Every great book is built upon good sentences. Authors shouldn’t expect a well-received book if they are writing less than impactful sentences.
The basics of being a loved and well read author rests in the building blocks of your books which are your sentences. Master the art of better, more meaningful, and impactful sentences, and you will become an instant favorite of any reader who has read your books.
Better sentences drives your narrative forward: Every sentence you write is meant to push your story along. If a sentence doesn’t enhance your current scene (think plot twist, building tension, or adding a layer of mystery), give depth to your characters, add pivotal conversation between those characters, or emotionally draw you deeper into the story and or character, then that sentence IS NOT driving your narrative.
Trim the fat in your writing for better sentences: Save the fluff for pillows and perfectly cooked souffles`, because your story is the last place fluff should be found. Trimming the fat in your writing is knowing which sentence to cut that does not drive your narrative forward.
These fat filled sentences are easy to spot, but most new authors often times fall in love with the wordiness of their story. Thinking that the more they have to say the more the reader will love to read it.
Ever heard of the term less is more?
I’m pretty sure an editor coined it after editing a manuscript filled with purposeless sentences.
An author’s job is NOT to paint the entirety of the story, but boldly sketch what they wish to convey to their readers and have their imaginations do the rest. Why do you think the best books are open to some form of interpretation to a degree?
The really good authors understand that less is more, and the really good pillows is where all the fluff should be. Not their books.
Better sentences will captivate your reader with a rhythm: You ever read a book that came off as disjointed? It started off good and for no apparent reason it stopped holding the amount of tension that it started with. If you’ve ever come across a book that reads this way is because there was definitely a halt in writing somewhere and when it picked back up is when it lost it’s rhythm. It’s flow.
Consistent writing always leads to better sentences and consistent better sentences always lends itself to the rhythm of an author’s book.
Think of the rhythm of a book as pacing. Pacing is kept when an author finds their groove and the words pour from them effortlessly. The way to write better sentences to maintain a books rhythm is to not let 24 hours pass before you write again.
Better sentences will evoke emotions with mental imagery: This is classic show, don’t tell. Think verbs. Think action. Think doing. Think everything besides telling your readers what’s happening between two characters and just showing them. Let me give you an example to help you write better sentences.
This is telling: Erica sobbed uncontrollably upon hearing the bad news.
This is showing: Erica’s phone fell from her hand and crashed to the floor, but not before an instant lone tear fell upon her cheek. Her pouty lips were now quivering as they soon lost the battle to hold back a deep and painful wail. The sound was too large to pour from Erica’s small frame, but for every tear that now poured from her eyes, a large and uncomfortable noise came with it.
Just think of it this way, construct your sentences where you can mentally see your character’s actions that’s coming from their emotions for better sentences.
Clarity and Brevity is a result of better sentences: Readers do not care how smart an author is. They don’t care how much of a wordsmith they are. Unless your genre calls for it, a reader doesn’t really care about hidden meanings and messaging as if they were reading the Dead Sea Scrolls.
All a reader cares about is the author getting to the point in the least amount of words.
The best way an author can write better sentences is by keeping this rule of thumb in mind; Overexplaining as you write is a guarantee to underwhelm your readers and only impress yourself. The simple rule of writing is to excitedly get to the point as quickly as possible.
Wanna go even deeper into how to construct impactful sentences that will have you writing your best ever?
Of course you do. CLICK HERE to check out The Saturday Sentence Newsletter with Cade Scott. Also make sure to catch the podcast (below) I did with Cade as he shared a few writing hacks and the easiest way to write sentences your readers cant get enough of.
Catch the full podcast below…
I hope you enjoyed the show as much I loved bringing it to you. But before you go, please do me a huge favor and subscribe to my YouTube channel, leave a comment on what part of the podcast you received the most value from, and share the episode on any of your social media platforms. I would greatly appreciate the love and support.
See you next week!!!
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It’s time to put an end to the guesswork, take control of your author journey, and start to consistently sell books with our comprehensive guide, The Self Publishing Target Marketing Cheat Sheet: Your Shortcut To Book Marketing Mastery.
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DK WALKER
DK Walker has been self-publishing for close to 20 years. These days, he helps other self-published authors become more productive, going from book idea to completed manuscript in 30 days or less with The Unfair Writing Advantage System. Design especially for authors who wants to STOP STRUGGLING as they write and increase their productivity dramatically.