tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5423907132654588993.post7602585009423489760..comments2024-03-27T00:32:20.340-04:00Comments on The Alchemy of Writing: Rhythm and FlowBryan Russellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09555071335245492790noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5423907132654588993.post-79480926127492471752009-02-17T18:13:00.000-05:002009-02-17T18:13:00.000-05:00Lol Ink.Talk about yourself in 3rd person and get ...Lol Ink.<BR/><BR/>Talk about yourself in 3rd person and get to go home at night.<BR/><BR/>I tinker constantly with my stories. Edit and re-edit tweak paragraphs and sentences, to get the voice right.<BR/><BR/>So I can relate, after my own fashion. But I'm listening for the voice of the story, not the rhythm of the sentences.K. A. Jordanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07020119815910396933noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5423907132654588993.post-3649513850136690262009-02-17T10:29:00.000-05:002009-02-17T10:29:00.000-05:00I admit it, I'm a total sentence junky. As a reade...I admit it, I'm a total sentence junky. As a reader I love a beautiful line, and as a writer I'm a fiddler, always playing around with the shape and flow of sentences. While I'm here to tell a good story... I must say I'm pretty obsessed with language, and often language for its own sake alone. It's funny, as a critter I always have to rein myself back, as I always get these urges to <I>play</I>. Hey, I wonder what this sentence would be like if I did this... No! Stop, Ink! Not your sentence! Bad Ink!<BR/><BR/>(On an unrelated side note: I love this blog. Where else do I get to talk about myself in the third person? :))Bryan Russellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09555071335245492790noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5423907132654588993.post-9201810306177558172009-02-16T18:49:00.000-05:002009-02-16T18:49:00.000-05:00Except for occasional scenes where the flow is imp...Except for occasional scenes where the flow is important, I'm never away of either flow or rhythm.<BR/><BR/>My hat's off to those of you who are aware and strive for it.K. A. Jordanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07020119815910396933noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5423907132654588993.post-58612573152796300952009-02-16T14:40:00.000-05:002009-02-16T14:40:00.000-05:00I do think a lot of it is innate talent. A writer'...I do think a lot of it is innate talent. A writer's "ear". How well do you hear the sound of language? And I also think a lot of the learning is unconscious, the way you start to understand some of your own rhythms simply from the experience of writing hundreds of thousands of words over a long period of time. You start to develop that instinct for what works and what doesn't. You understand when you nail something, and soemtimes <I>how</I> you nail it.<BR/><BR/>But I also think it's something you can learn, too, or at least develop. It's something you can do in careful line editing. Flow, rhythm... syllables and sounds. When a sentence is clunky, or not quite right... how do you fix it? How do you rearrange the sentence? Diction can be key. How can you play around with word choices to create different sounds and rhythms, create different balances within the prose?<BR/><BR/>I've actually toyed with doing a class at FM on rhtyhm and flow, mostly centering on line (and paragraph) editing. It would be a fun topic to explore, to see what the participants might come up with. I think it might be one of those things that's awkward at first... trying to consciously think about and apply some of these things. But after a bit that knowledge is absorbed and becomes part of your subconscious approach. It informs your perceptions under the surface...<BR/><BR/>And it can help you find the rhythms that work for you, because different writers will have different rhythms and senses of flow. And when you start nailing it you really get that sense of individual voice permeating a piece of writing.<BR/><BR/>Over-attention is interesting... but I think when dealing with anything in writing you have to have a sort of trust in what you do. You have to trust yourself to make the right choices. Trust your instincts. Trust them when they say "This doesn't sound quite right..." and trust them when they say "Yes, that's it."<BR/><BR/>I don't know, I just think you can consciously work on that "ear". That would be an interesting poll, don't you think, applying the ol' nature vs. nurture debate to idea of a writer's "ear" for language/writing/dialogue etc.? Is it innate or learned or something of both? I'm guessing the latter, but it would be interesting to see what people say.Bryan Russellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09555071335245492790noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5423907132654588993.post-69738784523439000952009-02-15T20:59:00.000-05:002009-02-15T20:59:00.000-05:00I think rhythm and flow in writing is something th...I think rhythm and flow in writing is something that almost has to be subconscious--an integral part of your voice. I realize that really good writers tweak and polish the musicality of their writing but I also think this is a dish that is best served fresh and can suffer with over-attention. One has to develop an ear for it, much like music. When is bad, it's really bad but when it's done well it can make a writer's voice very powerful.Bookworm1605https://www.blogger.com/profile/12545092958160012589noreply@blogger.com