Tuesday, February 26, 2008

How you write is as important as what you Write

Style is way you shape your words into sentences, paragraphs, chapters. . .etc.
I will use a simple sentence to show how different styles
affect what you want to say. I will start with basic sentence :
Jack and Jill went up the hill to fetch a pail of water.
This sentence is written in easy language, is straight forward
and thus is perfect for a young audience. But consider this sentence :
The two of them, Jack and Jill, went alone up the hill, telling others that they were going to fetch some water.
Basically, this sentence says the same thing as the first sentence but it also hints of something else. The hidden question is What were they really doing? this might not be a good sentence for little kids but you might also be joking (kids are very savvy these days).
What does the following sentence seem to be saying ?
Somewhere, perhaps the top of the hill, there was a well from which Jack and Jill were getting their water.
I believe that this sentence sets a scene in which you the reader do not know for sure where Jack and Jill were going. this might be good for a mystery story. How about this next sentence?
Water, that precious commodity, was what our heroes, Jack and Jill, were after when they started their climb up that hill.
I believe that this sentence sets the scene for an adventure - the water was needed and the heroes were sent to get it. And why did heroes have to be sent ? The sentence seems to be asking those questions. How about this sentence:
Jill was radiant with Jack holding her hand, she scarcely noticed the steepness of the hill or the weight of the pail she carried, only the gleam in his eye held her attention.
I think that this might be something out of a romance novel. Can you now see that how you write is as important as what you are saying. All these sentences say the same thing but different messages seem to come from them.
I hope this gives you some ideas on how to write.

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