Nope, this isn’t an English class … but some of the writing techniques we learned in school can totally kick our digital scrap layouts up a notch! This week I want to share one of my favorite writing technqiues — alliteration.
So what is alliteration? Well, if you ask Merriam-Webster, this is how they define it: “the repetition of usually consonant sounds in two or more neighboring words or syllables”
Pretty good definition, but I always find that examples make it easier to understand. How about you? Here are the examples they gave:
wild and woolly
threatening throngs
Tongue Twisters are great examples of alliteration:
Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.
A peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked.
If Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers,
how many pickled peppers did Peter Piper pick?
She sells sea shells by the seashore.
And the shells she sells are surely sea shells.
Since she sells shells by the seashore,
I’m sure the shells she sells are seashore shells.
How does alliteration apply to journaling? Well, journaling is like telling a story … you’re sharing part of the journey, and it’s always more enjoyable to read something that was written with intent. Writing techniques made your English papers and poetry better … why not give them a try in scrapping?
Want to see it in action? Check out this layout:
(Credits: Going Green by Amanda Heimann and SuzyQ Scraps; Storyteller Templates #3 by SuzyQ Scraps)
Here’s the journaling, with the alliterative parts bolded:
“Oh goodness!” you yelled as you ran into the kitchen. You yanked on my arm & pulled me outside, over to your trains on the sidewalk. You knelt down beside James, repeating “Oh goodNESS!” & “Tracks!” … then a little anxious ant appeared & you gave a sigh and said “Sorries!” I burst out laughing as I realized that you thought the ant was trapped on the tracks. What a cutie you are!
The words don’t have to be right next to each other … it’s okay if they’re separated by a word or two, like with “sigh and said ‘Sorries!’” and “trapped on the tracks.”
Give alliteration a try in your next layout, and then link me up — I’d love to see what you create!
