S 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. scene- a part of a play. Each scene in a play takes place during a set time and in one place.
2. science fiction- (or sci-fi) is fantasy writing that tells about make believe events that include science or technology.
  3. sensory language- words that appeal to the five senses: sight, hearing, taste, touch, or smell. Sensory language is used to create images and imagery.
4. setting- the time and place where the events of a story take place.
5. short story- a form of narrative prose fiction that is shorter than a novel; it focuses on a single character and a single event. Most short stories can be read in one sitting and convey a single overall impression.
6. simile- a figure of speech that compares two unlike things. Similes use the words "like" or "as" to make a comparison. "A dream put off dries off like a raisin in the sun" is an example of a simile.
7. sonnet- a lyric poem of 14 lines written in iambic pentameter.
8. speaker- the personality the writer assumes when telling a story. For example, the writer can tell the story as a young girl, an old man, or a figure from history.
9. stage directions- instructions to the actors, producer, and director telling how to perform a play. Stage directions are included in the text of a play, written in parenthesis or italics. They describe how actors should speak, what they should wear, and what scenery should be used, among other things. 10. stanza- a group of lines in a poem, like a paragraph in prose. Each stanza presents one complete idea.
11. style- an author's distinctive way of writing. Style is made up of elements such as word choice, sentence length and structure, figure of speech, and tone. A writer may change his or her style for different kinds of writing to suit different audiences. In poetry, for example, a writer might use more imagery than he or she would use in prose.
12. surprise ending- a conclusion that differs from what the reader expected. In most stories, the ending follows logically from the arrangement of events in the plot. In a surprise ending, however, final events take an unexpected twist.
13. suspense- the feeling of tension or anticipation a writer creates in a work. Writers create suspense by including unexpected plot twists. This keeps readers interested in the story and makes them want to read on to find out what will happen.
14. symbol- a person, place, or object that represents an abstract idea. For example, a dove may symbolize peace or a rose may symbolize love.