Listen to Your Writing

One of the most difficult concepts to teach writing students is why a grammatically correct sentence doesn't always mean a good sentence. A student once described ineffective writing as "clunky." That adjective gets right to the point. A sentence that is awkwardly worded, poorly organized, repetitive or nonsensical is the literary equivalent of a clunky engine. It may run, but it doesn't purr. A sentence that is technically perfect in the sense that it has no grammatical errors can still be a structural disaster. Good writing pays attention to nuance, flow, rhythm and the emotional impact or "charge" of words. A well constructed sentence not only reads correctly, it sounds correct or rings true to a reader's ear. It is smoothly constructed with seamless transitions and purrs like a well tuned engine. Good writing rolls off the tongue and the reader is unaware of its parts and construction details. Clunky writing, on the other hand, parades all of its unseemly parts, making readers painfully aware of how awkward and clumsy it is. Effective writing is difficult to teach, but not impossible to learn. Reading your work aloud is the best way to spot clunky writing. You will trip over your own poorly written words as easily as readers will. You will become aware of the sentences that just don't work if you really listen to your writing. Likewise, you will also spot the sentences that purr; and with practice and close attention, you will begin to develop a writer's ear that transforms writing disasters into writing successes.