Zoe M. McCarthy's Blog, page 18
April 20, 2017
Symbolism: Give Something in Your Story a Deeper and Wider Meaning
What Symbolism Is As a literary device, symbolism gives an object a dual meaning. It imbues the object with ideas or qualities that are profound, far-reaching, and different from the object’s actual physical meaning. Symbolism can enrich, provide a better understanding of the story, and show it has broader implications than itself. A common example […]
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April 13, 2017
Imagery: Create Strong Mental Pictures for Your Reader
What Imagery Is Imagery is one of the strongest literary devices. A writer uses words and phrases to fashion mental images for readers. Imagery helps the reader to visualize more realistically objects, actions, and ideas. Imagery’s descriptive words can also involve the reader in the emotions and sensations of characters. The device appeals to our […]
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April 6, 2017
Diction: Choosing the Right Word for Your Character
What Diction Is Diction for fiction is the style of writing determined by a writer’s word choices. Words should suit the story’s environment, be appropriate to the writer’s audience, and have meanings understood by readers. Why Diction Is Important The wrong word can take readers out of the story or cause them to misinterpret an […]
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March 30, 2017
Euphemism: Toning Down What You Write
What a Euphemism Is The word euphemism comes from a Greek word meaning sounding good. A euphemism is a literary device in which the writer substitutes a softer, less offensive expression for a person, place, thing, or event. The word may sound more polite, but it gets the message across. Common Examples of […]
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March 23, 2017
Allusion: A Literary Device Used in a Passing Comment
What Allusion Is The word allusion comes from the Latin a playing with. Allusions play with a reference from another material source for use in a current writing. An allusion is a literary device that makes a brief, passing reference to a real or imaginary place, person, thing, quote, or event found in such items […]
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March 16, 2017
What’s Important in Writing Short Stories
What’s Important to Consider in Writing a Short Story? Writer’s Voice Establish a strong, yet controlled, voice from the first line. Setting Limit the length of days or weeks the story covers. Research to find (or create) a distinct setting that supports the story’s tone and plot. Your setting research should color your story […]
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March 9, 2017
Personification: Giving Inanimate Things Human Traits for a Purpose
What Personification Is Personification is assigning human traits to inanimate objects, ideas, or phenomena. Inanimate means non-living things—breathless and pulseless. Personification is called anthropomorphism when it is applied to animals. Common Examples of Personification the sun kissed the ocean the wise owl justice is blind the sun smiled down on them stars winked the […]
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March 2, 2017
9 Techniques to Foreshadow a Truth or Event
Well done foreshadowing won’t ruin the surprise. The device adds suspense and tension to the story, building anticipation for the reader. Foreshadowing can help readers understand what happens later. Everything finally makes sense. Thus, it can facilitate the believability of later truths or events. Foreshadowing can be subtle or direct. Sometimes it’s a clue at the […]
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February 23, 2017
Is Writing Flash Fiction for You?
How many words are allowed? From my research, the suggested word counts for flash fiction in this electronic reading age were: Less than 1,500 300-1,000 (10-300 is micro fiction) 100 – 1,500 Up to 100 What are the elements that must be included in flash fiction? Beginning, middle, and end Characters, setting, and predicament Struggles, […]
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February 16, 2017
Book Covers: Help in Creating or Giving Input for the Design
What Is the Book Cover Images: the artwork or photos Words: the fonts of titles and content Content: title, taglines, back-cover description, and bio Blurbs: endorsements Good Book Covers A good book covers will: be more than a lovely cover; it will communicate. capture the essence of the story. be a reader’s […]
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