Latest A to Z Post – Page 8

How to use a Figure of Speech in your writing

Published on April 23, 2015April 23, 2015 by Jean M. Cogdell13 Comments

T = Tropes

A figure of speech
A word, phrase, expression, or image that is used in a figurative way, usually for rhetorical effect.

As writers we use tropes all the time.

We all learned about the most common types of tropes in grade school, metaphor and simile.

Metaphor:

To describe somebody or something of a word or phrase that is not meant literally but by means of a vivid comparison expresses something about him, her, or it, e.g. saying that somebody is a snake.

Simile:

A figure of speech that draws a comparison between two different things, especially a phrase containing the word “like” or “as,” e.g. “as white as a sheet”.

But here are other tropes also used in writing.

Synecdoche:

A figure of speech in which the word for part of something is used to mean the whole. Ex. Writing is my bread and butter

Syllepsis:

A figure of speech in which a word is applied to two others in different senses (e.g.,caught the train and a bad cold ) or to two others of which it grammatically suits only one (e.g., neither they nor it is working ). Ex. He lost his coat and his temper.

Anthimeria:

One part of speech is exchanged for another. Ex. I’m mapping our progress.

Periphrasis:

Wordiness, the use of overly long or indirect language in order to say something. Ex. It is not that James is welcome or otherwise, or that he is sometimes here or not. I do wonder, though, if he might be thinking what it’s all about. (= I don’t like James)

Personification:

Personification is a figure of speech in which a thing, an idea or an animal is given human attributes. Ex. Look at my car. She’s a beauty.

Litotes:

Use of understatement to intensify an idea. It usually involves denying the contrary. Ex. The ice cream was not too bad.

Oxymoron:

Juxtaposition of two contradictory words. Ex. To win is to lose.

The Flash Saga of Rachel Continues:

Rachel was of a mind that the only way to get anywhere was one step at a time. Today she was very grateful for her Nikes. Maybe the walk wouldn’t be too bad, or too long, but she wouldn’t bet on it. As far as she could see nothing but hot asphalt and dry dust greeted her.

On the up side, if a broken down pickup truck with a crazed psycho at the wheel stopped and offered her a lift, she had her Sidearm to persuade him the error of his ways. She smiled, the thought almost cheered her up a little. There were a few perks to being a Texas Ranger. Shooting scumbags ranked at the top. Rachel smiled as she looked down the highway scouring the horizon for pickups.

I love comments, tell me what’s happening with you and if you’re not already, please follow @jeancogdell on Twitter!

Don’t bore your readers to death

Published on April 22, 2015March 26, 2018 by Jean M. Cogdell13 Comments

S = Sentence

A group of words or a single word that expresses a complete thought, feeling, or idea.

Sentence variation length is an important feature of good writing.

Not all sentences should be long and flowing. Some should be short and punchy. However, if all of the sentences in a paragraph are short, the reader might feel punch drunk or anxious after a while. But too many passages filled with long, run-on sentences can become boring.

Ever read a long passage and almost fell asleep from boredom?

Chances are, all the sentences were the same boring length.

Avoid boring the reader with tepid writing…

Write sentences like the ebb and flow of an ocean tide.

Mix in hot, punchy, and quick action with long, flowing elegant sentences.

Rachel’s saga continues:

She opened the car door and took a calming breath. No signal from her phone. Rachel left the car oven and reached toward the sky. Still no signal.

Like it or not she had no choice but to walk. And she didn’t like walking anywhere much less in the middle of nowhere.

Too bad she didn’t wear the typical cowboy hat her coworkers favored. She needed something to keep the sun from burning her fair skin. Grabbing a half-empty water bottle from the console she closed the and locked the car. No point in inviting thieves to help themselves to the electronics. With a sigh, Rachel left the useless hunk of metal behind and started walking.

Need help to check your sentences?

Find a good editing software that looks for sentence length and run-on sentences. I use several to help me construct sentences and paragraphs to achieve my goal.

Also, hop over to Write on Sisters and read Robin Rivera’s post on fixing tired sentences.

Editing Software Sights:

I love comments, tell me what’s happening with you and if you’re not already, please follow @jeancogdell on Twitter!

Writing with the Rule of Three

Published on April 21, 2015 by Jean M. Cogdell3 Comments

R = Rule

The Rule of Three is used in speaking, writing, and music.

Through the Rule of Three ideas are more interesting, enjoyable, funny, scary, memorable and more effective. The Rule of Three can create reader expectation, it can also intensify conflicts and help to hook the reader. From slogans, to nursery rhymes we see the principle of three are everywhere. And let’s not forget superstitions, “bad things come in threes.”

Stories have three parts: a beginning, middle and end
Trilogies: in films, books and plays
Screen writing: 3-act structure
Patterns: Three is the smallest number of elements to create a pattern
Classic joke structure: set-up, anticipation and punch line
A complete set: Salt, pepper and sugar
In Public Safety: “Stop, Look and Listen”
In religion: Father, Son and Holy Spirit

My A to Z serial flash continues:

Rachel stared at the distorted image flickering above the hot black asphalt, convinced there was no place hotter than Texas in August. Not even hell. She cranked the AC higher praying for relief and an end to this long road.

This morning she’d thought the trip a good idea, but now she just wanted it to end. She leaned over the steering wheel and peered through the windshield. Smoke now mingled with the shimmering heat, rising with the sun’s reflection. A loud clank shook the car and it came to an abrupt stop.

“Shit,” Rachel yelled, “Shit, Shit.”

She flipped open her phone. No signal. Miles from her destination and no sound but the ticking of a dying motor.

Today Two for One

Published on April 20, 2015April 20, 2015 by Jean M. Cogdell11 Comments

Q = Quit & Quest

Quit: Give up, stop, relinquish, resign, abandon.

Quest: A mission, expedition, hunt, pursuit, or search for something. To chase, seek, hunt, pursue or go in search of something or someone.

How boring would your story be if it was just about the protagonist? Or about someone who quit every time the going got tough?

A good story is about something happening to the protagonist. A problem that needs fixing, a solution that needs finding or a need that needs fulfilling. A quest. A quest with clear opposition and with something to lose if they fail, and about someone who doesn’t quit.

It’s been a rough few days and I feel like throwing in the towel. Not feeling well can stifle the creative flow. Plus, the A to Z challenge is harder than I thought it would be and not for the faint of heart. Today, I feel like quitting.

But like any good protagonist I’ll keep trying to finish the quest and make it to Z.

She’d left any marked evidence of civilization over an hour ago. If the scenery didn’t change soon, her mark would see her coming for miles. Little to no traffic passed her on the long flat highway, an occasional rusty pickup didn’t count. Rachel checked the map on her phone. Less than an hour to go before she reached her target. There had to be a way to sneak close without detection. Maybe closer to the Red River a solution would appear.