15 Powerful Writing Techniques for Authors in 2024

• Sep 11, 2024
• 7 min read

• Tags: Fiction, Fiction Writing, Language

Want to take your writing to the next level? Explore 15 amazing writing techniques! From persuasive writing techniques to storytelling techniques, we’ve covered everything! With this, we’ve also included examples of all types of writing techniques. 

Through this blog, we’ve also answered questions like “What are writing techniques to create a better rhythm, flow, and pacing”, “What are writing techniques that help enhance the climax”, and “What are writing techniques that can help create vivid descriptions”. So without any delay, let’s understand creative writing techniques together! 

Now let’s understand these different writing techniques in detail! 

1. Stream of consciousness 

In stream-of-consciousness writing, the narrator’s thoughts are presented in a continuous flow. This technique often doesn’t include logical transitions between concepts and ideas. The writer may jump from one idea or memory to another, incorporating sensory impressions, half-formed thoughts, and internal monologues.

Example: Mrs Dalloway by Virginia Woolf 

“How fresh, how calm, stiller than this of course, the air was in the early morning; like the flap of a wave; the kiss of a wave; chill and sharp and yet (for a girl of eighteen as she then was) solemn, feeling as she did, standing there at the open window, that something awful was about to happen…”

2. Zeugma

Zeugma is a writing technique where a single word is used to change or describe two or more things in different ways. Usually, this word is a verb or an adjective. This is one of the writing methods used to create emphasis, humor, or a poetic effect. 

Example: One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez

She had lost her parents, her husband, and any desire to keep on counting. 

In this example, “lost” applies to both, her parents, husband, and desire. 

3. Allegory 

An allegory is a literary device in which abstract ideas, principles, or moral truths are represented through characters, events, or story settings. Allegories make complex ideas more engaging by presenting them in the form of a relatable narrative.

Example: Animal Farm by George Orwell 

This book’s story about talking animals on a farm represents the Russian Revolution’s complex historical events and the rise of the Soviet Union. The characters, events, and setting directly correspond to real-life figures and events: the pigs represent the Bolshevik leaders, the rebellion symbolizes the overthrow of the Tsar, and the farm itself stands for Russia. Through this allegorical framework, Orwell critiques totalitarianism. 

4. Analogy 

An analogy is a literary device that compares two unrelated things to explain a concept, idea, or situation. This is one of the techniques in writing that makes writing easier to understand. For writers crafting essays, self-help books, or creative fiction, this is one of the best persuasive writing techniques. 

Example: The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan 

“Memories are strange things. They are not like a photographs, to be looked at and put away. They are more like a kaleidoscope, with the same pieces of colored glass shifting into an endless variety of patterns.”

5. Fragmentation 

Fragmentation is a writing technique where sentences are broken down into smaller, incomplete, or disconnected parts. This helps to highlight important themes and reflect the character’s scattered thoughts, emotional state, or chaos. 

Example: The Book Thief by Markus Zusak 

Rudy Steiner. The Jesse Owens of Himmel Street. The boy with hair the color of lemons. The boy who was her best friend. 

6. Vignettes 

A vignette is a short, descriptive scene or account that focuses on a specific moment, character, or setting. Vignettes are often used to capture a particular mood, theme, or impression. They can be used to provide a brief glimpse into a larger story or to explore a character’s emotions, thoughts, or experiences.

Example: The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros 

“The monkey doesn’t live there anymore. The monkey moved away after the rain started. The rain stung his eyes, and the ground was slippery under his feet, and the branches were slick with water. The monkey went looking for a new home, a dry warm place. I don’t know where he went. Probably north. Monkeys like to be warm.” 

7. Rashomon 

Rashomon is a storytelling technique that presents a single event from multiple, often contradictory perspectives. Each character provides their own subjective interpretation of the event. The reader or viewer has to piece together the truth from the conflicting accounts. 

Example: The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner 

“In “The Sound and the Fury,” William Faulkner presents the decline of the Compson family through the varying perspectives of Benjamin “Benjy” Compson, Quentin Compson, Jason Compson, and Dilsey Gibson. 

8. Parallelism 

Parallelism is a writing technique where words, phrases, or clauses that are similar in structure or meaning are used together. This helps to create flow and rhythm. 

Example: A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens 

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair.” 

9. Defamiliarization 

Defamiliarization is a writing technique that presents familiar things, concepts, or experiences in a strange or unfamiliar way. This is done to encourage readers to think from a fresh perspective. 

Example: Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn 

“The day I met my husband, I was a freshly scrubbed blank slate. It was a bright new notebook, and he promised to fill its pages.”

In the above example, the concept of identity is presented in an unfamiliar way. 

10. Rhetorical questions 

Rhetorical questions are a writing technique in which a question is asked without the expectation of an answer. Instead, rhetorical questions encourage the reader to consider the implied answer or emphasize a point. Rhetorical questions are also one of the persuasive techniques in writing that challenge the readers’ assumptions. 

Example: Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë

“Do you think I am an automaton? —a machine without feelings? and can bear to have my morsel of bread snatched from my lips, and my drop of living water dashed from my cup? Do you think, because I am poor, obscure, plain, and little, I am soulless and heartless? 

Through these questions, Jane strongly challenges any assumptions that she doesn’t care and is unemotional. 

Now let’s understand one of the lesser-known descriptive writing techniques in detail! 

11. Polysyndeton 

Polysyndeton is a literary device in which coordinating conjunctions (such as “and,” “but,” “or,” “nor,” “for,” “yet,” and “so”) are used repeatedly. This creates a rhythmic, repetitive, and emphatic effect. 

Example: Anxious People by Fredrik Backman 

“And Zara wanted to scream and she wanted to cry and she wanted to hit something, but most of all she wanted someone to tell her what to do.”

Now let’s understand one of the best writing techniques and strategies to create memorable characters and settings! 

12. Periphrasis 

Periphrasis is a literary device in which a simple, direct concept or idea is expressed in a more complex, roundabout way using more words. It is often used to add descriptive detail, create a specific tone, or avoid using a common or straightforward term. 

Example: Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen 

“Mr. Collins was not a sensible man, and the deficiency of nature had been but little assisted by education or society.” 

13. Second-person point of view 

The second-person point of view is a technique in which the narrator addresses the reader directly, using pronouns such as “you,” “your,” and “yours.” This is one of the popular methods of writing where the reader becomes a character in the story. The narrator speaks to the reader as if they are experiencing the events firsthand.

Example: The Catcher in the Rye by J.D Salinger 

“If you really want to hear about it, the first thing you’ll probably want to know is where I was born, and what my lousy childhood was like, and how my parents were occupied and all before they had me, and all that David Copperfield kind of crap, but I don’t feel like going into it, if you want to know the truth.”

14. Third-person point of view 

The third-person point of view is a writing method in which the narrator is not a character within the story. Instead, the narrator is an outside observer who refers to characters using pronouns such as “he,” “she,” “they,” or “it.” This is also one of the common narrative writing techniques used in Young Adult fiction. 

Example: The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald 

He paced back and forth, his shadow a restless phantom against the wall. Gatsby, his mind awhirl with anticipation and dread, checked the clock for the hundredth time. Daisy’s arrival was imminent, and with it, the potential resurrection of a love long lost. 

Now let’s explore one of the best techniques of writing to enhance pacing, show conflict, and build an engaging climax! 

15. Asyndeton 

Asyndeton is a literary device in which conjunctions (such as “and,” “but,” “or,” “for,” “nor,” “so,” and “yet”) are deliberately not mentioned. This technique creates a more rapid, rhythmic, and emphatic effect. 

Example: The Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe 

“The fever took him quickly, a searing heat that swept through his body and consumed him. Delirious, he saw faces swirling above him, heard whispers turning to screams, and felt the icy grip of fear. He was lost, adrift, sinking into the abyss.” 

How to select the best writing techniques? 

The following are important factors to consider while selecting the best writing techniques: 

1. 1. • • Purpose: Determine whether your purpose is to inform, describe, entertain, promote something, persuade someone, or give information. The writing techniques will change, depending on the purpose. For example, periphrasis can be used if you want to describe something.
        • Audience: Identify the age, geographical location, gender, and interests of the target audience. This will help to determine the writing techniques you should use. 
        • Context: Select the writing style based on whether the context is academic, professional, creative, online, or offline. For academic writing, use techniques that ensure formal language, for professional writing, use techniques ensuring conciseness and clarity. 
        • Consider your strengths: Determine your writing style and choose techniques that align with your strengths. For example, if your writing style is creative, you can experiment with literary devices like Simile, Metaphor, etc. 
        • Experiment and revise: You can also research and experiment with other writing techniques like Onomatopoeia, Satire, Symbolism, Pathetic Fallacy, and Juxtaposition. Dramatic Irony, Soliloquy, Interior Monologue, and Ekphrasis are some other techniques you can experiment with. 

This concludes our writing techniques list! By exploring and mastering these top 15 writing techniques, you can elevate your work. You can also research more examples of writing techniques to enhance your writing. 

After you finish writing, the next step is editing. As experts in editing and proofreading services, we can easily refine and polish your text! 

What did you think about this writing techniques list and examples? Which technique and writing technique examples did you find most useful? Share your thoughts in the comments section! 

Here are some other useful resources for you: 

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Priya

Priya has a talent for academic research and enjoys simplifying complex topics. When she's not helping students improve their writing, she can be seen reading poetry, playing the harmonium, or learning classical dance.