Listen For the Rhythm

by Harriet Silkwood - Date: 2006-12-20 - Word Count: 536 Share This!

As an active reviewer I read many items every day. One thing I find myself noticing most often, is the absence of rhythm. The word is used most often in poetry, but it's the heart of all writing. Rhythm is the unconscious beat of the words as they are read. The ebb and flow of good rhythm is comfortable reading.

It's difficult to teach or explain because it isn't something that can simply be pointed out as an error of grammar can. It's as subtle as good music and sounds as beautiful to the ears. Two musicians can play the same instrument with the same piece of music, but they will sound very different. Both will play the right notes with no errors, but one will sound sweeter with more life. Experience and practice makes all the difference.

You may have a good story, but if the rhythm is off, it won't sound right to your readers, or to you - if you're honest with yourself. Think about your own writing rhythm, learn to listen and you will improve your writing tremendously.

If you find you're writing extra long sentences, cut them into two or three. The longest sentence shouldn't be over thirty words. Any longer and the reader will lose the point. I find myself forgetting what the subject was and I start over. That's okay for me, it's my job, but readers aren't as willing to go back to sort it out.

If all of the lines are the same length, reading gets monotonous really fast. It's boring and tiring. Vary the lengths of longer, short, medium and very short. Even occasional sentence fragments will work if you know when to use them; people talk in fragments, don't they? They'll make your work more friendly and natural, and people will hear your own voice.

Reading the work out loud is good for more than finding errors. Listen to the sound of each line. Stop at the periods and pause at the commas. Punctuation is very important in establishing a rhythm, and when used incorrectly, cause many bumps and sour notes. Are the lines all the same length? Dull? Are they so long you run out of breath before you reach the end? Do one or two words cause you to stumble?

Fix the things you've noted and read it aloud again. Read both versions and listen for the difference. Feel the difference inside of yourself. It should sound as sweet as a well-tuned violin to your senses. If it doesn't, keep working.

Read aloud other work you haven't written. Not only books, but newspapers, magazine articles, poetry. Read writing that isn't so good. Listen to the rhythm of all these things, and determine how it makes you feel. A page shouldn't tire you and it should hold your interest.

Rhythm isn't something that can be regulated by only counting words in each sentence; it's something you feel. That's why it's so difficult to explain in an article. That's also the reason it's so important for new writers to learn to listen for it. Practice as you would a musical instrument. You will find your own rhythm. You'll know it in your heart. Writing well is pouring yourself into your work - it really is.

Related Tags: violin, fiction, rhythm, new writers, writing tips, tuned

Harriet is an author on http://www.Writing.Com which is a site for Creative Writing.Her portfolio can be found at http://www.Writing.Com/authors/storytime so stop by and read for a while. She specializes in reading and reviewing new writers.

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