What does this have to do with writing? Well, just like with weightlifting, it's often the small changes that can lead to a greater impact in your overall results. Which is why I wanted to talk about regimented sentences, and how we can often fall into a familiar pattern that hampers our writing.
 |
| And none of us are immune to this. |
Before we get into it this week, don't forget to sign up for my weekly newsletter to get all my updates right in your inbox. Also, if you've got a bit of spare cash that you'd like to use to help keep the wheels turning, consider becoming a Patreon patron! To be sure you're following all of my followables, check out my LinkTree!
Lastly, make sure you check out my Vocal archive for several hundred other articles about geek ephemera, weird history, writing, and more!
Your Prose Shouldn't Stand in Regimented Lines
Sentences are the basic building blocks we use to construct our narratives. However, if all your sentences are too similar, they will soon start to blend together. This can lead to writing that feels stilted, samey, and bland. Even if your reader can't quite put their finger on what it is that's bothering them, they're going to know something is wrong.
For an illustrative example of this, check out This Sentence Has 5 Words from Gary Provost.
 |
| We don't need to make these things even. That won't make the book better. |
Most of us don't actually sit down to write regimented sentences; we just fall into patterns. Myself, I tend to drop into the, "The character does a thing, and then we get additional description, with a bit of purple prose tacked on," format. And I can drop one of those in a paragraph before it starts losing impact. Maybe. Though it's better form to pepper in those heavy punches among a lot of shorter sentences. Sort of like fitting an uppercut or a hook in among a bunch of jabs.
Mixed metaphors aside, it's important to change up the feel of your sentences to make sure you reader doesn't get bored consuming the same thing bite, after bite, after bite. Even though words on the page generally look the same, reading the same cadence over and over puts the brain to sleep. It turns your book into a mantra, and that sucks out the pleasure of reading it... especially if you're trying to convey action, intrigue, tension, romance, or really anything else you want your audience to sit up and pay attention to.
After all, you want your readers hungry for more.
Support The Literary Mercenary
For folks who just want to do their part to help keep me making more content, please subscribe/follow me in these locations:
- The Azukail Games YouTube Channel (where I contribute video content)
- My Rumble Channel (longer videos that won't show up on YouTube)
And if you happen to have some spare dosh lying around, and you want to be sure my supply doesn't run low, consider become a Patreon patron, or leaving a tip by Buying Me a Ko-Fi!
Also, consider checking out my show Tabletop Mercenary if you've ever thought about becoming a TTRPG creator, but you want a glimpse behind the curtain before you just jump into the deep end.
Like, Follow, and Come Back Again!
That's all for this week's Craft of Writing! For more of my work, check out my Vocal archive, or at My Amazon Author Page where you can find books like my sci-fi dystopian thriller Old Soldiers, the Hardboiled Cat series about a mystery solving Maine Coon in Marked Territory and Painted Cats, my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife, or my most recent short story collection The Rejects!
And to stay on top of all my latest news and releases, collected once a week, make sure you subscribe to The Literary Mercenary's mailing list.
If you'd like to help support my work, then consider Buying Me A Ko-Fi, or heading over to The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page! Lastly, to keep up with my latest, follow me on Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, and now on Pinterest as well!
No comments:
Post a Comment