Alliteration is the occurrence of the same letter or sound at the beginning of adjacent or closely connected words.
Assonance is the repetition of the sound of a vowel or diphthong (two vowels that combine into a single syllable, such as coin or side) in non-rhyming stressed syllables near enough to each other for the echo to be discernible.
Bridge (in creative writing) is a shift in language rhythm to signal a discovery, change the mood, or highlight a contrast between characters.
Connotation is a word’s subtext or the conscious and subconscious associations of any given word.
Consonance is the repetition of the sound of a consonant or diphthong (two vowels that combine into a single syllable, such as coin or side) in non-rhyming stressed syllables near enough to each other for an echo to be discernible.
Denotation is a word’s literal meaning.
Echoes are when a word, image, sound, or idea is repeated throughout a narrative. It’s a tactical move that creates emphasis through mirroring.
Flatlining entails dialing back abstract language of emotions, using an almost-reportorial tone, so that the reader can bring their own emotions to the experience. Flatlining is best used in emotionally or physically charged situations.
Filters are any description of our characters’ or narrator’s observing consciousness or mental activity. Filters describe thinking or observing rather than just allowing the character or narrator to think or observe. I wondered; She thought; He saw; I felt, and similar language, filters the character’s experience rather than just letting the character experience it.
Prefabricated Language are words and phrases so familiar that they cease to mean in any significant way. They function as abstractions, rather than vivid and particular description.
