What writers and others say
“I learned that from music: When to use a short sentence, when a long sentence, when a one-word sentence, when to break a paragraph. Songwriting is a verse, a chorus.”
— Mitch Albom, nationally syndicated columnist for the Detroit Free Press and author of Tuesdays with Morrie, quoted in Poynter Report
“Repetition works in writing, but only if you intend it. The repetition of key words, phrases, and story elements creates a rhythm, a pace, a structure, a drumbeat that reinforces the central theme of the work.”
— Roy Peter Clark, Poynter Institute senior scholar
“At a certain point, the difference between music in music and music in words became elided in my mind. I became attentive to the sound of words and the rhythm of sentences in some way that I’m not even aware of.”
— E.L. Doctorow, novelist, in a National Public Radio interview
“Punctuate a thought with a one-sentence paragraph, a rim shot of emphasis in your musical arrangement of words. Remember: Writing is both a visual and an aural experience.”
— editors, Publications Management
“Your eighth-grade English teacher may be aghast, but sentence fragments can be a powerful tool in creating a rhythm all your own. Think of the fragment as a backbeat. Create a paragraph of quick, clipped sentences, a rat-a-tat-tat drumroll of words that create a beat in the reader’s mind.”
— editors, Publications Management
“Speech is sound, and sounds that are rhythmic are usually pleasing. Studies have shown that applause during speeches is triggered more often by cadence than by content.”
— Rob Friedman, senior writer, Eli Lilly and Company
“When you want to move readers excitedly along, keep your sentences short and crisp. If you’re describing a languid trip down a lazy river, however, allow your sentence lengths to match that slower pace.”
— David A. Fryxell, former editor of Writer’s Digest
“There’s a kind of ear music … a rhythmic synchronicity which creates a kind of heartbeat on the page.”
— Allan Gurganus, author of The Oldest Living Confederate Widow Tells All
“Put your slogan in a beat that’s easy to repeat.”
— Sam Horn, author of POP! Stand Out In Any Crowd
“My editor, Marian Lizzi, told me she was always told to think of iambic meter as when we accent every other beat as in “Ta DUM, ta DUM, ta DUM, ta Dum, ta DUM, ta DUM.”
— Sam Horn, author of POP! Stand Out In Any Crowd
“When I write, I read everything out loud to get the tight rhythm.”
— Fran Lebowitz, humor columnist considered a “modern day Dorothy Parker”
“Rhythm is really important. All the great writers have it. Somewhere, in the inner ear, there has to be some music when you’re writing.”
— James Magnuson, author of eight novels, including The Hounds of Winter
“Writers are in the music business.”
— Donald M. Murray, Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist
“We are lulled by the sway of a hammock, and we are excited by the beat of a drum.”
— Louis Untermeyer, American poet and anthologist
How can you tell better business stories?
Stories are so effective that Og Mandino, the late author of the bestselling The Greatest Salesman in the World, says, “If you have a point, find a story.”
Learn to find, develop and write stories that engage readers’ hearts and minds in our Master the Art of Storytelling workshops.
There, you’ll learn how to find the aha! moment that’s the gateway to every anecdote. How to start an anecdote with a bang — instead of a whimper. And how to use “the most powerful form of human communication” to grab attention, boost credibility, make messages more memorable and communicate better.
