Ideas in writing
25
the stuff of writing
Transcript of Ideas in writing
the stuff of writing
Why writing can be boring
Opinions based on emotions should not be trusted because there are no facts. Facts are
necessary to know whether something is
important or not.
Why writing can be boring
Opinions based on emotions should not be trusted because there are no facts. Facts are
necessary to know whether something is
important or not.
Nothing Concrete
in here
WRITE PHYSICALLY!
Concrete
Showing Tellingvs.
Showing Tellingvs.
My brother is an amazing
athlete.
Showing Tellingvs.
My brother is an amazing
athlete.
My brother can run down a cheetah, lift a small automobile over his head, and throw a baseball
into low Earth orbit.
Showing Tellingvs.
Showing Tellingvs.
Miriam is brilliant.
Showing Tellingvs.
Miriam is brilliant.
Before she was 14, Miriam had already solved the Poincare
equation, memorize pi to 1000 decimals, and
figured out how to make Hot Pockets taste
homemade.
SIGHT
SENSORYDESCRIPTION
MOVEMENT
TOUCH
TASTE/SMELL
SOUND
SIGHT
SENSORYDESCRIPTION
MOVEMENT
TOUCH
TASTE/SMELL
SOUND
Summertime Swimming
Pool
SIGHT
Metaphors"There was a desert wind blowing that night. It was one of those hot dry Santa Ana's that
come down through the mountain passes and curl your hair and make your nerves jump
and your skin itch… Meek little wives feel the edge of the carving knife and study their husbands' necks. Anything can happen.
Metaphors“Time has not stood still. It has washed over me, washed me away, as if I’m nothing more than a woman of sand, left by a careless child
too near the water.” — The Handmaid’s Tale, by Margaret Atwood
Metaphors“She entered with ungainly struggle like some huge awkward chicken, torn, squawking, out
of its coop.”
— The Adventure of the Three Gables, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Stories
Advice: Be efficient
AllusionsI’ve always aspired to be a SpongeBob—always upbeat, always hopeful, always
getting into trouble with Squidward.
AllusionsI’ve always aspired to be a SpongeBob—always upbeat, always hopeful, always
getting into trouble with Squidward.
Getting better ideas
Show don’t TellGetting better ideas
Show don’t TellGetting better ideas
Metaphors
Show don’t TellGetting better ideas
MetaphorsSensory Elements
Show don’t TellGetting better ideas
MetaphorsSensory Elements
Stories
Show don’t TellGetting better ideas
MetaphorsSensory Elements
StoriesAllusions
