Applying Creative Writing Techniques
Applying Creative Writing Techniques
Applying Creative Writing Techniques
Style is the writer's fingerprint. Although there are no two identical styles,
all writers use the same creative writing techniques in varying degrees. By
using pertinent description, analogies, personification, allusions, and
quotations, the writer can keep readers engaged.
1. Use Sensory Appeal: When appropriate, use all five senses-appearance, sound, touch, taste, smell--to provide rich detail for your
reader.
o "The rich aroma of mama's spaghetti sauce filled the house, and
our stomachs rumbled in anticipation of her spaghetti and the
crisp, hot garlic bread that always accompanied it."
o "She felt the rake of the frightened cat's claws on her face, felt
the warm blood begin to trickle down her cheek."
o "The baby, born seconds before, blinked in the bright light,
puckered up her mouth as if someone had hurt her feelings,
then cried lustily."
2. Use Description in Analogy and Contrast:
A. A simile compares two unlike things, using "like" or "as." Two
basic tools of analogy are simile and metaphor.
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"The wind roared like a freight train through the naked winter
trees, which swayed violently from its force."
"The lifeless trees stood like sentinels in the dank swamp."
"She walked like a queen approaching her subjects."
When properly used, the simile and the metaphor invite us to see
familiar things in unfamiliar ways and unfamiliar things in familiar
ways. They do not just decorate the story; they help the reader
understand the message.
C. Another form of analogy is contrast. Similes and metaphors
establish similarities. Contrast shows differences. You can sometimes
tell what something is by telling what it isn't. Contrast is also inherent
in the word "than."
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For writers who paint word pictures, analogy and contrast are the
primary colors.
3. Personification: Personification is often the application of an
extended metaphor. Animals, inanimate objects and abstractions are
given human characteristics.
o ". . . the volcano in the past seven weeks had awakened from a
century and a half of slumber. . . . Pressure built. Trying to
accommodate that force, the mountain stretched and reshaped
itself."
o "The train would have its tongue hanging out." Roger Hoffman
4. Allusions: Allusion permits the writer to compare two things, people,
places, or events in few words. It saves time on explanation.
o "Living with him requires the patience of Job."
5. Apt Quotations: Quotations may be used to support arguments
because of particularly appropriate syntax or for their historical
context. Note: avoid overuse.