Sentence Construction Tips

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English For Poets

I just read a passage of Khan's Wife Miriacia Tai, and I noticed how I have quite often substituted the word "the" for a specific thing or idea. (Application for articles: a, an, and the are relevant here). Substituting something more meaty instead of using articles, that are indeterminant, forces the writing to be more specific. It is good to know that trick when you begin your short story or novel.

Utilization of "the" is a layover from expository writing for those who have done term papers in high school or university. It is a way to begin an opening theme paragraph. I discovered that the writer is forced, actuallly redirected, to construct a sentence differently if "the" is not used in the sentence. Paint with words, etch it out, then put meat and muscle on bones. No "the" though. It is hard at first and gets easier once you form the application of the technique into a literary habit.

I asked when I first began writing my first Khansman novel: How do I construct sentences so that they do not all sound similar? Term paper tone is the same, flat, unemotional, stripped of most allusions or devices, some are pitht, but not predominantly. My search became one of experimenting with elements of style found in poetry - that was a long time getting rid of over years; it all sounded either like a term paper or poetry.

There is a balance, use sparingly succint elements of style - expand them into allegory (extended metaphor) that is the essence of prose. Without "the" major shifts occurred. After I wrote an extensive pp prose piece on Adjectives and Adverbs, I realized there was an absence of those types of phrases and descriptive passages throughout each of my novels. From poetry, I kept rhythm, cadence, the rise and fall of varied voices, three to five syllable words helped with eradicating boring monotones. I'm adding them, rearranging sentences to accomodate them. They are remarkably "seeable" words and enhance sound quality. Now, I add them automatically.

Or rather, I am adding them (rhythmically prosaic). Varied line lengths help to enforce this principle. a sprinkling of one wird sentenced is fine, too many is silly.

Rhythm can not be ignored in prose and varied beats per sentence holds the rapt attention of each reader with song quality. Variety is also created by mixing in parts of speech. When your writing goes flat, that is usually because of repeition of words that are flat. Insuffient emotional content created by description of thoughts, action, dialog, or dull descriptions of place and setting. Start sentence with a string adverb and see where it leads. Turn a vern into a noun or gerund "ing" form, ex. "He ran" to "Running, stumbling, he got to the crumbling balcony." Monosylabics turned into this high action descriptive segment.

Another huge skill to acquire in extended prose is describing high and low action of characters and their interaction with equipment, propinquity to items in a room; their placement in relationship to others. A lot of words are dedicated to movement, expressions, though bubbles (in italics of what character is thinking) and creative ways to say those things without being repetitious. Whew! To write is a joy. To write well takes acquisition of skills. Do not use "the" for an entire paragraph. Experiment with one word sentences sparingly. Your eyebrows will rise with enlightenment.

Just thinking out loud.

allets

03-05-19

117p

revised 07-22-21