Creative Writing

Using poetic techniques to improve your

stories
Do Now
 Take the poetic language device sheet and see what you can
fill in.

 This gives you and me an idea of what you already know and
what you need to learn.
What are we learning?
 To identify poetic techniques meanings/definitions
 To identify poetic techniques in a poem
 To use poetic techniques to improve a piece of writing

 What will we do:

 Take a quiz about poetic techniques
 Find some poetic techniques in a poem
 Re write a short paragraph
Creative Writing
You are working on developing your creative writing skills.

We are going to focus on:

1) Identifying Poetic language techniques (we use to create

imagery in writing)
2) Using our senses to provide description that show versus
tell.
Poetic Techniques: Definitions
RHYME - Similarity of sound usually found at the end of lines.
Examples: late/fate; follow/swallow

RHYTHM - is the pace or tempo at which a passage moves. Rhythm

reflects underlying emotion or meaning of a passage. It is created by
the emphasis or stress placed on syllables, or words or groups of
words.

SIMILE - a comparison of two unlike things with one thing in common

using "like" or "as".
Example: The soldier was lion-like in battle

METAPHOR - a comparison of two unlike things with one thing in

common, saying that one thing is the other.
Example: The soldier was a lion in battle.

Thinking
Gathering Managing self
Poetic Techniques: Definitions
PERSONIFICATION - This is a type of metaphor in which an abstract
or inanimate thing is given human qualities.
Example: A wave bursts in anger on a rock

ALLITERATION - The repetition of a sequence of consonant sounds,

usually at the beginnings of words or on accented syllables.
Example: The fair breeze blew, the white foam flew,
The furrow followed free

ASSONANCE- The repetition of similar vowel sounds

Example: Thou foster child of silence and slow time.

ONOMATOPOEIA - Words which sound like the noise they describe.

Example: swish, cuckoo, smack.
 Poetic techniques: Practice

 Click on the link to practise identifying the techniques:

Poetic Techniques Quiz

Thinking
Processing Relating to others
Using language text and symbols
Managing self
Participating and contributing
Poetic Techniques: In pairs, identify 7 poetic
techniques from the poem and record examples.
The Lighthouse
The light house, the guardian angel of the night
She shines her light for all the lost sailors passing by
Her beam bright as the sun, flashing through the night sky
Thinking
The lighthouse, a soldier during the storms Relating to others
Using language,
Standing tall, unafraid of the chaos symbols and texts
Her light piercing through the storm like sharp knives Managing self
Participating and
contributing
The light house the night owl of the day
Sleeping and cozzed away until the night
Her beam off as silent as a deer not wanting to be found

Katherine Sessor

Gathering
Processing
Applying
Poetic Techniques: Examples

1) ( The lighthouse, the guardian angle of the night.) – metaphor

2) (Her light piercing through the storm like sharp knives.) –

simile Thinking
Relating to others
3) (The lighthouse, a soldier during the storms.) - metaphor Using language,
symbols and texts
Managing self
Participating and
4) (Her beam bright as the sun.) – alliteration contributing

5) (Her beam off as silent as a deer not wanting to be found .) –

rhythm

6) (The light house the night owl of the day.) – metaphor

7)
Poetic Techniques: Examples (continued)
This is just an extra slide in case you need it.

Thinking
Relating to others
Using language,
symbols and texts
Managing self
Participating and
contributing
Change this piece of writing using poetic
techniques
The idea is create ‘imagery’. Make it seem like the reader is
actually there.

 She walked down to Cathedral square. She saw the

demolished cathedral and she felt sad. It didn’t used to look
like that, before that it was really nice. It used to be tall and
impressive. It used to have a market, she missed that. It
wasn’t very busy, but it used to have lots of people in it.
Writing Rewrite:
She stood in front of what used to be a protector of the night,