Writing Techniques

Most popular posts

A question hangs from the ceiling with origami birds next to it as a pretty denotation of the dramatic question

The Dramatic Question

Simply put, the dramatic question is your story’s theme framed as a question. “Can the truth set you free?” “Can...

A kindle being held up in a frame for the kindlepreneur to be invited into this blog

The Kindlepreneur Mindset: Combining Creativity and Business Acumen

The term “kindlepreneur” is a combination of “Kindle” and “entrepreneur,” describing a self-published author who approaches their writing and book...

A chalk painted outline on the ground to suggest reverse outlining

Reverse Outlining: Gaining a New Perspective

What is reverse outlining?  While many writers outline before they write a single scene, others follow a “pantser” method where...

A few different pens with multiple colors and tips exposed as a form of creative writing tips

5 Essential Creative Writing Tips 

Whether you’re brainstorming your first story or publishing your ninth book, there comes a point when all writers wonder the...

A man at the edge of a cliff looking out over ostensibly a big drop below

How to Write a Cliffhanger

A cliffhanger is not a trick, but a promise. As a storyteller, you want to grab your reader’s attention and...

An apple core being dismantled by a machine crank to suggest that theme ideas can be gotten to mechanistically with our blog

Theme Ideas: Finding the Core Your Story

Theme ideas aren’t something tacked on to the end of a story. They are central to the narrative, and woven...

Recent posts

kill your darlings

How to “Kill Your Darlings” Without Killing Your Voice

“Kill your darlings, kill your darlings, even when it breaks your egocentric little scribbler’s heart, kill your darlings.” – Stephen...

Allusion

What is an Allusion? How to Enrich Your Story with Meaning

Stories become richer when they wink at the world beyond their pages, and that’s exactly what an allusion does. By...

rhetorical choices

Understanding Rhetorical Choices: Technique, Tone, and Purpose

Rhetorical choices shape not just what we say, but how we make people feel and think. Every speech, story, or...

motif

What is a Motif? A Writer’s Guide to Recurring Meaning

Motifs are one of the best literary devices you can have in your writer’s toolbox. Essentially, a motif is a...

Allegory

The Keys to Allegory: Building Symbolism That Lasts

An allegory is like taking a step back in an art gallery to analyze a painting in its entirety. Characters...

coming of age

Coming of Age: 2 Main Story Elements

Coming of age is never easy. You might have been the popular kid in school, armed with academic excellence, physical...

epigraph

Epigraph: A Clue to Your Story

Before a story begins, you can include an epigraph to signal your protagonist’s dilemma, the tone, and even foreshadow the...

rhetorical devices

Rhetorical Devices: The Art of Arguing

In the modern world where the town square is a digital place and the zeitgeist is a worldwide phenomenon, we...

literary devices

Literary Devices: A Writer’s Palette

Literary devices are the various techniques writers employ to create stylistic effects, convey deeper meaning, evoke emotion, and enhance the...

flashback

How to Write a Flashback: Techniques for Powerful Storytelling

Flashbacks are one of the most powerful tools you can use to reveal the deeper layers of a character’s life....

foreshadowing

What is Foreshadowing? Planting Clues for a Powerful Payoff

Foreshadowing is a key element in creating a satisfying conclusion to a story. This is the craft of planting quiet...

dramatic irony

Harness the Power of Dramatic Irony

A powerful way to shift the perspective of your audience is to employ dramatic irony. This literary device lets the...

Situational Irony

How to Create Situational Irony

Situational irony is something we’ve all experienced: an unexpected outcome or an outcome that’s the opposite of the intention. We...

Muse

Invocation of the Muse: Cultivating Inspiration for Serious Writers

The idea of a Muse, inspiration, spirit, or genius, is present in any civilization in which great literature exists. When...

Verbal Irony

The Art of Verbal Irony: When to Quip and When to Feel

Verbal irony is a wonderful rhetorical device you can use to sharpen your character’s tongues and refine their wit. In...

epilogue

Epilogue: Extending Theme Beyond the Last Page

Just when you thought a story was done, sometimes there’s still room for an epilogue.  Stories often end with a...

Chekhov’s Gun

Chekhov’s Gun: A Foreshadowing Tool

Are all endings inevitably set by their beginnings, or do things occur at random? This question is, in part, answered...

Personification

Personification as a Literary Tool: Writing Emotion without Telling

Personification is a literary device so commonplace that it shows up everywhere in our language. The dictionary definition of personification...