How to take Compositional Risks

1. How to take Compositional Risks

2. Table of Contents Click on the following Compositional Risk Techniques Figurative Language Creating Interesting Dialogue Shift in Rhetorical Mode Interview Technique Unconventional Structure Advanced “Stretch” Vocabulary Direct and Indirect Quotations Shifting Roles and Anticipating the Opposition Shifting Times and Events Varied Sentence Structure Rhetorical Questions Motif and Introducing Introductory Ideas in the Conclusion Well-paced and Well-used Data Vivid Description Authorial Voice

3. Compositional Risk: Figurative Language Use in: Narratives and Essays Risk: Using figurative language can be risky if you do not create easily-understood comparisons or descriptions. Make sure that you clearly describe and explain your figurative language; or, if you are not going to explain it, make sure your figurative language makes sense to the audience - do not use comparisons or references that rely on trivial or extremely specialized knowledge. Saying your brother is as quirky as FORTRAN will not make sense to most readers; saying your brother has more quirks than the branches of a tree might be a more accessible metaphor. Simile - An extremely useful tool in prose writing; allows the author to create interesting and unusual comparisons that might help the reader see a topic in a new way; BEWARE OVER-USE! Repetition of "like" and "as" can distract the reader. Metaphor - Also an extremely useful tool in prose writing; allows the author to create interesting and unusual comparisons that might help the reader see a topic in a new way; is key to the creation of an allegorical point or an extended metaphor Onomatopoeia - In prose, should be used very sparingly in non-narrative writing; can serve as an effective emphasis for expository writing Personification - In prose, is generally only used as part of an extended metaphor or as part of a motif Alliteration - Should be use VERY sparingly in prose writing, but can be extremely effective when emphasizing a point - it will make the audience remember the alliterative phrase very clearly

4. Compositional Risk: Creating Interesting Dialogue Use in: Narratives (some risk) and Essays (major risk) Risk: Dialogue needs to be punctuated correctly; it also needs to add to the story, not just be there for being there's sake. (or click here to get a "crash course" in proper dialogue formatting) (or click here to get detailed information about how to format dialogue) Dialogue should have a purpose - it should inform the reader about what's going on by having the characters discussing events happening in the story, as most normal human beings would when they're in an unusual situation. Use dialogue to move the story forward - don't just say "Hi!" You can create an interesting beginning to your story by starting in the middle of some dialogue. Have your characters slowly provide details to the audience that allows the audience to figure out what's going on in the beginning of the story. Instead of telling the reader, "This story takes place in a middle school in New Jersey," you can have two characters have a conversation that includes that information. It will make the story more interesting for the reader, and it involves your characters in the exposition.

5. Dialogue continued… Try to keep your dialogue natural. Write down what people say in the way they say it. Don't have a three year old talking like a college professor - use appropriate word choice and sentence lengths. In trying to keep dialogue natural, you should think about using dialects if appropriate. However, don't bury the reader in phonetic spellings and weird phrases - it is very easy for a writer to over-do it when it comes to dialect! Be selective. Using dialogue in an essay is doubly risky; in addition to being dialogue (a risk in itself), it is also a shift in rhetorical mode. However, that also means that if you pull it off, your essay will be much more interesting to read. One way you might use dialogue in an essay is by re-creating a conversation you had with someone about the topic. This conversation could be an actual word-for-word quotation, or it could be more of a hypothetical conversation.

6. Compositional Risk: Shift in Rhetorical Mode Use in: Essays or Narratives (both big risks) Risks: If not carried out well, you seem to not know what type of writing you're doing. "Shift" means "to change in the middle of doing something". "Rhetoric" refers to the style of writing you're doing. A shift in rhetorical mode means that you start out writing in one style, then you briefly shift to a very different style, then back again, without losing your main point. For example, if you are writing an essay about the importance of trust, you could include a very short version of the story of the boy who cried wolf to help explain your point. When you begin that very short story, you need to shift your writing style, including structure and word choice, from "essay" to "narrative". When you complete the extremely brief narrative, you shift back to "essay" mode and explain how this bit of story goes with the point you are trying to make. Another tack you could take with an essay is to include some particularly poetic phrasing at some point. This is probably most easily done in the intro or closing, but could be at any point in the writing. Again, keep the shift short, but make it clear to the reader that you have changed your writing style on purpose, not on accident. In a narrative, you create a rhetorical shift by having a character or the narrator explain a particular point using an essay style. This might be an expository thought journey; that is, a character might be thinking about a topic in an expository way, and the author records this for the reader to see. Again, this should not be a long passage, and it should be important to the story for some reason.

7. Compositional Risk: Interview Technique Use in: Narratives or Essays (both big risks) Risk: If not properly formatted and punctuated, can be very difficult for the reader to follow You've read interviews in newspapers and magazines and seen them on TV: One person asks questions, another person answers the questions. You can use this technique to craft a story or essay. In an essay, the interview technique requires you to start each paragraph with a rhetorical question about the topic, and then answer it in the paragraph, providing explanations, details, and examples. This is EXTREMELY risky, because it creates a somewhat simplistic structure for your essay. Creating a story with the interview technique, if done correctly, can demonstrate a strong command of both the conventions of story writing and the rules of grammar. In such a story, one of the main characters does not know or understand what is going on, or is trying to get more information about what is going on. This character is asking lots of questions; as other characters answer the questions, the details of the situation are revealed, providing the reader with a complete picture of the situation. The main character asking the questions could be a reporter, a TV personality, a police officer, a private detective, or anyone else who is trying to figure out what has happened. The key to writing such a story is to remember that the questioning character is finding out about something that has already happened (or at least already begun), and so must ask questions that provide the revelatory details that help that character (and the reader) understand.

8. Compositional Risk: Unconventional Structure • Use in: Narratives (minor risk) and Essays (big risk) • Risk: Can confuse the reader, making the reader think you don't know how to structure a story • Most stories begin at the beginning, carry through to the middle, and end with the end - the characters are introduced, then the conflict arises; we are carried along to the climactic moment, then the story resolves. • Unconventional structure changes this arrangement. • In a story, there are several arrangements that might be different than expected. Here are a few: • Jumping straight into the middle of the action or dialogue without explaining or setting up what is going on - starting at the climax of the story. • Starting at the resolution of the story. • Using only dialogue to tell the story - no narrator or attributions • Foreshadowing: A writing device in which some detail that seems completely unrelated to what is going on is included early in the story; it's odd, but not so completely out of place that the reader says, "What the heck? That makes no sense at all!" Much later, that seemingly-unrelated detail turns out to be extremely important to the events of the story - it should make the reader go, "Oh! Now I see why that was there!" Basically, it’s planting a clue early in the story about what happens toward the end. Riskybecause the clue has to be different enough to stand out somewhat earlier in the story, while also not being so obvious as to give away what happens later on.

9. Unconventional Structure continued… • The first three of these requires the writer to go back and fill in some of the background so the reader will understand how the characters ended up in the situations they are in. This is similar to (but not quite the same as) a flashback. • The last option, using only dialogue, is a huge risk because it is very difficult to put enough detail into the story via dialogue while still keeping the dialogue sounding natural and real - humans tend to not mention details, especially during intense situations. • The problem with this technique is that it is easy to confuse your reader, or neglect details making it difficult for the reader to imagine the story as you see it. • Similarly, essays usually have an introductory paragraph that starts with a hook and ends with a thesis statement, then have body paragraphs that help make the case that the thesis statement is true. Body paragraphs begin with topic sentences that sum up the main idea of the paragraph, and are followed by details, explanations, and examples. • It is possible to change up this "formula", altering the order of sentences within paragraphs to create a more interesting piece of writing: • Start with one of your arguments. • Start with the counter-argument. • Use dialogue or an interview technique. • Again, though, beware of losing your reader if things are too out-of-order; your re-arrangement has to still get your point across clearly and make sense.

10. Compositional Risk: Advanced "Stretch" Vocabulary Use in: Narratives or Essays (both big risks) Risk: You might use words incorrectly Good writing uses the fewest-possible words to make a point. When you write, try to incorporate words that most effectively convey your meaning. Saying something is "blue" might work, but saying it is "teal" is much more specific. Wordly Wise words often make good choices to help you get your point across. BE CAREFUL! Don't just throw in "fancy" words, especially if you're not 100% certain you know what they mean. It's better to stick with simpler words you know well than to use a word incorrectly as you try to impress your readers.

11. Compositional Risk: Direct and Indirect Quotations Use in: Essays and Narratives Risk: Using quotations can be risky, because you might misunderstand the original quote and thereby explain it to mean something completely different than what the original author meant. A quotation is when you write down words or ideas that were spoken or written by someone else. You can use quotations in an essay to help you make your point - the opinion of someone famous can support your own opinion, or you can use it to point out flaws in the famous person's thinking. A direct quotation is when you write down the exact words spoken or written by someone else. Always use quotation marks around a direct quotation. Always give the original author credit. Direct Quotation Example: It seems like not too many people think about what they're doing every day. In fact, most people seem to agree with Henry Ford, who once said, "Thinking is the hardest work there is, which is probably why so few people do it."

12. Indirect Quotations An indirect quotation, or paraphrase, is when you write down the basic idea someone else expressed, but you put it in your own words. You should not use quotation marks in this instance, because using quotation marks with an indirect quotation can confuse the reader, making him or her thinking the words in quotation marks are what was actually said. You DO have to give the original author credit. Indirect Quotation Example - It seems like not too many people think about what they're doing every day. In fact, most people seem to agree with Henry Ford, who once pointed out that people don't like hard work, and that's exactly what thinking is. You can also sometimes get away with not using the author's name if you're referencing a well-known quote or idea. Example: A wise man once said, "Do, or do not; there is no 'try.'" If you're going to use a direct quotation in a narrative, there are a few things you'll have to do. First, you need to make sure the quotation you choose is relevant to your story. Second, you need to figure out how you're going to work the quotation in. Some stories begin with a quotation that has a connection to the story; as the readers move through the story, it becomes clear how the quotation is connected. Another possibility is to have one of your characters say the quotation and mention the author's name as part of a discussion the character is having.

13. Compositional Risk: Shifting Roles and Anticipating the Opposition Use in: Narratives (big risk) or Essays (Persuasive) (medium risk) Narrative Risk: You might confuse your reader. When writing a story, you should have a specific point of view (perspective) from which the story is being told - either a narrator or a character is relaying the information of the story to the reader. Most authors stick with a single perspective through their stories. It is risky to shift the perspective, because it will confuse your reader. However, if you pull it off, you can give the reader a better understanding of what is happening in the story, since it will allow you to show events through more than just one person's point of view. As a basic example, the good guy usually sees the bad guy as evil; but a lot of the time, the bad guy thinks what he's doing is actually good. A story that showed some of each perspective would be very interesting. However, making that work requires making it very clear to the reader when you have shifted perspective, and making sure that the shift in perspective serves a purpose - getting the reader to see the story from a different point of view so that the reader better understands what is going on in the story, or to add to the conflict. Essay Risk: You might prove yourself wrong. When writing an essay, you should have a specific point of view. On the NJASK, you will have to make a choice about which side of an issue you want to take, then prove that your side is the right side. Shifting roles and anticipating the opposition requires you to think about what would someone say if they were trying to prove your opinion was wrong, then explain how their logic is incorrect and your opinion really is the correct one. First, you have to make your point. You can start with re-stating the question you were asked, then expressing your opinion about the topic.

14. Writing Prompt: This article discusses several different types of energy production. Explain which you think is the most important and why. There are many different sources of energy, but one is more important than the rest. Using green energy sources such as solar-, wind-, and wave-generated power can help save our planet. Then you need to consider the opposition. Some people are afraid that solar power won't provide enough energy and will require us to change our lifestyles drastically, getting rid of our TV sets and computers. Then explain how the opposition is completely off beam. Clearly, these people are not aware of the newest technologies, such as wind turbines and solar panels, both of which can be placed on individual houses. Either one of these technologies can, in the right conditions, provide so much energy that not only is the house's energy needs met, but the owners can sell the excess energy back to the power company. Plus, these technologies create no pollution. It’s usually best to place your counterargument in the middle of your essay. Do not make up facts, do not assume things to be true if you don’t know for certain (i.e., “All the students think this is a bad idea.”)

15. III.Body Paragraph 2: A.State one reason why other people might think your main idea is wrong (counter-argument) B.Immediately follow up with an argument that explains why they are wrong and you are right (second argument supporting your thesis) C.Explain how this argument helps prove your main idea is the right one D.Give examples or illustrations of the argument 1.Real-world, actual examples are best. 2.Hypothetical (made-up but realistic) examples are another option For more suggestions about writing a persuasive piece, click here.

16. Compositional Risk: Shifting Times and Events Use in: Narratives (medium risk) Risk: Can confuse your readers Shifting the times and events in your story can make it much more interesting. Instead of telling the entire story in a chronological or linear fashion, you can have events jumping around. Of course, if you don't do this in a thoughtful way, your reader will be confused and think you can't tell a story. ALL OF THESE TECHNIQUE are indicated in writing by SKIPPING A LINE (which is why you shouldn't skip lines between paragraphs in regular writing). Changing Setting: Jumping from one setting to another in the story without having the narrator explain how the change happened. This could include changing the LOCATION - having the characters skip through the travel scenes and simply be where they need to be. This requires the author to keep track of how much time has elapsed for the characters and incorporate that information into what is happening in the story (the characters didn't go from New Jersey to Hawaii in ten minutes). Setting also includes TIME. Two common shifts in time are the flashback and the flashforward. Flashback: A writing device in which the narrator interrupts the action to jump backwards to events that occurred before the beginning of the story. These jumps provide information about the current situation, helping to clarify for the reader how the characters ended up in their current positions. Flashforward: A writing device in which the narrator interrupts the action to jump forward to events that occur after the end of the story. Tells a single story, but provides information about what happened AFTER the “end” of the story. This is a difficult technique to pull off because the sudden jump can confuse the reader. Bigger risk: After the story moves ahead to the future of the characters, it could come back to the “present” again as a way to demonstrate an ironic moment. Also difficult because it can ruin the suspense of the story - showing where things end up later, then coming back to the present, leaves the reader with knowledge that the characters don’t have.

17. Changing Narrator or Point of View: Changing the narrator of the story is unexpected and can provide a different perspective on the events in the story - going from the good guy's point of view to the bad guy's might reveal that the bad guy sees the good guy as being the bad guy. But, as you can see, that can be confusing to the reader. Within the narrator change, you might also add another layer and change the point of view, shifting from first person to third person. Again, this can be very confusing to the reader. While you can directly jump from one narrator or POV to another, a more subtle and easier-to-understand method is to use a framing story. Framing Story: Writing a story with a frame creates a story within a story. For example, a tale of kids gathered around a campfire often frames another story being told by one of the kids. It's like a picture frame around a picture - it is not the main point, it just helps focus attention. Frame stories should be complete stories within themselves, though they're not usually as interesting or detailed as the story they are framing. A framing story is often connected to or interwoven with the story it frames. One difficulty with this technique is coming up with an interesting ending for both of the stories.

18. Compositional Risk: Varied Sentence Structure Use in: Narratives or Essays (both big risks) Risk: Incorrect grammar, punctuation, or sentence structure can cost you points Using many different types and kinds of sentences in your writing demonstrates to the reader that you know the rules of writing. Once you've shown that you understand the rules, you can show your understanding of when it's okay to break the rules. Subject not first: Most sentences are built with the subject as one of the first words, followed by the predicate and other phrases. Changing this order can seem strange, but that strangeness can add emphasis, drawing the reader's attention to particularly important points. No matter how you twist the sentence, remember that it has to still be grammatically correct. Example1 : Bob went to the store. ==> To the store Bob went. Example 2: Luke is wise in the ways of the Force. ==> Wise in the ways of the force Luke is. Example 3: Ted went to the store. ==> To the store went Ted.

19. Varied length: The length of sentences can tell the reader as much as what the sentences say. Long compound sentences keep the reader's eyes moving, which can help convey sequences of action. Example 1: I ran through the woods and down to the old wooden bridge with my pulse pounding in my ears and my feet flying as fast as I could make them go; behind me, I could hear my pursuers coming closer, practically breathing down my neck. Short sentences make the reader's eyes stop frequently, suggesting stop-and-go movement in the writing. Example 2: I stopped short. There was a bear on the bridge. It was looking right at me. I tried to decide what to do.

20. Medium length sentences are good for providing information. Varying the length of sentences also gives you a chance to show your command of punctuation. You can work in commas, semi-colons, colons, ellipses, and dashes to help make your point. Example 3: I know that it seems impossible - I was there and I still don't believe it - and yet, it must have happened; how else can you explain such an amazing assortment of treasures: diamonds, rubies, gold coins, a silver crown, an original copy of Mozart's Third Sonata... Fragments for effect: Although sentence fragments are not grammatically correct, sometimes you need to break the rules to emphasize your point. Example: I stood at the top of the hill and look around, taking in the amazing sights. A golden field. A giant forest, now bigger than my palm. The dark tower that was my goal on the horizon.

21. Controlled compound and complex sentences: Again, this is a chance to show that you not only know how to make compound and complex sentences, but that you know when they should (and should not) be used for best effect. If you are varying the length of your sentences, you are probably, by default, creating compound and complex sentences. The key word here is "controlled" - you don't want long sentences simply running amok; even if you're not creating run-on sentences (always a danger), there is such a thing as a grammatically-correct sentence that is just too long.

22. Compositional Risk: Rhetorical Questions Use in: Essays Risk: This is a difficult maneuver to pull off successfully The word "rhetoric" refers to the use of words and language to communicate clearly and effectively and to influence the thoughts of an audience. Rhetorical questions are questions that a speaker or writer asks an audience as a way to get the audience thinking about a specific topic in a specific way. They are phrased so that most sensible people will arrive at a specific answer, an answer that the writer already knows before he or she even asks the question. For example, in a discussion about whether or not solar power should be more widely used, one might ask, "Which is better: having free electricity given to you, or having to pay someone else to create electricity?" Obviously, the author expects the audience to answer that free is better. This serves as a way for the author to make a point about the topic and to get the reader to agree with the author's opinions right away. It's a sneaky and subtle way of getting an audience on your side.

23. After posing a rhetorical question, DO NOT refer to the reader; instead, move on with making your point. You may want to acknowledge how most people would answer that question, or you may want to just explain your opinion on the topic (without using "I", which means writing your opinion as though it was simply a fact, being sure to clearly explain why this particular opinion makes so much sense). Rhetorical questions need to strike a balance between being too simplistic and too elevated. The former insults your audience, as it implies that you think they might not know the correct answer. On the other hand, if the question is too difficult, your audience will be confused and might miss your point. Rhetorical questions are sometimes most effective when they are used to mislead the audience. The author asks a question that seems to have a very obviously correct answer, then carefully explains, through several thoughtful reasons and examples, why that "obvious" answer is incorrect. This can backfire spectacularly, but when it works, it is very impressive.

24. Compositional Risks: Motif and Revisiting Introductory Ideas in the Conclusion Use in: Narratives or Essays (both big risks) Risk: Difficult technique; reader may find it repetitious A motif is a theme or concept that is used to shape the word choice and direction of a piece of writing. It is used as a focus for the entire piece of writing, IN ADDITION TO the main topic that is being discussed, although it actually has nothing to do with the main topic. In a way, a motif is very similar to an extended metaphor, but it is not as direct in its comparisons; a motif is similar to an allegory, but in reverse - instead of disguising a topic by telling a story about it (as an allegory does), a motif is an idea that happens to fit with a pre-existing idea or situation. Example: Essay with a motif Revisiting an introductory idea in the conclusion can be difficult because you need to have something different to say in both places, and it has to be relevant to the rest of your writing about the topic. Example: Revisiting an introductory idea in the closing

25. Compositional Risks: Well-paced and Well-used Data • Use in: Narratives (huge risk) or Essays (big risk) • Risk: Difficult to have handy during writing; Temptation to "invent" data; Difficult to smoothly integrate • Data is factual information from a reliable source. It is NOT something you made up that you think sounds convincing. It is REAL, FACTUAL information, not an opinion. • When writing an essay, utilizing data can help you convince your reader that your point of view is correct (persuasive) or that you know what you are talking about (explanatory, expository). • In a story, effective use of real data can make your fiction seem more real. • This is a risk in timed writing - the main difficulty with incorporating data into your writing is that you often don't have the ability to do research while writing a timed essay or story. This means you must rely on facts that you have memorized. However, if you have the time to do research on your topic, utilizing data can make your writing much more effective (but it's much less of a risk). • As an example, writing, "There are lots of cars in world," is not only obvious, it's weak - there's nothing for readers to picture or quantify.

26. But being able to say, "According to a report by Ward's Auto, there were over one billion cars in use on the planet in 2010; and a researcher at the University of California estimated in 2009 that in China alone, over 1,500 more cars are added to roads every day" not only provides specific details for your reader to be able to imagine, but also helps to set up your writing to make an important point. • These are facts and statistics that seem unbelievable, but your reader can fact-check them to confirm they are correct. • NEVER MAKE UP STATISTICS, especially ones like, "9 out of 10 students say..." These are obviously fake, especially when used on timed essay writings on surprise prompts that do not allow you the ability to survey the student body, or to have pre-surveyed before the writing. In such a situation, you have just proved you are a liar, which undermines the credibility of the rest of your writing.

27. The phrase well-paced refers to both how smoothly you incorporate the data into your writing and whether you include roughly equal amounts of data throughout your writing. • Smoothness: Incorporating facts into your writing requires the use of transitions. You can't write a sentence, drop in a random fact, then write another sentence - you have to blend the data in with what you are writing by explaining where the data comes from and why it is important. • Equality: Having one paragraph that is full of facts, then no more facts in any other paragraphs, is not good pacing - it will be very jarring to the reader; the fact-filled paragraph suggests that all the paragraphs will be similar. Having two facts in one paragraph, one fact in the second, and another fact in the third is much more even, and sets your reader up with a better expectation of what to expect from each paragraph - some facts, and some explanation of what those facts mean and why they are important. • The phrase well-used refers to how effective and relevant the facts you include are. Tossing in facts to say you did it is not enough; the information you include has to be relevant to helping you prove your point. If you are writing about how pollution is hurting the planet, throwing in data about how many words are in Webster's Collegiate Dictionary is not relevant, even if it is factually correct. However, if you could take an obscure-seeming fact that seems like it has nothing to do with your writing topic and quickly and cleanly show the reader that there is, in fact, a connection, that would be very clever (if it worked - if not, it ruins your writing). • Integrating data into a story is a tremendous risk, because it's also a shift in rhetorical mode - you are going from telling a story (narrative) to give facts and information (essay).

28. Compositional Risk: Vivid Description Use in: Narratives (less risk) or Essays (medium risk) Risk: It can be hard to find the balance between "not enough" and "too much" Any time you write, you should always try to include clear, easy to understand descriptions that let your reader see exactly what you're talking about. You can't describe every second and every item in strenuous detail you have to pick-and-choose the most important parts of your writing, carefully selecting to describe parts that will have the most impact for the reader and which are most important to your story or essay. No matter what you describe or how you go about it, it's always a good idea to consider using figurative language. Also think about using COMPARISONS (similes, metaphors, other analogies), and considering how the vivid details impact the characters emotions as well as their senses. When describing physical objects or situations, you should think about including descriptions of the following areas: Color: Don't just say "green", be specific about what shade or hue, and feel free to get into some similes and metaphors or other comparisons to help the reader picture it exactly as you see it in your head. Example: The leaves of the tree in spring were glittering emeralds, shimmering in the light; in places, the green was as dark as a shadow at midnight, while in others, it sparkled like LED beacons.

29. Size: As with color, be specific and give easy-to-relate-to comparisons that allow the reader to get a strong mental image of what you're describing. Example: Instead of saying, "The horse was big"... My father, a tall man, was dwarfed by the horse; his head barely reached the beast's shoulders. It had to be nearly ten feet tall from the ground to the tip of its ears. Number: This requires walking a fine line; you don't have to say, "There were 4,692 flies buzzing around the rotten fruit," but you also want to say more than, "There were a few flies" if there were a large number of them. You can use descriptions of the situation and comparisons to help the reader get an idea of the number without actually having to specify a single number (besides, who knows what 4,692 flies actually looks like?). Example: So many flies were buzzing around and landing on the rotten fruit that, if I hadn't known what I was looking at, I would have thought some sort of noisy smoke cloud as large as a compact car was sitting before me, making it difficult to see past the spot.

30. Sound: Nowhere is comparison and analogy more important than when discussing sound. There are few words that can accurately capture volume, and people have a very wide range of tolerances for sound that one person's "loud" is another person's "inaudible". Example: Instead of saying, "The music was loud"... The music coming out of the speakers caused Jim's insides to shake and rumble. Items on his shelves were bouncing in time to the beat, getting ready to jump to the floor, which itself was vibrating. Mood/emotion: The word "happy" is rather weak, descriptively; it doesn't really provide much in the way of intensity. A person who finds a penny might be happy, as might a person who wins ten million dollars in the lottery, but they're probably not feeling the same level or degree of that emotion. Many emotive words are similar. Again, the use of comparison can help quantify for the reader the type and intensity of emotion. Example: Instead of saying, "Marco was very sad"... Marco felt himself being pulled down in a whirlpool of depression; he could feel it sucking him deeper and deeper into darkness, choking off whatever breaths of happiness he tried to draw to help sustain him. The deeper he went, the harder it pulled at him, until all he could feel was the crushing, numbing pain.

31. Compositional Risks: Authorial Voice Use in: Narratives and Essays Risk: Difficult technique to pull off successfully Generally, the idea of "voice" in writing refers to how interesting the writing is to read, how well it grabs and holds the audience. It's difficult to identify exactly what gives a piece of writing "voice," but writing that has it is instantly recognizable as belonging to a specific author. Voice has a lot to do with technical aspects like word choice, phrasing, sentence construction, and themes. There are also other aspects to voice: Quirkiness - Refers to how individual and different a piece of writing is. Something that is quirky stands out because it is different (hopefully in a good way, but not always).

32. Perception - Refers to the perspective of the writer. A unique perspective or noticing something most people wouldn't provides your writing with a specialness most others cannot match. Imprint of self - This is the almost-impossible-to-pin-down quality in a piece of writing that makes it very clear to a reader that this writing had to come from you; no one else could have produced this piece. The technical aspects mentioned above (word choice, phrasing, sentence construction, and themes) have a lot to do with it. Surprise - It's difficult to do something completely unexpected in a piece of writing in a way that captures the reader's attention and makes the reader think, in a positive way, about what you have done. Humor - Probably the most difficult part of voice to pull off, because what one person finds funny, another might consider not at all funny, even offensive. However, if you can inject some humor into your writing, your reader will find your work much more interesting.