Lewis Carroll

This week's writing tips come from Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, better known by his pen name Lewis Carroll, an English writer of children's fiction, most notably Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and its sequel Through the Looking-Glass.

One of the elements most people will remember from Alice’s Adventures In Wonderland or Alice Through The Looking Glass has less to do with words and more with illustrations.

Do you remember the images alongside the text? The depiction of the Queen Of Hearts?

Illustrations have power. As a writer, never forget that illustrations or diagrams can augment your book, even when it’s fiction.

Cover art and illustrations can make an impact and either help readers to read your writing (or not).

Fantastical elements refer to things (usually from fiction) that cannot possibly exist in physical reality. Things like the Jabberwocky, the Queen Of Hearts, and Stephen King’s IT – hopefully.

Carroll often pulled in fantasy elements to create unforgettable worlds and characters. Thousands of other writers do the same, from Neil Gaiman to
Roald Dahl.

Carroll’s works form the origin of many modern words accepted into dictionaries (or at least embraced into widespread usage) today.

Words like "chortled" and "vorpal" stem from Carroll.

Writers shouldn’t necessarily rush to make up their own words for every story, but writers can learn more creative language by studying original terms.