A Snarky Guide to Master the Essential Elements of Fiction Writing

Style (Part 1)

We've talked about "balance" in terms of characters and keeping a story moving. We've talked about "balance" in regards to opening the world for your readers to find their footing. Zooming in farther, there are two parts to "style." 

In relation to "balance," style is the physical break-up of sentences and how different kinds of sentences change the pace of a scene.

Let's think about this rationally. If you want to create a sense of calm and relaxation, you'd choose longer, complex, and compound sentences, right?

Example: The warm evening air filled me with childhood memories in the Bayou, eating grandma's spicy pot and listening to grandpa's stories of alligator wrestling. While his fish tales were as big as the supposed "Big Al," I long now for those humid evenings and grandpa's larger-than-life laughter.

*Mimicking the length of sentences with the speed of action is yet another way to deepen the layers for your readers' experiences. 

Not a believer yet? How about some action?

Example: 

"He lunged at me. His jaws snapped, my boot in his mouth. He dragged me to the water. I pulled free right before he disappeared beneath the surface." Grandpa held up his foot, his whole foot, and grinned. "Big Al wasn't getting dinner that night. Not from me."

Did you feel the transition, even in this small scene? We naturally shorten our speech to increase anticipation, then slow down the pace when we come to the end.

Thrillers do an excellent job utilizing the shorter sentences to ramp up action. But not even the best selling Stephen King keeps that level of intensity all story long.

Balance is about giving your readers cooling off periods, as well as fast-paced mania. And everything in between. 

This kind of sentence break-up also works visually. If you have paragraphs and paragraphs of exposition or dialogue, reading feels like a chore after a while. 

Mind wandering . . . 

Wake up!

Mix up sentence lengths. Keep your thoughts organized and balanced. 

"Seriously, JM? We not only have to analyze the words we choose, and our "voice," but now we have to focus on sentence length and paragraph breaks?"

You got it. Mastering anything takes research and dedication, down to the finest details.

Did you know, comedians spend months polishing a single joke; analyzing crowd reactions, punchline delivery, word flow? They constantly test each stage for the best possible impact.

That's amazing! 

Don't let this ruin your life. Most of the time, when speaking, our language changes; fast speech and short sentences when excited. Dull and long groans when we're bored. Take that natural instinct and translate it into your writing. But always with the idea of "balance" in the backs of your minds.

(A full page of short, simple sentences can be just as obnoxious as a full page of long winded ones, no matter the pace of the scene.)