Building Prose

Effective prose is not so much composed as it is constructed. Much like a building is put together according to a blueprint, good prose is put together according to an outline or storyboard. A building of bricks and mortar is assembled block by block, piece by piece. Prose is assembled word by word, syllable by syllable. Each piece of a building is inspected, weighed and measured before becoming part of the building. It's evaluated for its structural integrity and conformity to style. In the construction of effective prose, each word or sentence is also weighed and measured for its integrity to the structure and unity with the message of the overall work before becoming a part of it. A completed building is inspected for weaknesses after the work is completed, and those parts that don't hold up to the standards of the work and the industy are either removed or remodeled. If prose is approached in this manner with the same careful planning, construction and inspection, it will emerge as solid writing that will stand the test of time. It most certainly will stand the test of editorial critiquing and the scrutiny of a discerning readership. Using all the tools in a writer's toolbelt to construct effective prose is a painstaking but infinitely rewarding process.