 Poetry: October 22, 2014 Issue [#6614] |
  Poetry
This week: Using Poetic Devices in Fiction Edited by: Crys-not really here  
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| Hello! My name is Crys-not really here . I am happy to once again be the guest editor for the Poetry Newsletter. |
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Many members of WDC are currently thinking about NaNo right now, but there is a significant population of the site that would never dream of writing a short story, let alone a 50,000 word novel in a month! I'm talking about poets, of course.
Many poets dabble in fiction, but others feel completely overwhelmed at the thought of writing it. When your brain is focused on metaphors, similes, and other poetic devices, you may not think you have the knowledge to create complex plots. Here's why that assumption is wrong.
Believe it or not, poetry and fiction have a lot of things in common. Think about some of the oldest poetry that ever existed-- epic poems such as Beowulf and the Iliad-- and you probably think more about the story than what makes them poetry. Today, some of the most accessible and well-loved poems tell a story as well. Consider Frost's "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening" and Dylan Thomas' "Do Not Go Gentle into that Good Night." Both use a variety of poetic devices to tell powerful stories.
Writing fiction isn't just about telling a story, either. Writers use a variety of literary (or even poetic) devices in order to give deeper meaning to their work, just as poets do. The most obvious device is symbolism. A symbol might carry throughout a poem to create an extended metaphor and thus create a situation where the meaning is not so obvious. In fiction, the recurrence of an object throughout alerts the reader that the object holds some significance, some symbolism, that may not be obvious on the surface. We often think of symbolism in literary fiction, but works of genre fiction can also be strengthened by using this device. Something as simple as a character's name can mean so much when used as symbolism.
If you're the kind of poet who loves how words sound, you may want to experiment with alliteration, rhythm, and onomatopoeia in your fiction writing. There's no rule that says your prose needs to be boring and monotone. A Dr. Seuss-style novel would probably sound ridiculous and juvenile, but what if you had a character who spoke in rhyme, or whose natural speech pattern sounded like music? What if his name was not only a symbol, but alliterative? The possibilities are endless, and are there to feed your creativity!
If you're a poet who is scared to cross genres, I hope you can now see that fiction doesn't have to be so scary. I believe that writers need to be well-rounded, and the more things you try, the better! |
A brief poem about autumn.
A good example of a poem that tells a story, and a new twist on an old favorite.
A beautiful poem that uses simple imagery to tell a story.
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| Let me know what you think! How do you see yourself using your knowledge of poetry in your fiction writing? |
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