What is Mood in Literature? Creating Mood in Writing

what is mood in literature?

When we talk about the different feelings that a work of writing evokes, we’re talking about the types of mood in literature. Creative writers are experts at drawing out specific sensations in their writing. When a poem or story leaves you feeling elated, nervous, hopeful, melancholy, or any other particular emotion, then the writer has…

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“Show, Don’t Tell” in Creative Writing

show dont tell the golden rule of writing

“Show, don’t tell” is one of the simplest guidelines in creative writing, and one of the most helpful. In short, it encourages writers to transmit experiences to the reader, rather than just information. “Show, don’t tell” encourages writers to transmit experiences to the reader, rather than just information. “Show, don’t tell” is not just a…

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What is a Foil Character? Exploring Contrast in Character Development

creating contrasting characters

A foil character, or character foil, is a character whose actions and traits contrast those of another character—often the protagonist. The foil character is like a white background against a subject in a photograph: it allows the complexities of another character to shine forth, because the reader sees more vividly how one character’s actions and…

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Juxtaposition Definition: What is Juxtaposition in Literature?

juxtaposition definition: what is juxtaposition in literature

Juxtaposition occurs any time a writer places multiple ideas or images next to each other, without drawing a clear relationship between them. It is, in other words, the art of encouraging inference, because juxtaposition encourages the reader to draw their own conclusions about the relationships between different things. Juxtaposition is a wildly underrated tool in…

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Learn to Write! 8 Tips on Learning How to Write

How to learn to write professionally

Learning to write is a process, one that requires consistent hard work and determination—and perhaps some magic! But, as with any other skill, it’s important to work hard on the right thing. Instead of providing a list of pointers on how to learn to write for general purposes, this guide will offer eight key tips…

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Interview: Barbara Henning’s “Ferne: A Detroit Story”

ferne a detroit story

Equal parts biography, fiction, and an ode to family and Detroit, Barbara Henning‘s Ferne: a Detroit Story captures the Midwestern magic of mid-century Michigan. Barbara retells the life of her mother, Ferne, through a series of vignettes, news clippings, photographs, and biographical details, fleshing out the contours of Ferne’s life from the 1920s through the 50s.…

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10 Types of Nonfiction Books and Genres

types of nonfiction writing

From journalism to instruction manuals, travel guides to historical CNF, nonfiction is one of the broadest and most versatile categories of writing. Indeed, we encounter many types of nonfiction genres in our everyday lives, including newspapers, social media, letters, reports, instruction manuals, and travel guides. Rather than listing the numerous types of nonfiction in its…

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Pun Intended: A Look at Pun Examples in Literature

pun examples in literature

What do you call a sandwich made of wordplay? A pun-ini. The English language abounds with pun examples in literature. From Chaucer to Shakespeare, from the Romantics to contemporary poetry, writers have twisted language to explore new (and often hilarious) possibilities with words. We generally consider puns to have humorous intent. However, The pun in…

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How to Start a Story: Examples and Inspiration

how to start a story

It happens to the best of us: you open a new word document, you’re faced with the many possibilities that a story can take, and then you realize you don’t know how to start a story. Or you do know, but you’re not sure how to start this story. Or you know exactly what this…

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