Author's Craft

Author's Craft

Stylistic Devices:

1. figurative language- language that communicates meanings beyond the literal meanings of words. Words are often used to symbolize ideas and concepts they would not otherwise be associated with. Writers use figurative language to create effects, to emphasize ideas, and to appeal to their readers' emotions.

• • • Types of figurative language:

      • • simile- a figure of speech that makes a comparison between two unlike things, using the word like or as

        • metaphor- a figure of speech that makes a comparison between two things that are basically unlike but have something in common. This comparison does NOT use like or as

• • • • • alliteration- the repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of words. Note the repetition of the d sound in this line: The daredevil dove into the deep sea.

        • hyperbole- a figure of speech in which the truth is exaggerated for emphasis or humorous effect

        • personification- a figure of speech in which human qualities are given to an object, animal, or idea, for example: "The night wind sings an eerie song."

2. literary devices-

• • • allusion- an indirect reference to a famous person, place, event, or literary work.

    • irony- a contrast between appearance and reality--usually one in which the reality is the opposite of what it seems. Three common types include:

      • • dramatic irony- the reader or viewer knows something that a character does not

        • situational irony- a contrast between what a reader or character expects and what actually exists of happens

        • verbal irony- when someone knowingly exaggerates or says one thing and means another

    • flashback- an account of a conversation, an episode, or an event that happened before the beginning of the story

    • foreshadowing- a writer's use of hints or clues to suggest events that will occur later in the story. The hints or clues might be included in the character's dialogue or behavior, or they might be included in details of description. Foreshadowing creates suspense, mystery, and surprise, and makes readers eager to find out what will happen.

    • theme/central idea- an underlying message about life or human nature that a writer wants the reader to understand. It is a perception about life or human nature that the writer shares with the reader. In most cases, themes are not stated directly but must be inferred. A theme may imply how a person should live but should not be confused with a moral.

    • frame story- a frame story exists when a story is told within the narrative setting, or "frame"; it creates a story within a story. This storytelling technique has been used for over one thousand years and was employed in famous works such as One Thousand and One Arabian Nights and Geoffrey Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales.

3. language devices-

• • • diction- a writer's or speaker's choice of words and way of arranging the words in sentences.

      • • diction can be broadly characterized as the following:

          • • formal or informal

            • technical or common

            • abstract or concrete

            • literal or figurative

    • connotation- an attitude or feeling associated with a word, in contrast to the word's denotation, which is its literal, or dictionary, meaning. The connotations of a word may be positive or negative.

    • imagery- consists of descriptive words and phrases that re-create sensory experiences for the reader. Imagery usually appeals to one or more of the five senses--sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch--to help the reader imagine exactly what is being described.

4. character development

• • • characterization- the way a writer creates and develops characters' personalities. There are 4 basic methods of characterization:

      • • direct characterization- the writer may make direct comments about a character's personality or nature through the voice of the narrator

        • direct characterization- the writer may describe the character's physical appearance

        • indirect characterization- the writer may present the character's own thoughts, speech, and actions

        • indirect characterization- the writer may present thoughts, speech, and actions of other characters in response to a character

    • dialogue- written conversation between two or more characters. Writers use dialogue to bring characters to life and give readers insights into the characters' qualities, traits, and reactions to other characters. Realistic, well-paced dialogue also advances the plot of a narrative.

      • • In fiction, dialogue is usually set off with quotation marks.

        • In drama, stories are told primarily through dialogue. Playwrights use stage directions to indicate how they intend the dialogue to be interpreted by actors.

    • dialect- a form of language that is spoken in a particular geographic area or by a particular social or ethnic group.

      • • A group's dialect is reflected in its pronunciations, vocabulary, expressions, and grammatical structures. Writers use dialects to capture the flavors of locales and to bring characters to life, re-creating the way they actually speak.

5. point of view- refers to the method of narration used in a short story, novel, narrative poem, or work of nonfiction.

• • • first person point of view- the narrator is a character in the story

    • third person point of view- the narrative voice is outside of the action, not one of the characters

    • third person limited point of view- the narrator tells what only once character thinks, feels, and observes

    • third person omniscient point of view- all knowing point of view, the narrator sees into the minds of all the characters

6. mood- the feeling or atmosphere that a writer creates for the reader. Descriptive words, imagery, and figurative language contribute to the mood of a work, as do the sound and rhythm of the language used.

Structure Devices:

1. structure

• • • syntax- how a writer arranges words and phrases to create well formed sentences

    • parallel structure- the use of similar grammatical constructions to express ideas that are related or equal in importance

    • sentence variety- using sentences of varying length and complexity to make writing more appealing and interesting to readers

    • tone- that attitude a writer takes toward a subject.

      • • Unlike mood, which is intended to shape the reader's emotional response, tone reflects the feelings of the writer.

        • A writer communicates tone through choice of words and details. Tone may often be described by a single word such as serious, humorous, formal, informal, somber, sarcastic, playful, ironic, bitter, or objective.

2. author's purpose- a writer usually writes for one or more purposes: to express thoughts or feelings, to inform or explain, to persuade, to entertain

3. author's position- a writer's opinion on an issue or topic.