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There are a variety of techniques that can help your writing be more interesting:
Literary Language Elements: Use different elements of language like imagery, dialogue, figurative language.
Passive vs Active Voice: Make your writing clearer and more concise
Sentence Variety: Use a variety of sentence types so that they are not all the same
Show, Don't Tell: Describe what is happening in your story rather than just stating it
Literary Language Elements (click to see more)
Literary Language Elements (click to see more)
DICTION - the author’s choice of words to create an effect. Example: Soda or Pop or Soft Drink.
IRONY
Dramatic Irony: when the audience is aware of something a character is not; the characters might get an unexpected outcome, but the audience is not surprised.
Situational Irony: when what happens is the opposite of what we expect.
Verbal Irony: when what the speaker says is the opposite of the intended meaning
IMAGERY - descriptions of sight, sound, smell, taste, touch, and movement
REPETITION - the repeated use of a word or phrase for effect, to bring clarity to an idea and/or make it memorable for the reader.
FORESHADOWING - an author gives an indication or hint of what is to come later in the story.
DETAILS - facts that a writer includes about their subject.
SYNTAX - the way a writer organizes sentence structure - punctuation, sentence length, etc.
DIALOGUE - two or more characters convey important information to the reader by speaking directly to one another.
PARALLEL STRUCTURE / Parallelism - the repetition of grammatical elements in writing and speaking. Parallelism influences the grammatical structure of sentences but can also impact the meaning of thoughts and ideas being presented.
JUXTAPOSITION - a writer places two contrasting concepts, people, or events directly side-by-side in a sentence or paragraph.
FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE
Simile: A comparison of two unlike things using like or as. Example: Her cheeks are red like a rose.
Metaphor: A comparison of two unlike things without using like or as. Example: This essay is a breeze.
Hyperbole: A purposeful exaggeration used for effect. Example: That suitcase weighs a ton.
Personification: Giving human characteristics to non-human things. Example: The wind screamed in the storm.
Symbolism: Using an object or picture to represent an idea.
Allusion: When an author refers to another piece of literature or historical person or time.
Passive vs Active Voice
Passive vs Active Voice
We use the passive voice when we have our subject receive an action, rather than have the subject perform the action. This often uses some form of the verb "to be." For example:
The dog was carried by the girl. In this case dog is our subject, but it is receiving the action of being carried = passive voice.
The girl carried the dog. Here the girl is performing the action of carrying = active voice.
The passive voice is not wrong, but active voice can be clearer, stronger, and easier to read.
For more information about the passive vs the active voice, see this document or watch the video to the right.
Sentence Variety
Sentence Variety
Keeping the reader interested in what you are writing is important. One thing that can help with that is to vary your sentences - in length, in format, and in structure.
Use both short and long sentences to add variety to your text.
Change how your sentences start, using different words or sentence order.
Use different types of sentences. That is, vary the use of independent and dependent clauses.
An independent clause forms a complete sentence on its own.
A dependent clause needs another clause to make a complete sentence.
Simple sentence - one independent clause and no dependent clauses:
The girl held the dog.
Compound sentence - two or more independent clauses but no dependent clauses:
The girl held the dog, and she ran into the house.
Complex sentence - one independent clause and at least one dependent clause:
After the girl picked up the dog, she ran into the house.
Compound-complex sentence - more than one independent clause and at least one dependent clause:
The girl ran into the house, and because she was carrying her dog, she tripped and fell, which caused her to scrape her knee.
Here is a video that helps to describe compound and complex sentences.
Show, Don't Tell
Show, Don't Tell
If you are writing a story or a personal narrative, you want to make
Rather than simply stating what is happening, use language that expresses what is happening or how someone feels. Your teacher might be telling you to use more vivid language. What they mean is to be more descriptive in what you say. Pretend the reader is using their senses to understand what is happening. What can you smell, hear, feel, taste, see when you are reading the story? But only if it adds, not detracts, from the story you are writing!
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