I used this technique when writing my first novel, Giant Slugs. The opening sentence of it is:
We’ll all follow the finer taboos, the tattoos of a pro percussionist’s tom-toms.
To whit:
- We’ll all < wall (every chapter in GS starts with a play on that word)
- pro percussionist < proper
- percussionist’s tom-toms < custom
Thus, the sentence contains the line “We’ll all follow the finer taboos and proper customs.”
I used this technique a lot in writing the novel, but the only other example I can think of at the moment is the line “Wisdom draped from them like clad oaks.” The draped trees therein were originally “cloaks.”
I don’t think anyone will ever really notice this or care, but I had a really great time writing Giant Slugs, and hopefully that pleasure and playfulness comes through.
[…] at my my personal blog, I’ll put up some examples of how I used the technique when writing my first novel, Giant Slugs. Until […]
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