I've been meaning to post this for awhile, but I haven't had time until today. So the question is, what is your favorite literary device to use in your writing? Perhaps you love alliteration. Or maybe your thing is similes. Personification? Or better yet, onomatopoeia. I didn't include a poll simply because there are so many options.

What are your thoughts and tastes?

I'm not sure what exactly you mean. Could you explain a bit better?
I know what all these things are, but I think I use them all. I don't really have a favorite. I just write... Maybe with a little more explanation, I could give you a better answer.

Definitely using symbolism. I might not use it terribly much, but it's definitely my favorite literary device.

Sorry if that wasn't clear enough. What I mean is, do you find yourself drawn again and again to one or another. For example, I have a hard time keeping myself from writing too many similes. Another example is personifying everything. So maybe I shouldn't have said favorite, but most used.

Hope that helps.

I'm definitely drawn to allusion...someone very well read would probably pick up hundreds of allusions to other authors and works in my writing, half of which I wouldn't be aware that I made. To me, allusion creates a depth and clarity of meaning (when recognized) that is unparalleled.

In terms of flavor, I really have two different writing voices. In one I rely pretty heavily on metaphor (when coupled with allusion, metaphor is incredibly powerful and can be used to create dozens of layers of meaning). Currently I use this voice only in my short stories.

In the other, which I'm using for my novel, I'm trying to create a very terse, sparse, raw feeling. Metaphor really has no place here. Instead, I bring allusion down to a conversation sort of level, where it is my characters, not me, who are making the allusions, and the allusions are not to outside works but to events within the story, like you and I make in everyday conversations about our private lives. This creates meaningful dialogue without destroying the rawness of my narrative.

So, primarily allusion. Metaphor when I can work it in.

The level you're talking about, similes, alliteration, and the rest, I don't usually use, because to be honest, I don't usually pick up on those things on my first read through. Usually it'll be the third of fourth before I'm getting them.

I wish I was like Frost, and could combine allusion with things like similes and alliteration. Then again, Frostian poems (and his prose, which I recommend) are filled with so many shades of meaning that it makes my mind reel, and I don't want my readers to feel that way.

PERSONIFICATION and SIMILES!!!!!!!!!!!

(Almost wrote "SMILIES" )