There are many people who don’t know what it means to write well. Some people think that writing is simply putting pen to paper. Others think writing means sitting down at the computer and beginning to type. Others confuse proper search engine optimization or editing with writing. Others confuse good writing with proper spelling and grammar.
While all of these things are useful tools in writing, and some are essential, none of them is the definition of truly good writing. So what exactly is truly good writing? Well, it’s something that isn’t easily pinned down. One thing we can say for certain is that good writing is a highly creative process.
In this article I will go over the basic devices that are necessary to excellent writing. I assume here that you understand the basics of spelling, grammar and formatting. This tutorial is not intended to help the writer to avoid run-on sentences, dangling participles or double negatives. Instead, it is intended to help the writer to find the muse within.
The following devices are useful in many forms of creative writing, including in many cases articles or how-to guides. As you’ll see in the examples below, there is a considerable amount of overlap between writing devices, especially comic writing devices. This list is not intended to be comprehensive.
Simile: We use a simile when we say that something is like something else. Simile is essential because words don’t always perfectly express what we’re trying to say. So when I write that “the BMW 328i Sedan purrs like a kitten”, I have used a simile to express the efficient and smooth functioning of the engine. This is more deceptive than “the BMW 328i Sedan has a smooth and efficient engine,” although it is something of a cliche.
Cliche: Like a “dead metaphor,” a cliche is a phrase which has been overused to the point of its losing its value. Generally, cliches are to be avoided. However, a truly talented writer can use even cliche to his advantage. Cliche becomes an excellent comic device when used in parody and satire. The movie Airplane was a spoof of the cliched disaster movies which had enjoyed popularity in the 1970s. The entire concept of Airplane is a twisted cliche, and the movie also contains specific cliches. For example, the protagonist, Ted Striker, is a cliche: a shell-shocked ex-fighter pilot with a flying phobia. The film also parodies the cliche of the drunk ex-hero. With glass in hand, Striker states, “I have a drinking problem,” then proceeds to mistakenly throw the water from glass directly onto his face.
In my college video work, Whoa, Nellie, I lampoon the cliched devices of the silent melodrama of the early 20th century. I make use of the inept hero, the evil villain and the helpless damsel in distress. I parodied the cliched “You must pay the rent,” plot device. Other cliches, such as the female hand to the forehead, or the cape for the villain, were also useful devices. In my parody I turned these cliches on themselves, and twisted my damsel in distress into a very slippery pain in the neck. The end of my video was yet another twisted surprise which didn’t at all fit the classical melodrama scenario.
The main rule for using cliche in parody is that you can never permit the cliche to proceed to its obvious conclusion. Instead, a plot twist must be used to derail the cliche before it has a chance to get where it wants to go.
Metaphor: Metaphor is a simile without the “like.” For example, “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Volvo?” was the title of an article about the Volvo S80 flagship’s new security systems. It synonymizes certain elements of the car with a hidden dragon. We all know a car isn’t a dragon, yet we get a sense of what the writer is trying to say. This metaphor, in particular, takes imagery both from martial arts and from the movies. This article described a hidden “heartbeat sensor” within the Volvo S80 flagship which could warn the owner of the vehicle whether there could be an attacker inside. Note that here, the metaphor is implied.
Hyperbole: Hyperbole is exaggeration. When used in advertising it is often called “hype.” Due to its negative connotation in advertising, hyperbole doesn’t play an effective role in ad copy or product reviews. However, when writing fiction, poetry, memoirs, humor or other creative work hyperbole is an extremely effective literary device. For example, to describe a very long car trip, I might write, “I’d been driving for about a hundred years when I finally came to a fork in the road.” This is dramatically more descriptive than “I’d been driving for a very long time when I finally came to a fork in the road.” Since the reader knows it’s impossible for the writer to drive for a hundred years, it becomes clear that hyperbole is being used. This particular hyperbole is also a good example of comic irony.
Irony: Irony is a complex concept. Irony is used when there is a significant difference between what the writer is saying, and what the reader believes to be true. Often it is synonymous with sarcasm. Often it refers to a wild fluke of chance, a series of impossible or near-impossible events. Often it is simply a series of events which is wildly different than what we, as the readers, would have expected. In many cases, it’s the exact opposite of what is generally believed, or the coexistence of mutually exclusive polar opposites. Irony can take tragic or comic form, but today the latter is presently much more popular than the former.
Tragic irony was popular in ancient Greece. For example, in Oedipus Rex, Oedipus has killed a man, and married a queen. By a wild, ironic stroke of fate, which had previously been prophesied, the dead man turns out to be his father, and the wife turns to be his mother.
An excellent example of comic irony is the Monty Python sketch, “Spot the Looney.” Callers are invited to call in and tell who the looney is within each portion of the sketch. At the end of the sketch, a strange man is standing at a diagonal angle, with his hands down his gigantic green trousers, and wearing a green wig. He appears in the middle of a bizarre dramatic enactment of “Ivanhoe.” The final callers phone in the answer. The presenter, played by Eric Idle, then announces, “Yes, well done, Mrs L. of Leicester, Mrs B. of Buxton and Mrs G. of Gotwick, the looney was of course the writer, Sir Walter Scott.
Irony at its best is often used to express an opinion which is considered socially unacceptable or off-kilter. Many times this opinion is one which many people hold, but are afraid to express. For example, Mark Twain once said, “Suppose you were an idiot. And suppose you were a member of Congress. But I repeat myself.”
Sarcasm: Sarcasm is mockery, sneering, or making fun of another person, situation or object. Sarcasm, as I’ve mentioned before, often coincides with irony. In sarcasm, the writer generally states the opposite of what he means or intends to convey. Sarcasm is a difficult literary device because it is often misunderstood. Jonathan Swift used sarcasm in “A Modest Proposal” when he suggested that infant children of the poor in Ireland be used as a food source. The proposal unfortunately inspired horror in those who mistakenly took him at his word. This proposal was written to criticize landlords for their total indifference to the suffering of their poor tenants. This work is also an excellent example of satire.
Satire: Satire is a humorous criticism, usually of society at large, but also at times of specific individuals. Saturday Night Live is another good example of contemporary satire. By far the most satirical part of this comedy show is Weekend Update. This segment, which originally featured Norm MacDonald, now stars Tina Fey and Jimmy Fallon. Satirical victims of this program range from political figures to fashion magnates. In one such segment, Tina Fey reported on a new diamond-encrusted bra, with matching diamond-encrusted thong panties, which had been shown at a Victoria’s Secret fashion show. Thanks, Victoria’s Secret,” replied Tina, “but the only way I’m putting $750,000 worth of diamonds in my ass is if the Nazis are coming.
Parody: Parody imitates another established work with the intent of ridiculing or lampooning it. Parodies are often derivative works, however they enjoy a certain amount of protection under current American copyright law. A good example of parody is Star Wreck: In the Pirkinning, which is a fan-fiction parody of both the classic Star Trek series and of Star Trek: The Next Generation. As mentioned previously, parody often pokes fun at the cliches in an established work.
Local Color: Local color is the introduction of regionalism into writing. Local color gained popularity in fiction in the 19th century. It involves describing the customs, manners, and regional dialects of characters. This device is often used with realism by authors who come from the region in question. However, the device can also be used derisively. Mark Twain’s “Huckleberry Finn” and “Tom Sawyer” novels are excellent examples of local color.
Deus Ex Machina: Deus Ex Machina is an ancient Greek device, in which an improbable character or event suddenly resolves the plot conflict in a work of drama or fiction. Originally, it was a dramatic technique in which a god was lowered on a rope from a crane at the end of a play. The literal translation is “God out of the machine.” Modern examples of this device abound. At the end of Edgar Allan Poe’s short story, “The Pit and the Pendulum” a condemned man who has been subject to a torturous death is suddenly rescued when the French army overtakes Toledo. Deus Ex Machina is a difficult device to use in literary work or in film, and is much abused. These abuses occur frequently in the classic television episodes of Batman starring Adam West and the James Bond series of films. However, when used carefully this is a very useful device, and can constitute another expression of comic irony.
Ultimately, there is no such thing as a “bad” comic device. Even the aforementioned dangling participles can be a source of rollicking humor if used cleverly. For example, in Animal Crackers, Groucho Marx said, “I shot an elephant in my pajamas. How he got into my pajamas, I’ll never know.” Similarly, mixed metaphors, run-on sentences, sentence fragments, and double negatives, along with other grammatical and stylistic errors, are rife with humorous potential. You just have to know how to use them creatively.
As you can see from this discussion, grammatical and literary devices are quite versatile. They work in a wide range of written expression, including writing for the web, for film or television, or for serious literary works.
Uncredited, “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Volvo?” 3Autos.com. URL: (http://www.3autos.com/20060204/Crouching-tiger-hidden-Volvo-New-S80-incorporates-anti-carjacking-measure,6050/)
Uncredited, “Simile.” Wikipedia. URL: (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simile)
Uncredited, “Metaphor.” Wikipedia. URL: (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metaphor)
Uncredited, “Hyperbole.” Wikipedia. URL: (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyperbole)
Uncredited, “Irony.” Wikipedia. URL: (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irony)
Uncredited, “Sarcasm.” Wikipedia. URL: (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarcasm)
Uncredited, “Satire.” Wikipedia. URL: (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satire)
Uncredited, “Parody.” Wikipedia. URL: (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parody)
Uncredited, “Oedipus Rex.” Wikipedia. URL: (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oedipus_Rex)
Uncredited, “Regionalism.” Wikipedia. URL: (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regionalism_%28literature%29)
Uncredited, “Deus Ex Machina.” Wikipedia. URL: (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deus_ex_machina)
Uncredited, “Deus Ex Machina.” Wikipedia. URL: (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modest_Proposal)
