In Search of the Well-Crafted Sentence
Every writer should spend time learning the tools of his trade. We use words, and we use them in abundance. We should wield them both creatively and correctly. And if we are fiction writers, we should particularly be in search of the well-crafted sentence.
We’ve all heard it said that before you can break the rules, you need to master them. I agree, for the most part. Some writers have a wonderful style that doesn’t adhere to a whole lot of grammar rules. Some of those writers bring the flavor of ethnicity to their prose, or reflect a lack of proper education to their first-person narrator (consider Mark Twain’s characters, for example). There are times when deliberately breaking those rules works.
But a whole novel with fractured or chaotic sentence structure is going to give most readers a headache.
The sentence, to me, is the foundation of all prose. I love a beautifully crafted sentence. I love to be surprised by an unusual, unexpected word.
The placement of each word in a sentence can be carefully decided for a specific impression or impact. Moving one word to the beginning or end can change the feel or sentence meaning, even if subtly.
Making Every Word Count
The one-eyed witch in my novel The Unraveling of Wentwater warned, “Take care with your words. They have consequences.” Every time the witch receives a word in payment for a spell she casts, she puts it in a jar and sets it on her shelf. From then on that word no longer exists. My heroine has to stitch every word back into existence after a spell goes awry and causes the world to vanish.
Words have the power to heal and to hurt. I wonder how many wars have been started, marriages ruined, and murders committed all from the utterance of a single word? As wordsmiths, writers have a serious charge. Maybe you don’t see yourself in such a capacity, but what if you did? What if you made every word count, instead of counting words?
Writers these days seem to be all about counting words. Quantity over quality. Pounding out a minimum word count each day instead of searching for the perfect word or working on crafting the perfect sentence.
Something feels flawed to me when a writer pushes to get five thousand words down on paper or the computer screen in record time—all so she can feel a sense of satisfaction (or post her great accomplishment on Facebook).
Slow Down and Smell the Words
I’d like to encourage writers to slow down. As we barrel along at breakneck speed in our daily routine, it takes (sometimes gargantuan) effort to slow our brains to a crawl. We need to crawl if we are going to notice our world. Maybe even come to a complete stop, to a place of utter stillness, to really notice. How can we write about anything if we don’t take the time to experience life through our senses? That sensory detail—the things we observe, smell, taste, touch—gets processed, chewed up, and digested as fodder for creativity.
I remember hearing lines like “You’re too young to write a novel. You haven’t lived long enough or experienced enough life to have anything significant to say.” Now that I’m well past the midpoint of my life, I get that. But just because we may be old, doesn’t mean we’ve been paying attention.
Writing can be a lot like life. We get used to certain things, we fall into routine, we like comfort and don’t challenge ourselves. We don’t want to take risks or stretch ourselves too much as we age. We like that ratty old chair. We vacation in the same place every year. We like familiarity.
But this can filter into our writing and affect our creativity. With an attitude of “I have to hurry and write a lot of words” because our writing time is limited or our lifespan feels too short, or an attitude of “I’m too comfortable and settled in my style and don’t want to push myself,” our writing can start to fossilize.
Word Count or Word Quality?
Are you always in search of the perfect word? The perfect sentence? Is your goal centered on making sure you meet a target word count or is it on writing the best story you can?
Attitude greatly affects writing mechanics. If we approach our writing time with a sense of impatience and word-count expectations, how likely is it we’ll write well?
There’s nothing wrong with gushing out a scene, getting it all down before the ideas slip out your ears. Sometimes that feels like rushing instead of gushing. But there’s a difference. Writers rush to finish a draft, rush to publish before taking time to carefully go over every sentence and question every word. In their rush they don’t bother to edit, don’t bother to look up the correct use of a word, don’t bother to have readers give constructive feedback.
Sure, go ahead and gush, but don’t rush. Go back, slow down, and start sifting through your words.
I see this a lot with my editing clients. Some want to get on the publishing bandwagon yesterday. They’ll inform me their book is already up for sale on Amazon, but they didn’t have the time or money to edit it. Other clients come to me with a proverbial tail between their legs, admitting they did the aforementioned and after few sales and negative reviews (mostly about how sloppy the writing was), they now want to slow down, get help, and learn how to write the perfect sentence and the perfect book (in a manner of speaking).
How much better it would have been if they had ignored word count and focused on words. Ignored the whistling wind urging them to hurry and just plopped down on the ground and closed their eyes and listened to the timbre of the wind. Then they would be in a much better place to be able to describe the wind—and everything else.
Don’t look at the clock. Don’t count words. Make your words count. That is the heart of writing mechanics.
Check for these flaws in your writing and correct them:
- Too many sentences starting with the same word(s)
- Too many sentences beginning with weak construction, such as “it was” and “there were”
- Passages that lack writing cadence or euphony
- Too many paragraphs starting the same way
- Too many paragraphs of the same length
- Overly long paragraphs
- Improper use of paragraphing
- Too many stand-alone lines
- Scenes that lack good structure, failing to build to a key moment
Conclusion
Words, sentences, paragraphs, and scenes. Those are the components of story. As with any profession, it behooves writers to learn to wield and master the tools of their trade. Work on becoming a proficient wordsmith. Language is our realm, and words are the building blocks of every tree, flower, and character.
Spend time reading beautifully written novels, poems, and short stories. Slow down and taste words; roll them around in your mouth. Show words the honor they deserve and work with them respectfully.
Take time, too, to learn the mechanics of writing so you say what you mean and don’t say what you don’t mean. Aim for excellence, precision, creativity. Don’t settle on the first things that gush onto the page. Go back and make them better. Perfect, if possible.
Often the difference between a good writer and a great one is in the writing mechanics. Don’t let laziness or a lack of interest in grammar and word usage cause you to succumb to this fatal flaw of fiction writing. You owe it to yourself and your readers to master this one.
Be determined to make 2025 your best year of writing!
Don’t spend years slogging through drafts, wondering if your writing is any good or what your weak areas are.
Critique groups and beta readers can be helpful to a point, but they often do not have the experience or expertise to help you identify what needs work and in what way to improve.
Consider taking a big next step! Here are some options, which you can read about in detail on my website:
- Book a one-hour Zoom consultation with me to discuss your project, whether you are at the idea stage or deep into writing, whether fiction or nonfiction. This may be the “shot in the arm” you need to pick up that project again or plow ahead with confidence! Book HERE.
- Sign up for either a coaching or mentorship package. This is the way to fast-track your project to the finish line. Imagine having unlimited access to feedback as well as critiques of your outlines, ideas, and scenes! That’s right—bring it on! I will help you every step of the way.
- Send me scenes or an outline for a critique or editing. Whether you send ten pages or a thousand, you are going to get super helpful insights into your writing and story structure that will take your writing to a higher level.
What are you waiting for? If you are holding back because you are afraid of negative feedback or the daunting prospect of a lot of work, remember: writing well takes work, just like mastering anything else. Take advantage, too, of my many blog posts. I’ve penned more than 1 million words of instruction for writers on Live Write Thrive. And my dozen or so writing craft books will hold your hand to guide you through the many challenges of writing.
So dig in and get ready for a super-productive year!
Featured Photo by Brad Weaver on Unsplash
