Had dinner at San Francisco’s Fisherman’s Wharf with a friend and his family. I learned about the dust clouds, the high humidity, the unpaved streets, the beach, the culture, and now I’m inspired to use Africa’s Ivory Coast for a short story setting.
THEMA WRITING SUBMISSIONS
THEMA is a literary magazine that requests submissions every four months with target themes. July 1, 2013 is the due date for short stories, essays, poems, photographs, and art that relate to Ten Minutes is a LONG time! Requirements: The premise must be an integral part of the plot, not necessarily the central theme but […]
Litotes Rhetorical Device in Writing
Litotes consists of an understatement in which an affirmative is expressed by negating its opposite. Examples: Hada was not unaware of Samuel’s manipulation. She didn’t dislike it. Lev was not a little upset. Litotes describes the object to which it refers not directly, but through negation of the opposite. The meaning is not clear. The […]
Anadiplosis and When to Use It
Anadiplosis is a rhetorical device that repeats the last word of one phrase, clause, or sentence at, or very near, the beginning of the next sentence. The main point of the sentence becomes clear by repeating the same word twice in succession. An example from HADA’S FOG: “Hada’s immediate reaction to Lilli’s announcement wasn’t […]
Rhythm, Cadence, and Beats in Writing
Rhythm, cadence and beats are a powerful series of three (see previous day’s post) to keep in mind when you write your novel, short story, essay, and of course, poetry. Remember “Lions and tigers and bears. Oh my!” Dorothy, the Scare Crow, and the Tin Man sing this line along the Yellow Brick Road. (Notice […]
How to Make the Character’s Present Mysterious
Karl Iglesias in his book, WRITING EMOTIONAL IMPACT, describes how to create reader curiosity in the present. He suggests showing the character’s unusual behavior and reactions, such as overreacting or avoiding a subject. The aim is to have the reader wonder why and to wonder what he/she is hiding. Another idea is to have other […]
Writing Emotional Mystery
Karl Iglesias in his WRITING FOR EMOTIONAL IMPACT presents mystery in the emotional sense, not as a genre. Mystery connects the reader with the character. Mystery elicits the reader’s curiosity and anticipation. Iglesias explains writing mystery about the character’s past, present, and future. He differentiates the mysterious past from backstory by “how much is actually […]