to represent historical fiction and the many ways it creates powerful images for readers.

Historical Fiction

If you’ve found yourself enchanted by tales of a bygone era, you’re likely a fan of historical fiction.  In this...

Every writer wants to know how to write faster, a race car visualizes how you may speed up your process in time

How to Write Faster

Every writer at one time or another thinks: I need to write faster. The page is blank. The clock is...

Pictured: a café that has a sign out front that employs alliteration and immediately evokes a strong feeling that answers any reader who asks the question: "What is alliteration?"

What Is Alliteration? (And How to Use It in Your Writing)

One of the best pieces of writing advice I ever got was: read your work aloud. When you do, you...

A child feeling sand for the first time is one of the images we understand to be evocative of sensory details.

How to Use Sensory Details in Your Story

Your goal as a writer is to immerse your readers fully in your story, to help them experience what it...

Featured image for flash fiction. It's fast, it's fun, and it's meant to go by in a blur. Hopefully the intention and quickness you embrace in the simplicity brings you closer to the writing and it evokes feelings of this image as a writer

Flash Fiction

If you want to become a better writer, flash fiction is a powerful way to strengthen your storytelling muscles. Flash...

A nondescript white woman paints a realistic image of hands for the blog realistic fiction. perhaps the writer reading the article may be able to imagine themselves as a painter making something realistic too

Realistic Fiction

There’s a particular kind of courage in writing about the world as it actually is. Although our imaginations can take...

A winding road used as a visual metaphor to conceptualize how foreshadowing may be utilized by a writer in the plot of a novel, movie, or play

Foreshadowing examples

Can you recall some of the most well-executed foreshadowing examples in books you’ve read? Or in your favorite films? In...

People in an art gallery taking photos of different walls, a woman with a child in a carriage taking a picture of a wall with the word "Euphemism" on it to visualize the art of euphemism

The Art of Euphemism 

Sometimes honesty means not saying the thing outright. Master the art of euphemism to deepen character voices and explore the...
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...