In one of our previous Tips & Tricks posts we mentioned Gianni Rodari’s tactic of breaking down a well-known fairy tale to its most basic elements and “recasting” it with your own details. Now, take a story that you are very familiar with—maybe even one of your favorites—and “recast” it using this trick. Try doing…
For those of us that might need the reminder, an “idiom” is a linguistic expression which takes a phrase that may mean one thing literally, and gives it an entirely different meaning. We’ve heard most if not all of them throughout our lives, and so without having to even think about it the actual meanings…
The term “Foil Character” refers to a secondary character within your story who is meant to serve as a contrarian to your main character in some way. This could be through their belief systems, their problem-solving techniques, or even their entire personalities. In the realm of storytelling, the Foil Character is there to help drive…
A while ago, I talked about Limitation in Poetry, and how forcing myself to follow very specific guidelines (ironically) ended up helping me think outside the box in terms of rhythm, word usage, imagery, etc. Now, apply that to your own current WIP, be it poetry or prose. For instance, you can write entirely in…
I once heard the difference between these three facets of the horror genre described thusly: “Fear is knowing that a werewolf is hunting you. Terror is when you see it and it charges at you. Horror is realizing that your feet are stuck to the floor.” Obviously, good horror manages to spread a mixture of…