The Saturday Sentence Newsletter
Improve Your Writing, One Sentence at a Time.
Every Saturday morning, you will receive a new lesson on the art of crafting the perfect sentence. From sentence structure and grammar to style and tone, I will cover everything you need to know to elevate your writing to a publishable level. So join me and discover the power of the perfect sentence.
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As a gift for subscribing, watch the first week's 15-minute lesson by watching below and start your journey toward publishing that manuscript!
Previous Saturday Sentence Lessons
Lesson 1: Can Creative Writing Be Taught?
I remember stumbling across a statement from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop website when I was applying for my MFA. It states basically that, “writing cannot be taught but that writers can be encouraged.”They use the example of a violinist or artist. Just as one can "learn" to play the violin or to paint, one can "learn" to write, though no processes of externally induced training can ensure that one will do it well.I want to gently push back on this viewpoint held by Iowa’s Workshop. Though, who am I to challenge them… RIGHT?!While it is true that writing is a creative and artistic process and that each person's writing style is unique and personal, I believe that writing can indeed be taught. There are certain skills and techniques that can be learned and practiced to improve one's writing.Michelle Barker from the “Darling Axe” website puts it this way, “Writing is a craft. The craft has rules. The rules have exceptions. All of these things can be taught, and it’s essential to learn them if you want to write well.”I agree. Understanding the principles of grammar, punctuation, and sentence structure can help a writer craft more precise and effective sentences.Furthermore, writing is a craft that requires practice and discipline, just like any other art form. It is not something that one can simply be "encouraged" to do without any guidance or instruction.By learning from experienced writers, studying the work of others, and putting words on a page, writers can develop their own skills and techniques over time.To quote Barker again, “Not everyone who learns to play the piano is going to be Mozart… So what? Just because you might not end up being Mozart, does this mean you shouldn’t take piano lessons? How do you know you’re not Mozart unless you do take lessons? Even if it turns out you’re not Mozart, you can still derive joy from playing the piano.”Just like any other skill, some of us may be born with a natural ability to craft stellar sentences… But the one who studies and practices the written craft will quickly outpace the naturally gifted.But why spend this first “lesson” talking about the teachability of writing?Because if you believe this common myth, you may be discouraged from pursuing writing as a skill or career.Let me end by illustrating this point by sharing my story. For a long time, my writing sucked. And I didn’t understand why.I got fed up with how little progress I made from draft to draft.It seemed like I would never get anything into a publishable state.Years of being in an MFA program and having snooty professors saying that writing was a “gift” made me believe my struggles had to do with my natural ability.I enjoyed writing. And I sought to replicate what my idols seemed to effortlessly do in their books. But no matter how hard I tried…I didn’t seem to have “it.”Maybe this writing thing wasn’t for me. Imposter syndrome set in. Writing became a chore. And it quickly left me burnt out.So, I quit…I stopped writing for a time. Until I had a chance to teach Advanced Composition at the university where I was getting my MFA.In this course, we focused on the sentence. The elements that made it move, flow, tick. I was struggling with writing myself… how was I going to teach these future engineers, nurses, and doctors how to put together coherent sentences?The textbook we were assigned that semester was “The Well-Crafted Sentence.”And it rocked my world. Reminded me that writing was part science and part art.Showed me that sentences could be boiled down into a basic form. That how you choose to modify and expand it could dramatically alter its meaning and impact.It broke me out of the fog I was in.So, with that book in hand, coupled with my many years of experience studying this art, I developed a curriculum that gave my students techniques and tools that could transform their writing to the next level.And transform it did. I watched their sentences jump off the page and come alive!The best part… they LOVED it!They were also under a different assumption – from their 12 years of schooling – that “good” writing should all look and sound the same.Plain and boring. Same structure. Same tone. No matter the audience or context.But I forced them to re-learn the “rules” and “parts” of a sentence. And see them less like rules and more as tools they could use.Once this happened, they felt freedom like they’d never felt before and experienced the wonderful power you can wield.And once you learn the power that can come with effective writing, you fall in love with that power.In this course, I want to do the same for you. I want you to (re)fall in love with writing.I’ve tailored my curriculum, refined over the past four years, to fit those trying to craft a novel, short story, screenplay, or poem.Because here’s something we can all agree on…Whether you are writing a novel, an essay, a poem, or a business report, the ability to craft powerful, effective sentences is essential to success as a writer.With practice, feedback, and the right tools, you can learn how to master the art of writing and create words that have the power to move and inspire your readers.So, if you're ready to take your writing to the next level, come along with me on this journey, and let's explore how we can make our words sing.
Lesson 2: What Makes Writing "Good" Or "Bad"?
Transcript:
When you read something, how do you know if that writing is "good" or "bad"?I’m willing to bet that there are a few different criteria you might consider when evaluating the quality of writing.And I’m also willing to bet that how we weigh those criteria is different from person to person.You might consider “clarity” the most important. Good writing is clear and easy to understand. It is free of jargon, unnecessary complexity, and ambiguous language. This is commonly associated with the Strunk & White approach, a point they make over and over in their book, “Elements of Style.”Or maybe the “style and tone” of the piece of writing is the most important. Beautiful, poetic language and engaging storylines may take precedence.Or perhaps the “logic and cohesiveness” of the writing is most important. Good writing has a clear and logical structure, with ideas and scenes flowing smoothly from one to the next. It presents a clear and concise story rather than disorienting the reader by jumping from one unrelated scene to the next without any clear reason.I believe the measure of "good" writing depends on whether it effectively communicates the author's message and resonates with the intended audience.To illustrate this point, let's consider two contemporary novels: "The Overstory" by Richard Powers and "Where the Crawdads Sing" by Delia Owens.Both of these novels have received widespread acclaim and have become bestsellers, but they achieve their impact on the reader in different ways."The Overstory" is a complex and intellectually challenging novel that explores the interconnectedness of all living things and the impact of humans on the environment. It uses a variety of literary techniques, such as multiple narrators and shifting perspectives, to convey its message.For readers interested in environmental issues and who appreciate literary complexity, "The Overstory" is likely to be considered "good" writing because it effectively communicates its message and resonates with the reader in the way the author intended.On the other hand, "Where the Crawdads Sing" is a more straightforward and emotionally charged novel that tells the story of a young woman who is abandoned by her family and must fend for herself in the wilderness. It uses a simple, linear narrative and evocative language to draw the reader into the story.For readers who enjoy emotional, character-driven stories, "Where the Crawdads Sing" is likely to be considered "good" writing because it effectively communicates its message and resonates with the reader in the way the author intended.We can take this to the sentence level as well.If the author's goal is to inform the reader about a particular topic, and the reader is able to understand and retain the information presented, then the writing can be considered "good" in terms of achieving its intended impact.Similarly, if the author's goal is to evoke emotion in the reader, and the reader is able to connect with the writing and feel the intended emotion, then the writing can also be considered "good" in terms of achieving its desired impact.Overall, a perfect sentence is a sentence that achieves the desired impact on the reader.So, before you begin writing your sentences OR editing your manuscript, it is important to consider the impact you want to achieve within the sentence. This will help you to choose the appropriate style, tone, and language to use in that sentence and then structure your ideas in a way that effectively communicates your message.By keeping your audience and desired impact in mind, you will be able to use the tools I’ll give you in this course to craft sentences that are more likely to be considered "good" writing by those who read them.
Lesson 3: Style Part 1
Your Writing Fingerprint
What comes to mind when you think of the term “writing style”?Many people associate "style" with the identity of someone's writing.Or as Nora Bacon defines it in The Well-Crafted Sentence:“…Style is the unique voice that distinguishes one writer from another.”
And we would all agree with this to an extent.Ernest Hemingway's writing style is different from Jane Austen's, which is different from Tom Clancy's, which is different from your style or mine.Plus, as writers, it's natural to be influenced by and even emulate the style of other authors that we admire.But how would you define your own writing style?And how do you go about tangibly developing it?The answer might surprise you.
To develop your “writing style” you should...not focus on it too much.It's like trying to force your personality or your sense of humor – it’s a natural extension of yourself.What? That doesn’t make any sense! Let me explain…In the book "Nabakov's Favorite Word is Mauve," author Ben Blatt delves into the concept of “style” in the third chapter, "Searching for Fingerprints."
He presents the idea that each writer has a unique pattern of writing, or "fingerprint.”This theory is centered on the fact that all writers have a consistent and predictable pattern of writing, as proven by the Mosteller and Wallace method in determining the authorship of various texts.
In the 1960s, Mosteller and Wallace, two statistics professors, studied the unique and consistent patterns in writers' word usage by counting words on paper to determine who wrote The Federalists Papers.Blatt took that same statistical method and found that it was over 99% accurate in determining the author of a book when tested on classic and current authors.He found that even authors who wrote under different pseudonyms still had a consistent pattern of word usage that could be identified through statistical analysis.For example, Blatt analyzed the word usage of J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series and found that she consistently used certain words while consistently avoiding others.When he applied the same analysis to Rowling's pseudonym, Robert Galbraith, he found that the same consistent patterns of word usage were present, proving that the same person wrote both series.Finally, he analyzed the word usage of Stephanie Meyer and 50 fan fiction writers who wrote in the same Twilight universe.The methodology did not fail.With this analysis, Blatt proves that:“Within the prose of every writer, whether obvious to the reader or not, there is an underlying fingerprint, setting them apart from all other authors who anyone has ever read.”
So, what does this mean for you as a writer?If you're a writer, your “style” is your fingerprint –It's unique to you and sets you apart from all other writers.The more you write, the more your style will naturally develop and evolve.You might be thinking, “That’s great and all, but how does that help me learn how to write the perfect sentence?”In this course, I will teach you how to “play with style,” but not in the traditional sense…Not the “fingerprint” part of your style.Style, as it pertains to your "fingerprint," is known as your "style as identity."Instead, we will talk about exploring the ways in which we can use language and sentence structure to enhance the impact of our writing and make it more effective.This means paying attention to things like word choice, the length of our sentences, and the order of our words, along with different techniques to see what works best for our own writing.Nora Bacon calls this “style as embellishment.”
Style as identity is something that you cannot control.It's the way you naturally write and express yourself.It's the unique voice and perspective that you bring to your writing.It's like your personality!On the other hand, style as embellishment is something that you can control.It's the way you present yourself in different contexts or for different audiences.Just like how we all have different versions of ourselves depending on the context we're in.For example, you might present a different version of yourself at work than when you're with your family or friends.To use a couple of writing examples –If you have a confident and bold main character, you might choose to use strong, assertive language in your sentences.On the other hand, if you have a more introverted character, your word choice might be more subtle and understated.
In this course, we will learn and talk about “style” in this way.In the next lesson, I will define style as embellishment in full detail and break down the three aspects of a sentence you can manipulate to dramatically alter its impact and meaning.
In the previous lesson, we discussed the idea of "style as identity" and how it reflects your unique voice and perspective as a writer.In this lesson, we will delve into the other aspect of style - style as embellishment.This is the aspect of style that you have complete control over, and it refers to the techniques and elements you can use to enhance the impact of your writing.Nora Bacon, in the Well-Crafted Sentence, defines "style as embellishment" as "adjusting the words [of a sentence] without adjusting the meaning."
Brooks Landon, a sentence expert at the University of Iowa, takes it a step further and adds two other elements…He claims that sentences have two axes:- A horizontal axis, which pushes the sentences forward, unfolding it and building meaning as it grows longer.- And a vertical axis, which pauses the momentum of a sentence and adds detail about a previous word or clause.
To me, they’re both right.I’ve found that a combination of these three elements produces some beautiful results and can help you achieve your intended purpose.With that said, I’ve simplified their ideas into what I think are the three ways to dramatically alter the meaning and impact of your sentences –
Word ChoiceThe words you use in a sentence can greatly impact the tone, meaning, and overall effectiveness of your sentences.By experimenting with different words, we can create imagery and convey emotions in a way that resonates with our audience.Sentence structureThe order of words and modifiers in a sentence can change the meaning and emphasis of our words.By playing with sentence structure, we can create a sense of tension, add surprise, and make our writing more interesting.Sentence LengthLong sentences can create a sense of grandeur or complexity, while short sentences can be used to create a sense of urgency or immediacy.By varying sentence length, we can control the pace and flow of our writing and create a rhythm that keeps our audience engaged.
To further illustrate these elements, I’ll characterize them as axes, as Landon did.But we’ll have three: a vertical, horizontal, and Z axis:
The vertical axis represents how detailed or specific you get with your imagery and word choice.The horizontal axis represents how long or short you make your sentences.The Z axis represents how you arrange your words within the sentence.When you start moving along the different axes, you influence not only the sentence's impact but the other axes as well.For example, if you keep your sentences simple and short, you can get very specific, but it's hard to alter the order of words and maintain clarity.
This can be great for conveying a clear message, but it can also make your writing sound monotonous if you continue a string of simple sentences for too long.On the other hand, as you start to lengthen your sentences, you make room for more detail and specificity, while also making room for the order to switch and change.
This can add a musicality and rhythm to your writing, making it more complex.However, you have to proceed with care, or else you’ll veer off the rails. Longer sentences can easily become confusing and overwhelming if they are not structured properly.So, as you work on your writing, keep in mind the different axes of sentence structure and how they can impact the meaning of your sentences.Experiment with different combinations of simplicity, detail, and word order, and find the balance that works best for your specific situation.
Don’t fret, though. We’re just getting started.In the rest of this course, we’re going to talk about the different techniques and tools at your disposal that help you move along these axes to craft some seriously beautiful and effective sentences.
