1.2: Literary Techniques

Now let us discuss what literary techniques are. In this way we will better be able to find them when we read, reading with a writer’s eye, and use them ourselves when we write.

"fruit" by the waving cat is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

Alt Text: A plate of strawberries and blueberries washed and cut up nicely.

It sounds so bland, like blanching a fruit, taking the color away and making us think. The reality is, though, it gives the color and flavor more depth. When we understand how literature works, we can enjoy it more deeply and emulate this in our own writing. So, how do we make a style? How do we convey a message? How do we become the creators of the future? In order to do this well, we should discuss literary techniques.

There are a few. Let’s start with devices. Literary elements are broad devices that encompass the whole work. These are things like theme, setting, mood, allegory. We should be able to determine these when we read. Then, when we write, we should know what we have in mind before we begin. Do we always end up where we thought we would? Probably not. Should we outline. Maybe. Should we list out the path our characters will take. It is a strategy. Can we just sit down to write? Perhaps. Is there one best way to make this happen? No. We are all a unique book and how that book comes to be is the product of the unique person who made it appear. Thus, the idea that we can script how that will appear is, to me, absurd. However, we can learn from how other writers work. We can learn from what other writers do and how successful that is.

For example, perhaps you want to make a change in your world. What is the best way to do this? Does the satire Jonathan Swift employs in his essay “A Modest Proposal” work for you? Or do you want to be simple and to the point like E.B. White’s essay “The Meaning of Democracy”.

We should discuss a few strategeries writers use (that’s a malapropism—kind of--).

Point of view—there are a few. First person is I (and we). Second person is you. Third person is he/she/they. Omniscient knows everything. It is usually best to find your point of view and stick with it. Be consistent. Unless you are writing a novel and then it can change more easily.

Once you decide your point of view, you can work on what your characters are like. Are they heroes, protagonists, antagonists, evil villains? Keep in mind no one is entirely good or entirely bad. If you want your character’s to be believable, they must be, human, if you will.

Setting. This is important. It puts you, your characters and your reader in the same place. If you don’t describe it well, your prose won’t be effective. Show your reader, don’t just tell your reader. There are many ways to accomplish this. Figurative language is one such way.

Figurative language is the most common of literary devices.

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Examples of figurative language are:

Simile—comparison using ‘like’ or ‘as’: She was like a rose; as smelly as the dew.

Metaphor—comparison without using like or as: A heart in port in “Wild Nights”.

Personification—giving human characteristics to non-human things: My car is tired.

Hyperbole—exaggeration: I will kill him if he is late…

Allusion—comparison to something well know: Eden in “Wild Nights”.

Alliteration—repeating the same sounds, words/letters: Fountains of foam.

Onomatopoeia—words that imitate sounds: Fizzing, splat, squelch, sneeze.

Dramatic Irony—when the reader knows something the character does not: Seeing the murderer around the corner from the hero.

Verbal Irony—saying one thing and meaning another, similar to sarcasm: Referring to a hurricane as a light breeze.

Consonance—repeating consonants in sentences: “Do you like blue?”

Assonance—repeating vowel sounds: “Do you like blue?” "Indeed I do."

We may also use things like foreshadowing or flashbacks.

This is a very small list of tools writers have at their disposal. We can practice using some of these devices as our writing begins to grow (what did I do there?).

Let’s start to spin a yarn.

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Crafting Practice Exercises

Pick one of the following exercises to try your hand at creating.

1. Book Store inspiration: Have you ever looked at the cover of a book and imagined what the story is about based on the cover? Pick a book (either screen shot the cover or describe it in great detail. Be sure to give it proper attribution (cite it). Then, create a scene based on what you think the book may be about.

2. Eavesdropping—have you ever listened in on a strangers’ conversation (in line at the store, behind you in a restaurant, walking across campus)? Do so and create a scene based on what you hear.

3. In another life: imagine an alternate reality to your life. What would that be? Show us your new life.

In this chapter we began to address literary techniques; we identified what they are and we found some in literature, being reminded that we need to read with a writer’s eye. We will practice these techniques when we write. There are different genres we can write it: for example: short story, non-fiction, poetry, drama, and flash fiction. We will practice these in the rest of the book.