Monday, January 21, 2013

The Rhythm of Sentences


Week of January 20, 2013—Syntax Needn’t Be Taxing
Monday, January 21— The Rhythm of Sentences

Below are some of my notes from Joyce Sweeney about syntax and the rhythm it
creates . . .
§  Syntax can slow pace, quicken pace, add emotion, and make emphasis
§  The longer the sentence, the sleepier the reader.
§  Syntax can wake up readers, and make them pay attention.
§  Syntax can help create intentional pauses.
§  Syntax can clue the reader into what is important.
§  Syntax—the rhythm of sentences—is very important to younger readers, though they may not even notice it. (They will feel it.)
§  Picture book writers must be the strongest at syntax.


As we explore syntax this week and discover some ways to impact the rhythm of our writing with syntax, I’m going to focus on one picture book—The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore by William Joyce. The story inspired the Academy Award winning short of the same name, and is filled with syntax created rhythm. If you can get your hands on the book (or an electronic version of the book), do so. You’ll be glad you did!

2 comments:

Alayne Kay Christian said...

First, I want to say a big CONGRATULATIONS on you debut book, COWBOY CHRISTMAS. A friend of mine told me about your blog, and I'm so glad she did. I followed your four-part interview with Maria Modugno and enjoyed it very much. I have also enjoyed this week's posts. I am not very good at commenting on every blog post I read, but I wanted to express my appreciation for your blog and your work. Thank you.

Rob Sanders said...

Alayne, great to hear from you. So glad you found Picture This! Please spread the word and please keep coming back! RS