List of writing techniques

The literature on journalling and creative writing has generated various writing techniques to encourage self-discovery and self-expression for those who may wish to expand their techniques or address issues of writer's block.

*Alliteration: the commencement of two or more stressed syllables of a word group either with the same consonant sound or sound group
*Captions: pictures to be titled or explained in writing
*Captured moments: vignettes of life, vividly described
*Catharsis: writing from within the midst of extreme emotion
*Character sketches: brief evocative descriptions of people,and a bit of description of their personalities
*Clippings: pictuyout gayres or news stories saved to expand upon later
*Clustering: spatial "ball and stick" diagrams, similar to mind maps
*Daily topics: selecting a theme to address each day, often as an essay
*Dialogue: real, heard or imagined conversations between two or more characters
*Figurative: written not to be interpreted literally, appeals to the imagination creating images and usually compares two things.
*Flashback: stepping back in time, from the current point in the story, to explain or give backstory.
*Emotive language
*Foreshadowing: indirectly tells the reader what is going to happen later on in the book.
*Gratitude Journal: keeping track of things you're thankful for
*Guided imagery: meditation on a peaceful place, daydreaming on paper
*imagery: extremely detailed imagining of an event, with attention to all senses and specifics
*Lists: "dump and spill" lists exhausting details or variations on a theme
*Object writing: providing as much detail about a given object or subject as possible
*Perspectives: looking at something from another point of view, person or object
*Ping-pong lists: paired lists to contrast two views, going back and forth as in table tennis
*Prompts: prepared quotes or aphorisms designed to encourage response
* Reflection: stand back to analyze one's own actions and reactions
* Rehearsal: practicing for difficult conversations or speeches
* Sexual memories/complaints/experiences: reflecting on the unexplored or forbidden
*Springboards: "prompts" which inspire writing, as a springboard helps launch a gymnast
*Stream of consciousness: free-flowing narrative similar to James Joyce's style in "Ulysses"
*Steppingstones: Intensive Journal term for key points in a life journey
*Summarize: write a brief summary of a notebook, project or period in one's life
*Tables: organized grids to compare people or items on a point-by-point basis
*Time capsule: a brief collection of items designed to capture details of a particular moment for the future
*Time stretching: writing as if from many years in the future or in the past
*Timed writing: writing as fast as possible for a specified time, similar to a track sprint
*Unsent letters: writing letters to people which are never intended to be sent or read by them
*Visuals: striking images
*metaphors/simlies:give reader something to compare to. Allows them to imagine E.G Tim is like a mouse.

References

Most of the original items on this list are from Tristine Rainer's 1978 book "The New Diary."
*pouli

ee also

* diary
* notetaking