Writing Techniques I Wish I Knew Earlier (Mark Forsyth Interview)

Main ideas / lessons

• Great writing relies on “figures of rhetoric”—repeatable, memorable techniques (even if they have Greek names) used by writers and artists across eras: Shakespeare, Jesus, Moses, and also Taylor Swift, The Beatles, Churchill, Obama, Lincoln, etc.
• Purpose of rhetoric figures: not to say something wholly new, but to make phrasing stick in the mind, increasing memorability, pleasure, rhythm, and playfulness.
• Rhetoric as “rephrasing a single sentence”: these devices work at the level of sentence/phrase structure—making language feel natural, musical, and emotionally compelling.
• Write to enchant (not just to be efficient):
  • Traditional schooling often pushes writing that is “plainest/most efficient.”
  • Forsyth argues this is like “dressing for efficiency” or eating Soylent instead of real food: it misses what language is for—beauty, humanity, and enchantment.
• Judgment and balance matter: used lightly, these techniques add spice; overused, they become “baroque/rococo” and can sound forced.
• Poetry and rhetoric share mechanisms: poetry is full of rhetorical structure; students often damage it by turning it into detached analysis. Instead, understand through sound, rhythm, and context.
• Reading/performing matters: poetry should be read aloud (even under your breath) to feel meter/rhythm—like music—rather than relying on over-intellectual explanation.

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Techniques and how they work

1) Polyptoton

• What it is: Using the same word (or root) in different grammatical roles (different parts of speech).
• How it works (pattern):
  • The word appears in different forms/roles within the same sentence/phrase.
  • Common structure: “X [verb] … the X [noun] …”
• When to use it:
  • When you want a phrase to lock into memory through recognizable repetition with a meaning-shift.
  • Useful in titles and short slogans (e.g., “Dream the dream” style).
• Why it’s good:
  • Memorable because readers notice the “same word, different job.”
  • Adds playful verbal motion without needing new information.

Examples referenced

• Shakespeare: “alters … alteration”
• Shakespeare: “remover to remove” (similar root used differently)
• Macbeth: “handle … hand”
• Taylor Swift: “play play … hate hate … shake shake”
• Yeats: “dreamers of dreams”
• Jesus / Lord’s Prayer: “trespasses … trespass” and “day … daily”

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2) Isocolon

• What it is: Two (or more) phrases of the same length placed against each other.
• How it works (pattern):
  • Phrases match in structural similarity, length, and cadence.
  • Often creates a balanced, “reasonable” sound.
• When to use it:
  • For rhythmic balance and clear contrast.
• Why it’s good:
  • Produces symmetry and a pleasant buildup in the reader’s ear.

Example referenced

• “Not because it’s easy, but because it’s hard” (presented as near-symmetric structure)

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3) Chiasmus

• What it is: Symmetrical reversal of structure (A–B–B’–A’) that creates a mirrored, satisfying twist.
• How it works (pattern):
  • Two clauses/phrases arranged so key elements “swap” positions.
  • Common pattern: “X … Y / Y … X”
• When to use it:
  • To create beauty + memorability through symmetry.
  • When you want a punchy reversal that “clicks.”
• Why it’s good:
  • The mirrored arrangement makes the phrase feel complete and memorable.

Examples referenced

• JFK: “Ask not … but what you can do…”
• “mankind must put an end to war before war puts an end to mankind” (symmetry noted)
• Snoop Dogg: “my mind on my money and my money on my mind”
• Mentioned as part of discussions around cadence and structure

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4) Tricolon (Rule of Three)

• What it is: Grouping ideas in threes (“the good, the bad, and the ugly”).
• How it works (pattern):
  • Often: two setups + a third that twists/surprises.
  • Sometimes all three are parallel; sometimes the third breaks the pattern.
• When to use it:
  • For storytelling, jokes, speeches, moral/visual summaries, and memorable lists.
• Why it’s good:
  • Humans like patterns in threes.
  • Rhythm creates expectation; the twist creates memorability.

Examples referenced

• “Good, the bad, and the ugly”
• French Revolution: “liberty, equality, fraternity”
• Nazis: “Ein Reich, Ein Volk, Ein Führer”
• Folk tale structure: three brothers; younger succeeds
• Blood/sweat/tears:
  • Memory-based refinement noted: “blood, sweat, and tears” from a longer version
• Obama: “of the people, by the people, for the people”
• Lincoln: similar structure (“Government of the people, by the people, for the people…”)

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5) Anaphora

• What it is: Repeating the same word/phrase at the start of successive sentences/clauses.
• How it works (pattern):
  • Sentence openings repeat: “We shall fight… We shall fight… We shall fight…”
• When to use it:
  • When rallying people, building a crowd, or creating a trance-like rhythm.
• Why it’s good:
  • Creates rhythm, predictability, and emotional momentum—even if the content is grim.

Examples referenced

• Obama: “Can we do it? Yes, we can.”
• Churchill: repeated “We shall fight…” plus “never surrender”
• Ecclesiastes: “A time to be born… a time to die… a time to weep…”

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6) Epistrophe (ending repetition)

• What it is: Repeating the same word(s) at the end of successive sentences/clauses.
• How it works (pattern):
  • “…X. …X. …X.”
• When to use it:
  • For tightening rhythm and reinforcing the key idea at each line’s closure.
• Why it’s good:
  • Reinforces memory through repeated final emphasis.

Example referenced

• Obama: “Yes, we can” as an ending repetition pattern

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7) Apostrophe / chorus-structure repetition (as described in the interview)

• What it is (as used in the discussion): A pattern resembling verse/chorus structure—sections return to the same repeated phrase, creating a cyclical, obsessive landing.
• How it works (pattern):
  • Different verse content, but each section ends (or returns) to the same repeated phrase.
• When to use it:
  • In lyric-like writing, slogans, refrains, hooks.
• Why it’s good:
  • Creates a “stuck in place” feeling or intentional obsessive return.

Examples referenced

• “Jailhouse Rock” ending (verse leads to repeated chorus landing)
• Sting: “Every Breath You Take…” (repeated ending structure)
• The discussion of “Yesterday” (bookends/repeat endings within verses)

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8) Synesthesia

• What it is: Describing one sense using language from another sense (e.g., smell described visually).
• How it works (pattern):
  • Take Sense A (smell/taste) → map it onto Sense B (look/sound/feel), creating a surprising bridge.
• When to use it:
  • When you want emotional impact and vividness beyond literal description.
• Why it’s good:
  • “Hard” senses like smell become memorable when expressed cross-sensorily.

Examples referenced

• Raymond Chandler: “She smelled the way the Taj Mahal looks by moonlight.”
• Advice framed as: jump between taste/looks/smell using unexpected adjectives.

Implementation tip given

• “Take two senses and try and jump from one to the other.”

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9) Personification

• What it is: Giving human traits/actions to non-human concepts (time, death, jealousy, etc.).
• How it works (pattern):
  • Treat an abstract force like a character.
  • Creative escalation can drift toward allegory.
• When to use it:
  • To create vivid images and emotional resonance.
• Why it’s good:
  • Forces the reader to “see” the concept as an entity; creates memorable imagery.

Examples referenced

• Shakespeare’s jealousy: “green-eyed monster…”
• Shakespeare imagery for death (skeleton/dragging-off summarized)
• Note that fun personification can “grow into allegory”

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10) Paradox (including veridical paradox)

• What it is: A statement that seems to contradict itself or “doesn’t make sense,” but is meaningful.
• How it works (pattern):
  • Use inversion/contradiction to provoke thought and stick in memory.
  • Often becomes more memorable when it sounds like nonsense on the first pass.
• When to use it:
  • For memorable observations; avoid overuse.
• Why it’s good:
  • Forces mental engagement; creates a “chew on it” effect.

Examples referenced

• Oscar Wilde: “The only thing worse than being talked about is not being talked about.”
• Oscar Wilde: “All women become like their mothers…”
• George Bernard Shaw: “In this world, there are only two tragedies…”
• “The sound of silence”
• Jesus statements discussed as functioning as paradox/chiasmus together (e.g., first/last reversal)

Veridical paradox (definition given)

• A paradox that turns out to be true (often discussed in mathematics), contrasted with insoluble paradoxes like “This statement is a lie.”

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11) Hyperbole (and Adynaton)

• What it is: Overstatement “going too far” for dramatic effect.
• How it works (pattern):
  • Push a claim beyond literal truth so the exaggeration is obviously intentional.
  • Adynaton is a type of hyperbole with an explicitly impossible scenario.
• When to use it:
  • For satire, emphasis, humor, and vivid description.
• Why it’s good:
  • When it’s obviously a lie, it communicates more forcefully and more clearly.

Examples referenced

• “when pigs fly,” “when hell freezes over”
• W. H. Auden poem example: extravagant escalation (ending in impossible natural events)
• Satire advice: “go far enough with the bit” so it doesn’t sound uncertain

Related example

• Hammett-style: shadowing a drop of salt water from Golden Gate to Hong Kong (impossible → indicates exceptional ability)

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12) Scesis onomaton (dropping the main verb)

• What it is: A rhetorical style where you omit the main verb, breaking the usual expectation that a sentence must have a main verb.
• How it works (pattern):
  • Short, punchy nominal phrases; rhythm replaces standard grammar.
• When to use it:
  • In titles and hard-hitting openings.
• Why it’s good:
  • Creates impact: “bang,” like striking a table.

Examples referenced

• Dickens: Bleak House opening: “London.” (one-word sentence)
• Star Trek: “Space, the final frontier.”
• Churchill: “In victory, magnanimity; in defeat, defiance.”
• Framed as why it works especially well for titles

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13) Grammar / glamour metaphor (writing as magic)

• Key idea: “grammar” and “glamour” share a root/history connection (as presented), implying writing has spell-like power.
• Claim/lesson: language on the page can enchant the reader like magic spells—so rhetoric works as controlled enchantment.

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Poetry-related methodology (practical advice)

• Read poetry aloud (even quietly) to feel rhythm—especially iambic pentameter:
  • Typical beat: da-DUM repeated (da dum, da dum…).
• Don’t insert dramatic pauses that break the meter.
• Use rhythm as the entry point:
  • Tap a foot or fingers to keep the beat.
• Context beats analysis:
  • Don’t treat poetry/song as homework for detached essays.
  • Understand where a poem/song “belongs” culturally (e.g., a party song is for parties, not silent academic performance).
• Poetry education can ruin the experience if it’s only studied out of context; instead, restore the “perform” function.

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Notable examples and who they’re attributed to (as cited)

• Shakespeare
• Oscar Wilde
• Jesus (biblical quotations, including the Lord’s Prayer; “born again” referenced)
• Moses’ wife (“stranger in a strange land” referenced)
• Taylor Swift
• The Beatles (“Please, Please Me”; also “please me” vs “Dream a little dream of me” discussed)
• W. B. Yeats
• Macbeth / Shakespeare (sonnets and quoted lines referenced)
• JFK (inauguration speech and “ask not…” symmetry examples)
• Snoop Dogg
• Obama (victory speech; “Yes we can”; “Can we do it?” pattern)
• Lincoln (“government of the people, by the people, for the people…”)
• Churchill (“We shall fight…” and other aphoristic lines)
• Ecclesiastes (“time for everything”; also anaphora rhythm)
• Charles Dickens (Bleak House; “London.” example)
• Winston Churchill (blood/toil/tears & sweat quote correction)
• Jilly Cooper (writing advice about using all senses per chapter)
• Raymond Chandler (synesthesia line)
• John Donne (labor pun line)
• Crystal Gayle (“Don’t it make my brown eyes blue” pun)
• Simon & Garfunkel (“sound of silence”)
• Martin Luther King Jr. (“I have a dream” as anaphora)
• Cultural references (e.g., Shakespeare/Casablanca imagery such as “Of all the joints…”)
• W. H. Auden (hyperbole example)
• Dashiell Hammett (private detective line attributed)
• Star Trek (catchphrase referenced)
• Example of “Yesterday” (Lennon/McCartney dispute)

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Speakers / sources featured

• Mark Forsyth (interviewee; author of Elements of Eloquence; also referenced as having written Rhyme and Reason)
• Interviewer / host (unnamed in subtitles; asks questions and provides commentary)
• Named external sources referenced in examples/quotes:
  • William Shakespeare, Oscar Wilde, Jesus, Moses’ wife, Taylor Swift, The Beatles, W. B. Yeats
  • The Bible / Ecclesiastes, John F. Kennedy, Snoop Dogg, Barack Obama, Abraham Lincoln
  • Winston Churchill, Martin Luther King Jr., Charles Dickens, Raymond Chandler
  • Jilly Cooper, John Donne, Crystal Gayle, Simon & Garfunkel
  • W. H. Auden, Dashiell Hammett, Paul McCartney, John Lennon
  • Monty Hall problem (scenario described)
  • Star Trek (catchphrase referenced)