About Writing Rhythmically

Post 726:

In movies, the writers and directors can use a host of tools to remind the viewer of story, tone and character. It might be a musical theme, or it might be a gesture or line of dialogue that a particular character goes back to. The thing itself doesn’t matter; only that it happens at a regular or semi-regular clip.

This helps with the momentum of a story or a character’s arc. I think it’s good to write a singular gesture or action that is unique to that one character. This assists the reader in knowing that despite the fact that so much is changing, this is essentially the same person we met at the outset.

Sprinkling in humor at regular stages can be effective for keeping the tone consistent, even if the overall feeling is dread or horror or mystery. Smoking a cigarette. Literally, anything. As long as it serves the purpose of identification of theme, plot, or character.

The point is, you want the manuscript to feel like one story. This isn’t all that easy when all you’ve got is the written word. Use some tricks. Nobody will mind.

The whole book can have a rhythm, but this is hard to do. There’s not a lot of books like Blood Meridian or Moby Dick, where the prose is just this thundering thing on every page that is relentlessly pulling you into the fury of the narrative.

If you have the skills to write that kind of work, who cares what I think. And… good luck getting published or read by anyone these days but nerds. Personally, though, I’m rooting for you. Can’t be too much genius in the world, though too much of it does decrease the value—as a corollary, you have to be even more geniusy.

So writers, I implore you to feel the rhythm. Help your reader. They’ll help you back by continuing to read your work. That’s important. Got to get butts in the seats. It’s a metaphor, because words.

Hopefully this made some sense. Cheers and see you after.