A Tall Tale: 20 Styles of Poetic Prose

Do you enjoy making up stories, producing novels, or publishing blog posts? If so, then you’re probably like me. I love blogging for you all, but creative writing is truly my jam! There’s this thrill in building a script or novel from scratch. There’s an opportunity for originality, to be one with your work. Authentic writing has a style it carries. Literary and genre art are inventive, giving us writers space to layer our narratives in lush poetic language. Your work can cause people to feel your stories, depending on how you design them. That’s the magic of writing: when your words don’t just sit on the page. They move people, even if only for a moment.

If you’ve ever read a good book that grabbed you and wouldn’t let go, you know what I mean. Those stories exist! They’re out there. The ones that seem to reach inside your chest and tug at your heart. Writing like that doesn’t happen by accident. It takes skill, intention, and a real grasp of technique. That’s why I’m happy to share with you 21 poetic techniques that will help shape your prose into something amazing:

#1.) ALLITERATION—repeating the same initial consonant sounds in nearby words to create rhythm and emphasis (ex: Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers).

#2.) METAPHORS—a figure of speech, a word or phrase is applied to an object or action, comparing two things by saying one is the other, even though it isn’t literally true.

#3.) SIMILES—a figure of speech involving the comparison of one thing with another thing of a different kind, used to make a description more vivid, linked by words, ‘as’ and ‘like’.

#4.) HAIKU—a traditional Japanese form of short poetry, consisting of three lines with a 5, 7, 5 syllable structure, focusing on nature, using simple evocative imagery.

#5.) ANALOGIES—a comparison between two things, typically for the purpose of explanation or clarification.

#6.) ASSONANCE—in poetry, the repetition of the sound of a vowel.

#7.) RHYME—correspondence of sound between word endings of words, especially when these are used at the ends of lines of poetry.

#8.) ONOMATOPOEIA—the formation of a word from a sound (ex: pow, boom, bang).

#9.) PARADOX—a seemingly simple or self-contradictory statement or idea that when investigated or explained may prove to be well founded or true.

#10.) PERSONIFICATION—the attribution of a personal nature or human characteristics to something nonhuman, or the representation of an abstract quality in human form.

#11.) OXYMORON—a figure of speech, contradictory terms are in conjunction (ex: smart dummy).

#12.) HYPERBOLE— exaggerated statements or claims not meant to be taken literally.

#13.) PUN—a joke exploiting the different possible meanings of a word or the fact that there are words which sound alike but have different meanings.

#14.) IDIOM—a figure speech, a phrase having a meaning not intended from the individual words, not literal (ex: raining cats and dogs, see the light ).

#15.) SYMBOLISM—the use of symbols to represent ideas or qualities.

#16.) TONE/MOOD—the attitude of a place, piece of writing, situation, etc.

#17.) DICTION/SYNTAX—the choice and use of words and phrases in speech or writing.

#18.) EPITHET—a descriptive phrase expressing a characteristic of a person or thing.

#19.) FORESHADOWING—be a warning or indication of (a future event).

#20.) PASTORAL—a work of literature portraying an idealized natural setting.

These literary devices can turn any decent piece into something unforgettable. My personal favorites are metaphors, similes, personification, and pastoral excerpts. I enjoy incorporating nature into my work because the natural world is a form of poetry in itself. I don’t get enough of describing various settings and composing vivid pastures. If you want to get the best out of writing, experiment with these tools, and learn how to weave them into your next story. You may just surprise yourself—and your readers.

Thank you for reading K.B. Krissy’s blog. Feel free to tap the like 👍🏽 or repost. ☺️