Writing Tips on Prose

I attended a workshop by Cat Pleska about putting poetry in your prose.

How do you do that?

To make your narrative flowing and beautiful you can add metaphors and similes and figurative language.

As always, with your writing, choose your best words. Revise and move parts around. And, my favorite, use rhythm and sound. Make the words sing when read aloud.

So, when writing, create a mood, entertain and play with your words and phrases. Using elements of poetry can make your story memorable and a pleasure to read.

Here are a couple of links to elements of poetry.

Elements of Poetry: Examples and Techniques

Poetic Devices - Judi Moreillon

 

 I love putting poetry in my prose, whether it be a middle grade novel or a picture book. 

 

One of my favorite picture books, Owl Moon, is written beautifully using some of these techniques.

With passages such as:

 

we reached the line of pine trees, black and pointy against the sky

the moon made his face into a silver mask

the trees stood still as giant statues

 

I have also written a picture book (unpublished at this time) where I have used lines such as:

 

We walked past the cattails near the pond, standing tall like toy soldiers all in a row

The ground rose before us like a giant stretching his arms tall and touching the sky. 

 

So, give it a try, whether you are writing a picture book or a novel. Add a little magic to your writing to make it memorable and fun to read.

 

 Do you put poetry elements in your prose?

Happy Writing!