Literary Tools for Next Level Writing By Jessica McCann
By Jessica McCann
When a couple has been together 35 years, they develop a sort of code for sharing opinions. For example, when I tell my husband that his guy movie is “hilarious,” he knows I mean idiotic. (Think anything with Chevy Chase.) Likewise, when he remarks that a book is “literary” or “poignant,” what he really means is too descriptive and boring. If it’s overly long or slow paced, he says “thick” in a drawn-out flat tone.
When it comes to certain books, I tend to agree with his code.
Too often, writers, editors and publishers label esoteric manuscripts with more pages of descriptive prose than plot as “literary.” Yet, literary is the adjective form of literature; and literature is defined by Merriam-Webster as “written works having excellence of form or expression and dealing with ideas of permanent interest.” That definition applies to books of every length and every genre.
A novel can be literary and poignant (even thick), as well as be an accessible page-turner. Case in point – Pictures of You by Caroline Leavitt is a complex, fast-paced contemporary novel with literary prowess, starting with the very first paragraph:
“There’s a hornet in the car. Isabelle hears a buzz and then feels a brush of wing against her cheek. A grape-sized electric motor sings past her right ear. What’s it doing out in this weather? she wonders. It rumbles past her again, and she practically jumps. She tries to wave it outside, but instead it kamikazes to the back of the car, navigating among her cameras. Which is worse, she thinks, waiting for the sting, or the sting itself?”
Leavitt employs several literary tools with few words to create a strong sense of place, emotional tension, and general foreboding. Sensory details: a buzz, a brush of wing. Metaphor: grape-sized electric motor. Symbolism and foreshadow: the tangible, relatable panic of a wasp in the car, combined with the deeper existential meaning. Which is worse, she thinks, waiting for the sting, or the sting itself? That’s next level writing.
Stretching for the Next Level
As I researched, plotted and wrote my third historical novel, Bitter Thaw, I wanted to elevate my writing to the next level. Don’t get me wrong. I’m proud of my first two novels. They’ve received solid reviews and a handful of awards. But the second was a little better than the first, and I wanted the third to be a little better than the second.
One of the most rewarding things about being a professional writer is being able to stretch one’s creative wings – to soar higher and journey further with each completed work.
Bitter Thaw explores the perils of gender stereotypes, cultural bigotry, and small-town gossip. The story juxtaposes a war widow’s life in 1950s Minnesota and her life in Arizona with her son and granddaughter in 1990. It’s about family secrets and intergenerational trauma, individual choices and diverse perspectives. Its literary style is a blend of narrative and epistolary elements that stitches together multiple themes and points of view. Woven throughout is the idea of nature as a balm for life’s struggles.
It was an ambitious undertaking that required the use of many literary tools.
The Right Tool for the Right Job
My father was a master furniture-refinisher by trade, and I always marveled at his hand-crafted toolbox when I was young. It was the size of a small dresser, with dozens of drawers and trays and compartments filled with neatly organized paint jars and glue tubes and waxy crayons. It contained spatulas, knives, screw drivers, pliers and hammers, all in a seemingly infinite number of sizes. He always knew the exact compartment to open, the precise items to extract, to get the job done.
When I moved out, Dad gave me a toolbox of my own – an old tackle box with a hammer, pair of scissors, measuring tape, and four screwdrivers. I still have it. As my home-repair skills have improved through the years, I’ve added tools.
A writer’s toolbox can evolve in a similar way.
Some literary devices are easier to master than others. Begin with a few from the tackle box; just remember to use each sparingly, so you don’t slow down the story and irritate the reade.
Figurative language, often via simile or metaphor, creates a vivid mental image in the reader that simply expresses a complex idea, like new love. In The Invisible Mountain, Carolina de Robertis shows the reader a budding relationship between a bar musician and waitress: “He was like a bottle and music was the wine – tangos, folk songs, candombe, anything. She liked to be near him when it poured.”
Repetition is another effective and easy-to-apply tool to call attention to an idea, create a certain mood, or drill home a point. “What are the three most important elements of prime real estate? Location. Location. Location.” It’s a cliché example, but you get the idea.
Sensory details, like the ones Leavitt applied in the earlier example, help place the reader in the story. Mix it up to engage all the senses. The drone of cicadas. The sting under the nail, and the gentle spray and fragrance peeling an orange. Summer.
Got those mastered? Try your hand at symbolism, flashback and foreshadow. Experiment with alliteration, onomatopoeia and personification. Check out the following resources:
100 Literary Devices with Examples by the Reedsy Editorial Team
The Emotion Thesaurus by Angela Ackerson and Becca Puglisi
The Emotional Craft of Fiction by Donald Maass
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Jessica McCann is a historical novelist and creative nonfiction author. She has worked as a professional freelance writer for magazines, universities, corporations and other organizations for more than 30 years. McCann’s third novel, Bitter Thaw, was named 2023 Best Indie Book by Shelf Unbound magazine, 2023 Gold Winner for Historical Fiction in the Foreword Indies Awards, and Honorable Mention, Literary Category for the 2024 North Street Book Prize.
Connect with McCann:
https://www.instagram.com/jmccannwriter
https://www.facebook.com/JessicaMcCannNovelist
https://www.goodreads.com/jessicamccann
https://www.youtube.com/user/JessicaMcCannNovels
https://www.tiktok.com/@jmccannwriter
https://bookshop.org/shop/jmccannwriter
BITTER THAW
Winner – 2023 Shelf Unbound Best Independently Published Book
Minnesota, 1956
Unknown human remains are discovered deep within the mosaic of rugged forests and interconnected waterways once home to the native Ojibwe people.
More than 30 years later, fresh news of the cold case reopens old wounds for an Arizona family, from a time when gender stereotypes, racial bigotry, and small-town gossip led to tragedy. Now, three generations – a mother, son and granddaughter – embark on a cross-country journey in a search for truth and a hope of redemption.
As long-buried secrets are unearthed, they each begin to question their memories, motives, and basic notions of good and evil.
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