Writer's Glossary

Abstract Language: refers to things that are intangible, that is, which are perceived not through the senses but by the mind. Examples, reading, honesty, government

Arc Story setup Resolving the issues Issues resolved

Allegory A story with a literal meaning and a symbolic meaning, usually moral,

religious or political. (The parables of Jesus Christ as presented in the

Christian Bible)

Alliteration A repeated sound used for emphases. A repetition of consonants. (Many

more Mongolians moved, most of them in March.)

Allusions To allude to something or someone not expressly stated. (Some people just

don't know when to shut up.)

Ambiguity To hide real purpose, show complexity, or create confusion. (March

planned for next August. A quarter of a million Chinese live on water.)

Anacoluthon: Changing the subject, mid-sentence (use sparingly in dialogue.). Example:

This isn't my Where in the hell are you going?

Analogy: A comparison of two things made to explain something unfamiliar through its similarities to something familiar, or to prove one point based on the acceptableness of another. Similes and metaphors are types of analogies.

Antagonist Stands in the way of the protagonists. (Darth Vader in Star Wars)

Anti-hero: A central character who lacks traditional heroic qualities such as courage, physical prowess, and fortitude. Anti-heroes typically distrust conventional values and are unable to commit themselves to any ideals. They generally feel helpless in a world over which they have no control. Anti-heroes usually accept, and often celebrate, their positions as social outcasts.

Antithesis: opposition, or contrast of ideas or words in a balanced or parallel construction.

*Extremism in defense of liberty is no vice, moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue. Barry Goldwater

*Brutus: Not that I loved Caesar less, but that I loved Rome more. Shakespeare, Julius Caesar

*The vases of

Apostrophe Words directly stated to someone, or to something. An epithet usually

printed in all capitals.

Archetype Idealized presentation of a person, object or concept. (Bill Gates is the

archetype of both entrepreneurship and philanthropy.)

Assonance The repetition of vowel sounds in non-rhyming words. (All I want to do is

to do you good.)

Antimetabole: Repeating a phrase, but in reverse order. Example: You were wrong you

know, you know you were wrong.

Cacophony: harsh joining of sounds.

Character: Broadly speaking, a person in a literary work. The actions of characters are what constitute the plot of a story, novel or poem.

Characterization How you portray the physical and psychological attributes of a particular character.

Chiasmus: Two clauses set up in reverse order. Example: He ran to the store, but to his

home, he walked. Using a pattern of simile, gerund gerund simile.

Example: Like a gazelle, he went running to the store, then ambling along

like a turtle, he went home.

Cliche: An overused word, phrase, expression, or idea. (Trust me.)

Climax The highest point of tension, usually near the end (bottom of the arc) of the

Story

Colloquialism: A word, phrase, or form of pronunciation that is acceptable in casual conversation but not in formal, written communication. It is considered more acceptable than slang.

Comic Relief: The use of humor to lighten the mood of a serious or tragic story.

Concrete Language: identifies things perceived through the senses such as soft, stench, red, loud, or better.

Conflict The character or problem that the protagonist must overcome. The conflict

can be external or internal, real or perceived, tangible or intangible. There are

usually several minor conflicts experienced by the protagonist and other

supporting characters.

Connotation the implied or interpreted meaning based on circumstance, delivery,

relationship, subject under discussion, etc.

Denotation The literal meaning.

Denouement Wrapping up loose ends after issues are resolved.

Descriptive Writing Close attention to detail using the senses, showing rather than

telling. Example: The girl could feel the hairs on the nape of her

neck bristle as she sensed the terror of being stalked, she could feel

eyes piercing her clothes. She could smell the stench of fear

emanating from her armpits. The clack of her heals on the brick

road quickened, then hesitated in uncertainty, then quickened

again.

Deus ex machina: A Latin term meaning "god out of a machine." In Greek drama, a god was often lowered onto the stage by a mechanism of some kind to rescue the hero or untangle the plot. By extension, the term refers to any artificial device or coincidence used to bring about a convenient and simple solution to a plot.

Dialectic Arc Protagonist has undergone a significant change in character

before the story begins and is forced to revisit and act in the manner

prescribed by this former persona resulting in a melding of both

personas. The denouement may present the protagonist in this third, new

persona, or one of the other personas. [In Casablanca, the character, Rick

Blaine (Humphrey Bogart) was a freedom fighter before the movie starts.

When the movie starts he is a club owner who stays out of politics reverts

back to being a freedom fighter to save the husband of the woman he has

always loved.]

Diction: The selection and arrangement of words in a literary work. Either or both may vary depending on the desired effect. There are four general types of diction: "formal," used in scholarly or lofty writing; "informal," used in relaxed but educated conversation; "colloquial," used in everyday speech; and "slang, containing newly coined words and other terms not accepted in formal usage.

Double Entendre: A corruption of a French phrase meaning "double meaning." The term is used to indicate a word or phrase that is deliberately ambiguous, especially when one of the meanings is risque or improper.

Drama Greek word meaning action. Drama has highly developed characters and a

highly emotional theme. (Henrik Ibsen's A Dolls House)

Dramatic Irony: Occurs when the audience of a play or the reader of a work of literature knows something that a character in the work itself does not know.

Electra Complex: A daughter's amorous obsession with her father.
The term Electra complex comes from the plays of Euripides and Sophocles entitled Electra, in which the character Electra drives her brother Orestes to kill their mother and her lover in revenge for the murder of their father.

Elevated Language Grammatical preciseness used to indicate a higher status, real or

perceived (self-important, pretentious, politician talking down to a

disagreeable constituent).

Empathy: A sense of shared experience, including emotional and physical feelings, with someone or something other than oneself. Empathy is often used to describe the response of a reader to a literary character.

Epigraph Placed at the beginning of a story, or chapter to set the stage for what is

coming. My chapters in The Stolen Concept have epigraphs rather than

chapter numbers (Chapter one has the epigraph, The Blood Bath.).

Epilogue A comment at the end of the story for explanation purposes. (Puck'sspeech at

the end of William Shakespeare's, A Midsummer Nights Dream.

Epitome exemplifies the most or least desirable aspects of a person, place of thing.

(Hitler is the exemplification of evil in its purest form.)

Euphemism The use of one word or phrase to convey the meaning of another (Hes not

all there instead of hes insane.

Expository Writing Used to inform the reader of things not expressed through dialogue.

(Jack was twenty years old.) Exposition generally does not move

The plot forward, and may slow down the pace, or weaken the

Scene.

Fiction: According to Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/siki/Fiction)

• Flash fiction: A work of fewer than 2,000 words. (1,000 by some definitions)

• Short story: A work of at least 2,000 words but under 7,500 words.

• Novelette: A work of at least 7,500 words but under 17,500 words.

• Novella: A work of at least 17,500 words but under 60,000 words.

• Novel: A work of 60,000 words or more.

• Epic: A work of 200,000 words or more.

Figurative Language Symbolic. Comparing different things. The similarities are

unique, surprising. (He came through here like a cheetah in pursuit of a gazelle, and just as graceful.)

Figure of Speech The use of simile, metaphor, colorful phrase or sentence, irony, or

synecdoche to express a thought or give an explanation. Example:

Hes only rowing with one oar, to say, in effect, Hes not all

there.

Flat Characters They are; two-dimensional uninteresting, only used to contrast rounded

characters. (Secondary characters used to reveal information; they

don't require complexity or background, as an example.)

Flashback: A device used in literature to present action that occurred before the beginning of the story

Foil A secondary character who contrast with the main character.

(Lieutenant Dan was the foil to Forest Gump.)

Foreshadowing: A device used in literature to create expectation or to set up an explanation of later developments.

Genre: a literary species or form, e.g., tragedy, epic, comedy, novel, essay, biography, lyric poem.

Hyperbaton: a figure of speech that uses disruption, or inversion of customery word order ("Yoda," Sorry I be, but go you must.")

Hyperbole Exaggeration used in dialogue. Example: Stop banging incessantly on that

damned piano. You are killing me.

Idiomatic Expression Local conventions of expression. (That was a bit much, dont

You think?) - meaning it was excessive.

Imagery Visually inspiring words. Example: His cheeks puffed outward, forcing the air

past his lips in short explosion, while he continually, and futilely, wiped away

the sweat, which poured down his brow. Wiping his hands on his thighs, they

slipped uncontrollably down to his knees, which gave way, and he sunk to the

ground in defeat as the rest of the marathon rushed pass.

Interior Monologue: A narrative technique in which character's thoughts are revealed in a way that appears to be uncontrolled by the author. The interior monologue typically aims to reveal the inner self of a character. It portrays emotional experiences as they occur at both a conscious and unconscious level. Images are often used to represent sensations or emotions.

Irony The incongruity between expectation and outcome. Example: While she prayed

for a miracle to spare her from the deadly cancer, the huge statue of the Madonna toppled

down upon her, killing her instantly.

Literal Language: means exactly what it says: You are tall.

Main Character The character with whom the reader empathizes with the most.

(Luke Skywalker in Star Wars)

Metaphor: implied comparison achieved through a figurative use of words; the word is used not in its literal sense, but in one analogous to it.

*Life's but a walking shadow; a poor player,
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage. Shakespeare, Macbeth

Metonymy A word used in place of another word or expression to convey the same

meaning. (The White House refers to the politicians working there.)

Motif The Theme.

Narrative To tell the story of an experience. To reveal something, depict characters or

settings. Showing instead of telling. (Almost all of Sir Arthur Conan Doyles

Sherlock Holmes, stories were narrated by his close friend, Dr. Watson.

Norm Character - represents the normal person or normal world by which the reader gauges the abnormality of another or other characters. The norm is

usually found in comedy. (Luke Skywalker as the norm and Han

Solo as the loose cannon.)

Oedipus complex: A son's amorous obsession with his mother. The phrase is derived from the story of the ancient Theban hero Oedipus, who unknowingly killed his father and married his mother

Omniscient POV The thoughts of all significant characters are known and expressed by

the narrator. Example: She could feel someone watching her as she

crossed the street. The boy sensed she knew she was being watched.

Onomatopoeia Sounds in written from (ZZZzzzz for sleeping, Grrrrr for growling).

Oxymoron A seemingly contradictory statement (You always hurt the one you love, good grief.).

Pace Determined by sentence length, dialogue, exposition. The rate at which the story

flows forward. Example: slow pace = Robin wore the red sweater which her

favorite Aunt gave her for her birthday. She knew her Aunt would be delighted when she saw her getting out of the car. She smiled at the thought of her Aunts reaction. Faster pace = Robin smiled as she alighted from the car.

Is that the sweater I gave you for your birthday? Her Aunt beamed.

Yes, I just love it, and this is the perfect time to show it off.

- If it reads faster, the pace is faster. -

Paradox A contradictory statement that makes sense (in Joseph Heller's Catch 22, Orr

would not have to fly another mission if he were deemed insane. He would

have to be insane to fly another mission. If he refused to fly another mission

he would be making a sane judgment and therefore, would not be insane,

thus he would have to continue flying.)

Parallelism Using same or similar sentence structure (all gerunds or all infinitives, verb

placement, adjective or advert placement, repetitive beginnings to phrase).

Examples: He was burning with desire and she was fanning the flames. It

was a slow burn, which she could fan into a blaze. He would run from

home to work. He would gasp for breath from the entrance to his desk.

The cat was black. The dog was white. OR It was a black cat and a white

dog.

paraprosdokian - From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia:a figure of speech in which the latter part of a sentence or phrase is surprising or unexpected in a way that causes the reader or listener to re-frame or reinterpret the first part. It is frequently used for humorous or dramatic effect, sometimes producing an anticlimax. For this reason, it is extremely popular among comedians and satirists.

Some paraprosdokians not only change the meaning of an early phrase, but also play on the double meaning of a particular word, creating a solipsist.

Do not argue with an idiot. He will drag you down to his level and beat you with experience.

Going to church doesn't make you a Christian any more than standing in a garage makes you a car.

The last thing I want to do is hurt you. But it's still on the list.

Pleonasm: use of superfluous or redundant words, often enriching the thought.

*No one, rich or poor, will be excepted.

*Ears pierced while you wait!

Personification Inanimate objects are given human qualities. Example:Like a voyeur, the eyes of the portrait watched her cross the room, then peered down at her with impudence.

Polar Arc Dramatic change in the protagonists character. (Luke Skywalker in Star

Wars, changed from a mild farm boy to a Jedi Knight, from repairing farm

equipment to defeating the Empire.)

Protagonist The central character who moves the story forward. (Han Solo - Star Wars)

Point of View (POV) First person; I watched her cross the street. Second person; he

watched her cross the street. Third person; As she crossed the

street, the boy watched her from his vantage point.

Prologue: An introductory section of a literary work. It often contains information establishing the situation of the characters or presents information about the setting, time period, or action.

Prose: A literary medium that attempts to mirror the language of everyday speech.

Protagonist: The central character of a story who serves as a focus for its themes and incidents and as the principal rationale for its development. The protagonist is sometimes referred to in discussions of modern literature as the hero or anti-hare.

Repartee: Conversation featuring snappy retorts and witticisms.

Resolution The main conflict is resolved, favorably or unfavorably for the protagonist.

Rhetorical Question: A question intended to provoke thought, but not an expressed answer, in the reader. It is most commonly used in oratory and other persuasive genres.

Rhythm When conjunctions are used, place the shorter phrase first. Use correlative conjunctives in real long sentences (nor, or, both, only, also), or create balance using length, complexity, negative, and positive. Example: He wanted to buy a new car and drive across country. However, the new car took all of his money, so he stayed home.

More rhythmic: He bought a new car, so he could drive across county. However, he stayed home because it took all of his funds to buy the car.

Even more rhythmic: He couldn't afford to both buy a new car and drive across country. He could only afford a new car, or drive across country, not both.

Rising Action: The part of a drama where the plot becomes increasingly complicated. Rising action leads up to the climax, or turning point, of a drama.

Scene A piece of action that moves the story forward and gives the reader needed

information. It could be a paragraph, or a chapter.

Sensory Detail describing the setting, and character awareness using all or some of the

five senses. Example: The girl could feel the hairs on the nape of her

neck bristle as she sensed the terror of being stalked, she could feel

eyes piercing her clothes. She could smell the stench of fear emanating

from her armpits.

Sentence Fluency The way individual words and phrases sound together. (The big black

dog bounded through the barnyard The dog that hot-tailed it

through the barnyard was big, and as black as night.)

Setting The place and time of a scene or story providing an atmosphere to set the mood

and provide a means of emotional and geographical reference for the reader.

Simulacrum A representation of reality (The Truman Show, Matrix,)

Simile: an explicit comparison between two things using 'like' or 'as'.

*My love is as a fever, longing still
For that which longer nurseth the disease, Shakespeare, Sonnet CXLVII

*Reason is to faith as the eye to the telescope. D. Hume [?]

Stereotype Character Recognized by speech, mannerisms, beliefs, emotional displays,

etc. (The military leader who controls his home and family as

though it were a boot camp.)

Stock Characters or archetypes, which emulate the traits or the attributes of a particular type of person, possibly displaying stereotypical traits.

( Drunken Irishman, The loner who follows his own rules.)

Structure How the story elements are organized. It is part of the authors style.

Style The personality, voice, and thoughts of the author shown through sentence

structure, word choice and grammatical usage. Example: Tolken is very

descriptive, Faulkner is very wordy, and Grisham creates momentum

by increasing the action in greater degrees, building to a climax.

Subplot(s) Minor plots that complement and add complexity to the main plot. They

make the story richer while helping to move it forward. (The romantic

implications in Star Wars)

Suspension of Disbelief The reader believes in the story, or scene.

Syllepsis: use of a word with two others, with each of which it is understood differently.

*We must all hang together or assuredly we will all hang separately. Benjamin Franklin

Symbolism Using an object, word, phrase, or character repetitively to represent an idea. For example in Waiting for Godot the play opens on a deserted road that gives one the impression that the road leads nowhere, symbolizing the futility of the lives led by Estragon and Vladimir, the protagonists. The road is a physical symbol. Estragon worries about physical pain; his boots hurt his feet, while Vladimir suffers mental pain or anguish, because nothing can be done, a phrase that is repeated throughout the play. The hurt and suffering are symbolic of the physical and mental misery of those who rely on others for their well being. The pain and suffering are emotional symbols.

Synecdoche: Figurative language such as The Big Apple meaning New York City.

Theme The concept being explored in the work (In my murder/mystery novel, The

Stolen Concept, the adequacy of police procedurals is explored.).

Tone The attitude of a character, or even the writer (intimate, angry, happy, etc.)

Tragic Flaw: In a tragedy, the quality within the hero or heroine which leads to his or her downfall.
Examples of the tragic flaw include Othello's jealousy and Hamlet's indecisiveness

Tragedy The main Character and or protagonist suffers a terrible fate.

Verisimilitude: Literally, the appearance of truth. In literary criticism, the term refers to aspects of a work of lite literature that seem true to the reader.

Voice The way your words sound on the page. Your unique style of telling the story as

expressed through your characters, exposition, and narration.

Well Rounded Characters have complexity and backgrounds. They are expressive,

volatile, compassionate, etc. (The protagonist and the

antagonist, for example.)

Word Choice Expressing yourself clearly and precisely.

Zeugma: two different words linked to a verb or an adjective which is strictly appropriate to only one of them.

*Nor Mars his sword, nor war's quick fire shall burn
The living record of your memory.