Name ____________________________________
Section ________
Date ______________
AUTHOR’S CRAFT
Types Author’s Crafts for analysis of many types novels / writing
 Surprise
 Suspense
 Description
 Flashback
 Flash forward
 Shadowing/fore-shadowing
 Full circle
 Time lapsing-spacing
 Character development
 Conclusion/ending
 Feelings/emotions
 Time lapsing/spacing
 False hints or fore-shadowing
 Humor
 Sarcasm
 Cliff-hangers
 Exploding the moment – “extremely detailed writing”
 Senses used in the details: sound, smell, taste, touch, see
 Epilogue
 Footnotes
 Writing in diary or journal style
 Quotes or famous sayings at the start of chapters
 Using dates or unique ways to identify chapters
Other Elements of a Story that can looked at in Analysis of Author’s Craft (that can be used in
analyzing the novel only if the conditions written below are met.)
 Genre – as in being specific in the way the author approached his/her:
satire, historical fiction, etc…
 Climax – as in being specific in the way the author approached the climax… what it was…
 Point of View – if this is unique (Ex: presented from 2 different points of view) or really
makes a complete difference in the novel
 Setting – as in being specific in showing how the time period or specific places in the
setting made a difference or were good choices for the author…
 Dialogue – only to be used in analysis if you can show that particular dialogue made
a real difference in the book, as in the words and expression chosen by the author
Poetic Devices as an Author’s Craft (that can be used in analyzing poetry, but not for novels,
because the use of a device or two below a couple of times in an entire novel usually does not make for
you be able to show me that such a device made a grand difference in the novel for you…)
o Simile
o Metaphor
o Alliteration
o Onomatopoeia
o Personification
o Repetition
o Hyperbole
(For a reminder regarding how to Analyze an Author’s Craft, see back of this page)
Analysis of Author’s Craft
1.
2.
3.
4.
Choose ONE craft the author uses
Give TWO examples of how it is used
Say whether it is effective or not effective because…
Explain why this craft did or did not ‘work’ for you / make the book better, etc (this ties in with
#3 above)