Tone & prose style — Creative writing glossary

Abstraction ladder
Moving between concrete detail and abstract summary — balance shapes clarity.
Intermediate
Anaphora
Repetition of a word or phrase at the start of successive clauses.
Advanced
Anthropomorphism
Giving human traits to non-human things — tone choice, not always error.
Intermediate
Asyndeton
Omitting conjunctions between list items for speed or force.
Advanced
Beat repeat
Echoing a phrase or image for emphasis — cousin to anaphora at line level.
Intermediate
Beige prose
Flat, generic prose with little sensory or rhythmic personality.
Intermediate

Cadence

The rhythm of sentences on the page — length, stress, and pause patterns readers feel in their body.

Beginner+1 alias

Cliché

A phrase or image worn smooth by overuse — often a placeholder where specific detail would land harder.

Beginner+1 alias

Concrete noun

Specific, tangible noun choice that anchors abstraction in the physical world.

Beginner

Filter word

Perception verbs that distance the reader (saw, felt, seemed) — trim when the image can stand alone.

Beginner+1 alias

Habit cliché

Personal crutch phrase the author repeats unconsciously across drafts.

Beginner

Hedge filter

Words that soften certainty (maybe, somewhat) — trim when they dull tension.

Intermediate

Image system

Coordinated set of images that reinforce mood and theme across a work.

Intermediate

Info dump

A block of background that stops story motion to teach the reader.

Beginner+1 alias

Passive voice

Construction where the actor is de-emphasized — sometimes right for focus, often flattens urgency.

Beginner+1 alias

Polysyndeton

Extra conjunctions that slow rhythm and pile weight.

Advanced

Prose rhythm

How sentence variety and paragraph shape create musical forward motion or intentional drag.

Beginner+1 alias

Purple prose

Over-ornamented writing where decoration buries clarity.

Intermediate

Register

Formality and vocabulary band — street, courtly, technical, childlike.

Intermediate+1 alias

Sensory detail

Concrete sight, sound, touch, smell, or taste that puts the reader inside the moment.

Beginner+1 alias

Show, don't tell

Let readers infer emotion and situation through action, dialogue, and sensory detail instead of naming feelings outright.

Beginner+1 alias

Showing

Letting readers infer through action, dialogue, and sensory evidence instead of naming the conclusion.

Beginner+1 alias

Telling

Naming emotions, qualities, or outcomes directly — useful for speed but easy to overuse.

Beginner+1 alias

Weak intensifier

Empty amplifiers (very, really) that rarely add force.

Beginner

Abstraction ladder

Anaphora

Anthropomorphism

Asyndeton

Beat repeat

Beige prose

Cadence

Cliché

Concrete noun

Filter word

Habit cliché

Hedge filter

Image system

Info dump

Passive voice

Polysyndeton

Prose rhythm

Purple prose

Register

Sensory detail

Show, don't tell

Showing

Telling

Weak intensifier