Creative Nonfiction
What is Theme? A Look at 20 Common Themes in Literature
When someone asks you “What is this book about?”, there are a few ways you can answer. There’s “plot,” which refers to the literal events in the book, and there’s “character,” which refers to the people in the book and the struggles they overcome. Finally, there are themes in literature that correspond with the work’s…
Read MoreFlat Character vs. Round Character: Definitions and Examples
Every fictional person that populates books, movies, and plays falls into one of two categories: flat characters and round characters. Flat and round characters each fill important roles in works of fiction, and while this isn’t the only way to categorize fictional characters, it’s a useful distinction to help guide your own character writing. What…
Read MoreRepetition Definition: Types of Repetition in Poetry and Prose
What is repetition? At its simplest, repetition is a word or phrase used multiple times in a text, for the purpose of emphasizing an emotion or idea. It might seem counterintuitive to repeat, repeat, repeat, but when wielded correctly, the repetition of words and phrases has powerful effects in literature. You’re most likely to find…
Read MoreIrony Definition: Different Types of Irony in Literature
What is irony? Well, it’s like rain on your wedding day. It’s a free ride, when you’ve already paid. ’90s radio is helpful here. Okay; but what is irony? It can often be easier to point to specific ironies than to find a definition of irony itself that hits home. Irony involves contradiction of our…
Read MoreGet Back to the Book
About the Author: Donna Levin is the author of Extraordinary Means (William Morrow), California Street (Simon & Schuster) and the recent best-seller, There’s More Than One Way Home (Chickadee Prince Books 2017). Her new novel, He Could Be Another Bill Gates, was published by Chickadee Prince Books in October 2018. In addition to novels, Donna has published two books about writing, Get that…
Read MoreWhat is the Plot of a Story?
The plot of a story defines the sequence of events that propels the reader from beginning to end. Storytellers have experimented with the plot of a story since the dawn of literature. No matter what genre you write, understanding the possibilities of plot structure, as well as the different types of plot, will help bring…
Read MoreImagery Definition: 5+ Types of Imagery in Literature
What is imagery? Take a moment to conceptualize something in your mind: an object, a sound, a scent. Transcribe whatever you think about into language, transmitting to the reader the precise experience you had in your brain. This is imagery in literature—a powerful literary device that communicates our everyday sensory experiences. Literature abounds with imagery…
Read MoreLogical Fallacy Definition: List of Logical Fallacies
A logical fallacy occurs when someone tries to persuade you with a faulty argument. Sometimes, logical fallacies are innocuous: the writer has a good argument to make, it was just set up through faulty logic. However, logical fallacies run rampant among less-than-sincere writers, and if you want to write well and read well, then knowing…
Read MoreOnomatopoeia Definition and Examples
What is onomatopoeia? To describe it in a zip, an onomatopoeia is a word that smacks the reader’s ears and makes them pop. Onomatopoeia words describe sounds by copying the sound itself. Crash! Bang! Whiz! An onomatopoeia doesn’t just describe sounds, it emulates the sound itself. With this literary device, you can hear the meow…
Read MoreWriting Without Limits: Understanding the Lyric Essay
In literary nonfiction, no form is quite as complicated as the lyric essay. Lyrical essays explore the elements of poetry and creative nonfiction in complex and experimental ways, combining the subject matter of autobiography with poetry’s figurative devices and musicality of language. For both poets and creative nonfiction writers, lyric essays are a gold standard…
Read More