Spice Up Your Writing

10 Offbeat Tricks to Make Your Words Pop.

Ten uncommon literary techniques that’ll give your writing that extra oomph.

Lipograms: The Art of Leaving Out

Could you write a novel without using a specific letter? Georges Perec wrote “A Void” without using the letter ‘e’.

Try it. Write a short paragraph without using ‘a’. It’s tough, but it forces you to think outside the box. This exercise can help you discover words you might not usually use.

Constrained Writing: Setting Your Own Rules

Constrained writing is like a game you play with yourself. You set a rule — any rule — and stick to it. Maybe you’ll only use words that start with ‘S’. Or write a story where each sentence is one word longer than the previous.

These constraints might seem limiting at first, but they spark creativity. When forced to work within boundaries, you come up with ideas you wouldn’t have thought of otherwise. It’s like solving a puzzle with words.

Ekphrasis: Painting with Words

This is when you describe a piece of art in vivid detail. You’re not just describing what you see. You’re interpreting it, bringing it to life.

If you’re writing about Van Gogh’s “Starry Night,” don’t just say it’s a painting of a night sky. Talk about how the stars pulse with energy, how the cypress tree looks like a dark flame reaching up to the heavens.

Synesthesia: Mixing Up the Senses

Synesthesia is where one sensory experience triggers another. In writing, it means describing one sense in terms of another. Create vivid descriptions.

Rather than saying “the music was loud,” you could write “the bass thumped red against my eardrums.” Instead of “the perfume smelled sweet,” try “her perfume tasted like honey on my tongue.” It’s unexpected. Readers sit up and take notice.

Anastrophe: Yoda-speak, It is

Anastrophe is switching up the normal order of words in a sentence. It adds emphasis and creates a poetic feel.

Instead of “She walked slowly down the street,” you could write “Down the street, slowly she walked.” It changes the rhythm of your writing and draws attention to certain parts of the sentence. Don’t overdo it, or readers might get confused.

Asyndeton: Chop, Chop, Chop

Leave out conjunctions (words like ‘and’ or ‘but’) between phrases. It creates a rapid-fire effect that builds tension. Think of Caesar’s famous quote: “I came, I saw, I conquered.”

You could write: “She ran to the store, grabbed the milk, rushed home, made dinner.” It gives a sense of urgency. It’s great for fast-paced scenes and to create a breathless feeling.

Polysyndeton: And Then And Then And Then

The opposite of asyndeton, polysyndeton is when you use way more conjunctions than necessary. It slows down the pace of your writing, creates emphasis, or gives a childlike quality to the narrative.

For example: “She opened the door and walked in and saw the mess and sighed and started cleaning.” It gives each action equal weight. It creates a feeling of things piling up or happening all at once.

Epizeuxis: Say It Again, Sam

This is repeating a phrase for emphasis. Think of The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe. “Nevermore, nevermore.”

“She was tired, tired, tired of all the lies.” It hammers home the point and creates an emotional impact. Don’t overuse it, or it loses its punch.

Zeugma: Double Duty Words

A zeugma is when you use one word to apply to two different things in a sentence, often in different ways. It creates a clever play on words that makes readers do a double-take.

“She broke his car and his heart.” ‘Broke’ applies literally to the car and figuratively to the heart. It’s a way to add wit.

Chiasmus: Criss-Cross

Chiasmus is where the second half of a statement is balanced against the first, but with the parts reversed. JFK said, “Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.” It’s memorable.

You could write “In youth we learn; in age we understand.” It gives writing symmetry.

Advanced Techniques for Seasoned Writers

We’ve covered some offbeat tricks. Look at some advanced techniques that take your writing to the next level. They add depth to your work.

Unreliable Narrator: The Art of Deception

This is a storytelling device where the person telling the story can’t be fully trusted. Maybe they’re lying, maybe they’re biased, or maybe they just don’t have all the facts. This technique adds layers of intrigue. You could write a story from the perspective of a child who doesn’t fully understand the adult world. Or maybe your narrator is a compulsive liar.

This leaves the reader to figure out what’s true and what isn’t.

Stream of Consciousness: Diving into the Mind

Stream of consciousness is a narrative mode that depicts the many thoughts that pass through a character’s mind. It’s often written without punctuation or structure, mimicking the chaotic nature of our thoughts. James Joyce’s “Ulysses” is famous for this technique.

“What time is it getting late better get those auction ads after the knocker does his talk what do I wear shall I wear a white rose those cakes in Liptons I love the smell of a rich big shop at 7d a lb or the other ones with the cherries in them and the pinky sugar 11d a couple of lbs”

It’s not easy to read, but it gives a raw look into a character’s mind.

Pastiche: Imitation as Flattery

A pastiche is a work of art that imitates another artist’s style. In writing, this means adopting the voice, tone, and style of another author. It’s not about copying their work, but rather about understanding their technique so well that you can write as if you were them.

You could try writing a detective story in the style of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, or a horror tale mimicking H.P. Lovecraft. It’s an exercise for understanding different styles.

Metafiction: Breaking the Fourth Wall

This is when a piece of writing draws attention to the fact that it’s fictional. It’s like breaking the fourth wall in film. The author might directly address the reader, or the characters might be aware they’re in a story.

Kurt Vonnegut was a master. In “Breakfast of Champions,” he writes:”I do not know who invented the ping-pong ball. I don’t want to know. I think I’d be disillusioned to learn that it was not a perfect sphere.”

This technique can add humor to your writing.

Intertextuality: A Web of References

Intertextuality is when one text relates to other texts. It might be as obvious as quoting another work, or as subtle as mimicking a style. This technique adds layers of meaning.

T.S. Eliot’s poem “The Waste Land” is famous for its use of intertextuality, referencing everything from Shakespeare to Buddhist texts. You could try adding lines from your favorite poems into a story.

Ergodic Literature: Make Reading an Adventure

Ergodic literature requires more effort from the reader. It might involve solving puzzles, following unusual page layouts, or even physically manipulating the book.

Mark Z. Danielewski’s “House of Leaves” is an example. Some pages have only a few words, others are densely packed. Some text is upside down or in spirals.

Write a story where the reader has to decode messages, or where the story changes based on which page they turn to next. It’s a way to make your writing interactive.

Oulipo: Writing Under Constraint

Oulipo is a group of writers and mathematicians who use constrained writing techniques. We touched on lipograms earlier, but Oulipo takes constraints to a new level. Georges Perec wrote a 300-page novel without using the letter ‘e’, and another where each chapter used a different writing constraint.

Try writing a story where each sentence has one more word than the last, or where the first letter of each paragraph spells out a message. These constraints can lead to unexpected turns.

Juxtaposition: Contrasting Elements for Impact

Juxtaposition is placing two contrasting ideas, characters, or images side by side for dramatic effect. This highlights differences, revealing deeper meanings.

Describe a lavish wedding taking place next to a homeless shelter, or show a character’s internal thoughts contrasting sharply with their external actions. Juxtaposition creates powerful imagery, underscores themes, or develops characters.

Write a scene where two very different characters are forced to work together. This technique adds nuance.

Synecdoche: Part for the Whole

Synecdoche is a figure of speech where a part of something represents the whole, or vice versa. It’s a tool for creating concise descriptions. It adds a poetic quality.

Instead of saying “the factory workers went on strike,” write “the hands went on strike.” Or you might refer to a car as “wheels,” or the ocean as “the deep.”

Experiment with using synecdoche in your descriptions. It lets readers fill in the blanks with their imagination.

Polyphonic Narrative: Multiple Voices, One Story

Polyphonic narrative is where multiple characters’ voices or perspectives are presented, often with equal importance, to tell a single story. This approach created a multifaceted narrative that explores different viewpoints on the same events.

In William Faulkner’s “As I Lay Dying,” 15 different narrators contribute to the story. Each voice adds a new layer of understanding.

Write a short story from three different perspectives. Each narrator should have a distinct voice and provide differing insights into the events. This allows you to explore the subjective nature of truth.

Use these advanced techniques judiciously. They should serve your story, not overshadow it.

Experiment. Have fun.