Whether you set out to do it intentionally or not, you have probably used some type of literary device in your writing. Most middle and high schools spend time teaching at least a few of them, but chances are you haven’t reviewed them since then.

Consider this, then, your refresher course for literary devices, which is simply a fancy term for techniques used to give meaning to, and otherwise emphasize, important themes in your writing. Some may prove exceedingly helpful in your writing journey, while others may wind up being your personal writing pet peeves. Either way, it’s often these types of literary flourishes that add a sense of personality and unique flavor to every author.

Metaphor
Let’s start with the device everyone most likely remembers from school, shall we? One of the most commonly used literary devices, a metaphor is simply when an author describes one thing as something else in a direct relationship. “Her smile is the sun” would be an example of a metaphor, where the reader can infer a whole host of emotions and mental images just through a simple sentence.

Simile
You can think of a simile as a metaphor’s sister. While still describing one thing as something else, the relationship is not direct. Instead, there must be a comparison word used (usually “like” or “as”). Piggybacking off the example of a metaphor above, you can easily turn that into a simile by saying, “Her smile is like the sun.” While it still conveys those emotions and mental images, it can be argued that similes are less forceful than metaphors.

Flashbacks
This type of literary device involves abruptly shifting the plot line back to the past, where a significant scene or event is shown. Flashbacks can be used for a variety of reasons, such as providing background context for a certain character or situation, demonstrating why a character is reacting in a specific way to an event in the present, or building suspense between what happened then and what is happening now. Just keep in mind that it can be easy to overuse flashbacks, which may confuse readers more than enlighten them.

Foreshadowing
Anyone who has read or written a thriller novel knows the power that foreshadowing can have. This is when an author drops little clues about what will happen next without making it too obvious. Particularly astute readers may pick up on the hints, making it fun for them to keep reading to see if they’re correct. Those who simply go with the narrative flow (like myself) may completely overlook the clues until the end of the story—at which point, if done well, we’ll frantically flip back through the pages and be in complete disbelief that we didn’t pick up on them earlier!

Pathetic Fallacy
Here is a literary device that you want to be careful about. This is when human emotions—specifically the internal feelings of a character—bleed into inanimate objects or nature. While this is most commonly seen in terms of weather—a happy character basks in sunshine and blue sky or a depressed character notices the dark and gloomy storm clouds on the horizon—it is also often seen in an author’s descriptions of architecture. Think a dark or dilapidated mansion alongside a character in emotional distress or a scared or stressed character passing by a barking, aggressive dog. If done intentionally, pathetic fallacy can help build the mood of the novel. If clumsily done, it can earn an eye roll from readers for being too obvious.

Symbolism
English literature classes around the world would come to a screeching halt if symbolism wasn’t one of the most favored literary devices of all time. This is when an object or person is used to represent something else less tangible, like an idea, movement, or feeling. One of the most famous examples of symbolism is the bright green light in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby. While the characters can see it across the water, it always remains distant and out of reach—just like Jay Gatsby’s object of desire, Daisy Buchanan.

Irony
This is another literary device that involves contrasting a character’s or a reader’s expectations with reality. There are three main subsets of irony: verbal, in which someone says something but really means something else; situational, in which an event that actually happens in the book is a far cry from what the characters in the book expect to happen; and dramatic, in which the reader has more knowledge of an event or a person than the character in the book does. Irony can be a handy way of injecting some dry humor into an otherwise straightforward situation.

Unreliable narrator
Another favorite method of the thriller genre, an unreliable narrator is exactly that—a character narrating the story who, as it turns out, cannot be trusted to relay details about other characters or events in an accurate or truthful way. This literary device is often used to produce some of the best twist endings in which the truth is finally revealed and everything the reader thought was true is turned on its head.

Spoiler alert: Amy Dunne’s journal entries in Gillian Flynn’s Gone Girl is a solid modern example—you learn halfway through the book that everything you thought you knew about this character based on her own words was a complete and utter lie. Unreliable narrators tend to throw readers off-balance, forcing them to confront their own assumptions and complacency.

Andrea Moran lives outside of Nashville with her husband and two kids. She’s a professional copywriter and editor who loves all things books. Find her on LinkedIn.