Other day, I was reading a book and wondered what keeps me reading a book. Why I read Ray Bradbury’s books in so detail. Reading a book is as much as the reader’s job, it is equally a writer’s job to make sure to write a book worth reading. In this post, I want to discuss the ideas to improve writing and how a writer can write poetry-like prose. How a writer’s writing must feel like poetry?
Writing with rhythm
Writing has a rhythm, especially prose writing. Music has a rhythm, especially soothing music. A reader must feel the rhythm when reading. And as a writer, how do you create this rhythm?
Good question.
Love writing. Writing is a great habit. A habit that can transform the writer as well as a reader. If you want to develop one habit, that must be writing as it can take years to be an effective writer.
Now look at the below paragraph from the story The Rocket Man by Ray Bradbury
Other fireflies followed me to my room. When the weight of my body cut a circuit in the bed, the fireflies winked out. It was midnight, and my mother and I waited, our rooms separated by darkness, in bed. The bed began to rock me and sing to me.
Now both of these paragraphs have one thing in common and that they have rhythm. Rhythm comes from varying lengths of the sentences. But also from using the appropriate words.
Tips to improve your writing with rhythm
As a writer, one can do a few things to improve writing. The most important thing is to keep reading other writers. There are so many books that you can never be enough of reading.
Reading is the key to great writing. Every writer started with reading. They improved their craft by reading classics, reading junk, reading everything that came their way. Reading bad books also makes clear that what you should avoid in your own writing.
But how does this improve rhythm? Isn’t that generic advice?
True. Read poetry. Read metaphors. Poetry helps in building the rhythm for your writing. A poet uses varying lengths of words and sentences. There is a three-prong effect of reading poetry. One it improves the vocabulary, the second it improves your imagination for metaphors, and the third, it adds rhythm to your own writing.
In all this, don’t forget the cardinal rule that Stephen King says – never tell us a thing if you can show us.
Use simple words. Use shorter words, enough words to explain ideas. Flowery language is not the purpose of rhythm. The real purpose of rhythm is to keep a reader engrossed in reading. Avoid cliches.
Less is more
If you want to improve your writing, one should be able to convey an idea with less words, not with more. Less is more in writing. Abstract words cause confusion. It’s better to use more concrete words that describe colors and objects. A writer can also practice writing poetry. After all, a poet conveys an idea with less words, but in a poetry form.
Theme Based Writing
One simple idea that can help writers is to choose a theme and write based on that theme. Poets usually write poems about a theme. Example – dangers of an ambition, turning loss into adventure.
Theme based writing guides your story in the direction, but it also makes you write simplistically with less words.
When you write with rhythm, words will dance to your tunes. Of course, it takes time and practice. This doesn’t happen overnight. It takes conscious efforts. Constant efforts. A writer is a person who struggles, who doesn’t give up on the craft. If anything that keeps him going, it is the craft.
So write, write with jest. The words will come out, the ideas will flow. Practice and practice. Write that story from heart.
Conclusion
It takes years and years to write in rhythm. Rhythm also gives you the voice. Finding that voice is the goal of every writer. Struggles, anxieties are part of writer’s pocket, but that shouldn’t stop you from writing the way you want.