Tag: #amreading

S = Sentence 

• A group of words or a single word that expresses a complete thought, feeling, or idea.

Sentence variation length is an important feature of good writing.

Not all sentences should be long and flowing. Some should be short and punchy. However, if all of the sentences in a paragraph are short, the reader might feel punch drunk or anxious after a while. But too many passages filled with long, run-on sentences can become boring.

Ever read a long passage and almost fell asleep from boredom?

Chances are, all the sentences were the same boring length.

Avoid boring the reader with tepid writing…

Write sentences like the ebb and flow of an ocean tide.

Mix in hot, punchy, and quick action with long, flowing elegant sentences.

Rachel’s saga continues:

She opened the car door and took a calming breath. No signal from her phone. Rachel left the car oven and reached toward the sky. Still no signal.

Like it or not she had no choice but to walk. And she didn’t like walking anywhere much less in the middle of nowhere.

Too bad she didn’t wear the typical cowboy hat her coworkers favored. She needed something to keep the sun from burning her fair skin. Grabbing a half-empty water bottle from the console she closed the and locked the car. No point in inviting thieves to help themselves to the electronics. With a sigh, Rachel left the useless hunk of metal behind and started walking.

Need help to check your sentences?

Find a good editing software that looks for sentence length and run-on sentences. I use several to help me construct sentences and paragraphs to achieve my goal.

Also, hop over to Write on Sisters and read Robin Rivera’s post on fixing tired sentences.

Editing Software Sights:

• https://prowritingaid.com
• https://www.grammarly.com/
• https://www.autocrit.com/

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