The Tween Detectives - Oct. Prep Month

October 17th, 2017 - Literary Devices

Oct. 17: - Literary Devices ▼

(1) Brainstorm possible solutions to your conflict and complications using the list of literary devices below or your own ideas.
(2) Identify a mentor or helper who aids the protagonist(s) in achieving their goals.
(3) Identify any other literary devices from the list you could use to enhance your writing.

Literary Devices List
Foreshadowing: Hints of something to come.
Chekhov's Gun: The gun on the wall in Scene 1 is eventually fired.
Repetitive Designation: An object or fact appears over and over.
Symbolism: Small facts, objects, or characterizations represent something bigger.
Self-fulfilling prophecy: Protagonist attempts to thwart prophecy but in attempting, fulfills it.
Poetic Justice: Good guys are rewarded and bad guys are punished.
Plot Twist: Surprises the reader with something unexpected.
False Protagonist: The protagonist dies or turns out to be something other than the protagonist.
Red Herring: A false trail diverts the reader's attention from what really happened.
Unreliable Narrator: The narrator has been misleading the reader all along.
Irony: The exact opposite of what the reader expects happens.
Reveal: A hidden connection between characters or facts is revealed in time.
Plot Device: Advances the plot forward, often pushing the main character past a hurdle.
Object of Power: Either the protagonist wants it, or the object drives the plot of its own accord.
MacGuffin: Something the protagonist wants for unknown and unimportant reasons.
Quibble: Following the letter of the law, contract, or agreement instead of its intent, changing the outcome.
Narrative Hook: Story opening that grab's the reader's attention.
Cliffhanger: Ending a scene, chapter or story in the middle of action, hooking the reader.
Ticking Clock Scenario: The threat of impending doom if the protagonist's objective is not met.
Breaking the Fourth Wall: A character speaks directly to the reader.
Or anything from this list: http://literary-devices.com/


Literary Devices List
Foreshadowing: Hints of something to come.

Hinting is something that I like to do. Especially, when it comes to mysteries.

Chekhov's Gun: The gun on the wall in Scene 1 is eventually fired.

There is no gun fire. But that doesn’t mean there won’t be any danger.

Repetitive Designation: An object or fact appears over and over.

The repetition for this novel is a question. Why is it only visitors that are disappearing?

Symbolism: Small facts, objects, or characterizations represent something bigger.

Once again, it’s that question. There has to be a reason why it’s only the visitors.

Self-fulfilling prophecy: Protagonist attempts to thwart prophecy but in attempting, fulfills it.

They know that they are a phony ghost. Now all The Tween Detectives have to do is prove it before anyone else disappears.

Poetic Justice: Good guys are rewarded and bad guys are punished.

The reward is always unmasking the phony ghost. And the punishment is always the same too.

Plot Twist: Surprises the reader with something unexpected.

Surprises and twists are what I like to do the most. Especially, when it comes to mysteries.

False Protagonist: The protagonist dies or turns out to be something other than the protagonist.

There are no false protagonist. Despite what almost everyone thinks The Tween Detectives are real detectives.

Red Herring: A false trail diverts the reader's attention from what really happened.

Mystery is full of Red Herrings. It wouldn’t be a mystery without them.

Unreliable Narrator: The narrator has been misleading the reader all along.

Misleading the reader is also a big part of a mystery. Whether there is a narrator or not.

Irony: The exact opposite of what the reader expects happens.

I love irony. It makes the reader think they know what is going to happen when they really don’t.

Reveal: A hidden connection between characters or facts is revealed in time.

There is a connection between who the phony ghost is and why only visitors are disappearing. All The Tween Detectives have to do is figure it out before anyone else disappears.

Plot Device: Advances the plot forward, often pushing the main character past a hurdle.

Little by little The Tween Detective are figuring out what is going on with the Haunted Mansion. Can they figure it all out before it’s too late for one of them.

Object of Power: Either the protagonist wants it, or the object drives the plot of its own accord.

Of course, The Tween Detectives want to figure out what’s going on before anyone else disappears. But the big question is, can they do it?

MacGuffin: Something the protagonist wants for unknown and unimportant reasons.

Everyone has secrets that they don’t anyone to know. Most aren’t that serious, but some are.

Quibble: Following the letter of the law, contract, or agreement instead of its intent, changing the outcome.

The Tween Detectives don’t follow the rules. That’s because they don’t have to.

Narrative Hook: Story opening that grab's the reader's attention.

Story openings need a hook. And I try to do that with every story that I write.

Cliffhanger: Ending a scene, chapter or story in the middle of action, hooking the reader.

I always try to end my chapters with a cliffhanger. Sometimes it’s life threatening, and sometimes it’s not.

Ticking Clock Scenario: The threat of impending doom if the protagonist's objective is not met.

One of The Tween Detectives is about to face death. Will they live or die?

Breaking the Fourth Wall: A character speaks directly to the reader.

I don’t like to do that. Especially when it comes to my novels.

Or anything from this list: http://literary-devices.com/

I can’t think of anything right now. But if I do I will write it down too.