Imagine reading a YA novel that takes place in modern America, and the characters speak to each other like this: “Good morning, Sue. "acceptedAnswer": { },{ } — The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner" They’re often used for contextual or clarifying details. "name": "What is an Archetype? ", This is usually a mistake, such as an author writing a period piece and accidentally using language that’s too modern. Definition: Diction Diction refers to a writer’s purposeful word choice, which can help develop the tone, mood, and characters in a story. A euphemism is an indirect, “polite” way of describing something too inappropriate or awkward to address directly. And if you have any doubts about the impact of alliteration, consider the following unforgettable titles: Love’s Labour’s Lost, Sense and Sensibility, and The Haunting of Hill House. "@type": "Question", Example: The excellent children's book Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type. "acceptedAnswer": { We proudly circulate our newsletter to over 500,000 authors each week. That said, there can still be quite a bit of overlap between the two. They do us no good, just stick into our skin and hurt us.' "@type": "Answer", They are writing for people, which is one key to writing a blog post people will actually read. Most people who peddle content are tradespeople first, writers second. It can be a character, a setting, a theme, or an action. "@type": "Question", Example: Every other chapter in the first part of Gone Girl is a flashback, with Amy’s old diary entries describing her relationship with her husband before she disappeared. They can add special effects to your writing and transform the experience of your readers. Don’t worry, it makes more sense with the examples. Example: “At that time Bogotá was a remote, lugubrious city where an insomniac rain had been falling since the beginning of the 16th century.” — Living to Tell the Tale by Gabriel García Márquez. And if a standard metaphor doesn't do the trick, a writer can always try an extended metaphor: a metaphor that expands on the initial comparison through more elaborate parallels. It’s not realistic. It’s the opposite of anthropomorphism and personification, and can be either a physical manifestation, such as a god appearing as an animal, or a comparison, like calling someone a busy bee. She has a degree in International Affairs with a minor in Italian Studies, but her true passion has always been writing. "@type": "Answer", A malapropism is when similar-sounding words replace their appropriate counterparts, typically to comic effect — one of the most commonly cited is “dance a flamingo,” rather than a “flamenco.” Malapropisms are often employed in dialogue when a character flubs up their speech.