G, H, I, and L Words

I will be posting writing terms every other week from the book "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Creative Writing" (2nd edition) by Laurie E. Rozakis.

1. genre- a major literary category. The 3 genres are prose, drama, and poetry.
2. haiku- a Japanese poetic form that uses only 3 lines and a total of 17 syllables.
3. hero/heroine- literary characters who we admire for their noble traits, such as bravery, selflessness, or cleverness. In the past, the term "hero" was used to refer to a male character, the term "heroine" for a female character. Today, "hero" is used for either male or female characters.
4. humor- parts of a story that are amusing. Humor can be created through sarcasm, word play, irony, and exaggeration.
5. hyperbole- exaggeration used for a literary effect such as emphasis, drama or humor.
6. image- a word that appeals to one or more of our five senses; sight, hearing, taste, touch, or smell.
7. imagery- imagery is the use of images and figurative language that helps readers visualize a person, place, thing, or situation.
8. inciting moment- the beginning of a conflict.
9. irony- occurs when something happens that is different from what was expected. In verbal irony, there is a contrast between what is stated and what that statement suggests. In dramatic irony, there is a contrast between what a character believes and what the audience knows to be true. In irony of situation, an event reverses what the readers or characters expected.
10. limerick- a type of humorous poetry. Limericks have 5 lines, a strong rhyme, and a set rhythm. The 1st, 2nd, and 5th lines rhyme with each other and the 3rd and 4th rhyme with each other- aabba
11. lyric poems- brief, musical poems that express a speaker's feelings.