Toolbox
To start you out with a metaphor, we’re going to be filling your toolbox with a variety of tools this
semester. Your job will be to choose the right one for each job you’re working on. You may have some
of these in your toolbox already, but think of the exercises we do as a way to keep them from getting
rusty. Here’s a list of some of the tools you’ll be acquiring or sharpening, in no particular order.
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Figurative language
Concrete, significant details
Imagery
Point of view
Scene transitions
Line breaks (enjambment and end stop)
Meter
Sound devices (alliteration, cacophony, etc.)
Poetic forms (free verse, sonnet, etc.)
Flashback
Medias res
Fiction first lines
Precise nouns
Active verbs
Story “beats”
Showing vs. telling
Dialogue format
Dialogue purpose
Symbolism
Types of conflict
Characterization
Revision strategies