Writing to Entertain

Writing to Entertain

The following English techniques are used to entertain the audience in different ways:

·         The unexpected

·         Cliffhangers

·         Knowing something the character doesn’t

·         Humour/ horror/ suspense

·         Realistic, three-dimensional characters

·         Life or death situations

·         Events or places that we would otherwise not know about (eg. Space, submarine, back in time)

·         Short sentences for tension or action

·         Precise adjectives to show the writer’s mood

·         Power of three to describe

·         Lots of detail

·         Repetition for effect

·         Choice of words (eg. Mellifluous voice)

·         Use of action verbs to make it fast paced

·         Longer sentences for detail and a slower pace/ tension

·         Dialogue

·         Showing how the character feels

·         Delaying the climax to build up tension

Read the following extract from Jane Eyre and look at what techniques are used to build suspense:

This was a demoniac laugh- low, suppressed and deep- uttered, as it seemed, at the very keyhole of my chamber door. The head of my bed was near the door, and I thought at first the goblin-laughter stood at my bedside- or rather, crouched on my pillow…