7 Writing Tips From Dickens’ Writings

1. Opening sentences. He used gripping opening sentences to grab the

attention of his readers. One of his openings has even become a classic line,
“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times,” the first line from “The
Tale of Two Cities.”

2. Powerful endings. He used cliff hangers at the end of his chapters to

leave his readers hanging. In those days, chapters were released one at a
time and people would line up to get the next installment because they were
so eager to find out what happened next.

3. Vivid descriptions. Here’s an example. “She was dressed in rich

materials – satins, and lace, and silks – all of white. Her shoes were white.
And she had a long white veil dependent from her hair, and she had bridal
flowers in her hair, but her hair was white. Some bright jewels sparkled on
her neck and on her hands, and some other jewels lay sparkling on the
table.” (Great Expectations. Ch.8.) His descriptions gave the reader ability
to feel, see, smell and hear the people and scenes. Stories came alive
through his descriptions.

4. Strong characters. Dickens was a master at creating characters who

linger in our minds and have become a part of our culture such as Ebenezer
Scrooge. “Bah, humbug” has even become part of our language.

5. Drama. He used action and dialogue in such a way that pulled the reader
into the story. His novels were easily made into movies because of his
mastery of dramatic techniques.

6. Social justice writing. He used the pen to confront the evils of the day and
sway public opinion. He raised the level of awareness of injustice through
the use of his stories.

7. Transformed his personal suffering into helping others. He used his own
life experiences and misery to be able to help others in similar situations.