Listening to Writing

Good writing is much like music. It flows and has rhythm and cadence. There is a musicality to the structure of its sentences. This is achieved by varying sentence length and form. Short sentences convey emphasis and urgency whereas long sentences convey a slower, more thoughtful pace. Interspersing the two creates a rhythm to writing. Varying sentence form also contributes to the rhythmic quality of writing. The tongue and ear should flow over words as easily as water over river rocks. This can be achieved by varying sentence arrangement, beginning some sentences with nouns and others with adverbs and phrases. It can be achieved by reversing the normal pattern of subject/verb and placing the verb before the subject. It can be achieved by varying the combination of independent and dependent clauses in a sentence. But mostly it can be achieved by listening. There is an aural quality to language that is as clear and rousing as any concerto. Listening closely to the way words are put together, the way ideas are strung along the clothesline of human thought, the way the sounds of words reverberate in the heart will teach us everything we need to know about the power of language and the passion it burns in readers. Listen to your writing. It has something to say.