Sunday, August 7, 2011


Author's Note - I would just like to share this quote with you. It really shows the importance of sentence length and what I remember not understanding at first during a seventh grade class when Mr.Johnson was talking about the importance of sentence length, but of course now, being older and a more experienced writer, I understand the importance of sentence length.

“This sentence has five words. Here are five more words. Five-word sentences are fine. But several together become monotonous. Listen to what is happening. The writing is getting boring. The sound of it drones. It’s like a stuck record. The ear demands some variety. Now listen. I vary the sentence length, and I create music. Music. The writing sings. It has a pleasant rhythm, a lilt, a harmony. I use short sentences. And I use sentences of medium length. And sometimes, when I am certain the reader is rested, I will engage him with a sentence of considerable length, a sentence that burns with energy and builds with all the impetus of a crescendo, the roll of the drums, the crash of the cymbals–sounds that say listen to this, it is important.”
— Gary Provost