PROSODY
You can train your ear to touch hearts through prosody.
What do you hear? Stand on the landscape of your setting. Be your character in that moment of time. What do you hear? If your character is moving, what is the speed or sounds of that action and how can you mimic your sentence structure to enhance this moment in time and experience? How can you get your reader in this moment with you
to listen along? How are you pulling your reader in and emotionally engaging them?
AURAL ACOUSTICS
Prosody is the study of meter, pitch, and aural rhythm in poetry. It considers rhythm, tempo, pitch, even loudness in exploring how rhythmic and acoustic effects a piece of writing by merging sound, pace, and meaning.
Focus your oral (aural) edits on prosody, strive for voice, and find your style. Utilize all the nuances this one tools offers to fully engage readers. So often writers submit manuscripts that fall short of delivering that wow factor. Why? For me, the missing element is Prosody.
So often you speak of pacing in a piece of writing, you are also including and considering its next of kin, prosody, and how they work together. This moves conversations past long or short sentences and cliff hangers and flashback to include the nuances that speed or slow.
What has been most interesting to me is that some of the very tools that speed will also slow. Our discussions about long and short sentences in chapter one provides a great example of this. While you might think you can simply break up your sentences and your writing will shine, that’s not the case. Not at all. Often times, writers tend to move toward simpler writing and this move minimizes the impact of your writing. You want to connect, add emotional punch, and reach readers with intent and purpose. While the idea that short and long sentences influence pace is true—it’s only partially true. This argument falls apart when prosody arrives to impact a longer sentence, making it feel fluid and fast.
SPEED & FLUIDITY
In Josephine, The Dazzling Life of Josephine Baker by Patricia Hruby Powell you can really experience the pop that word selection, the line breaks, and rhythm are coming into play to bring the writing to life and give it that lift to a performance feel. Consider how even the line breaks, placement and punctuation pace:
JOSEPHINE
danced a sizzling flapper dance—the Charleston.
Knees SQUEEZE, now FLY
heels flap and chop
arms scissor and splay eyes swivel and pop.
Josephine, all
RAZZMATAZZ,
erupted into the Roaring Twenties—a VOLCANO.
Analyze Pace
Prosody presents here as line breaks and sounds and rhythmicality of the words selected (RAZZMATAZZ). You experience a shift from past tense (danced) to a series of actions mixing that activate verbs, present tense (squeeze, fly, flap, chop, scissor, splay, pop) to mock the feel of dancing the Charleston —live and in the moment—while this also projects Josephine’s personality (metaphorically shared:
(RAZZMATAZZ—a VOLCANO) for the reader to consider. Paying attention to sounds, rhythm, and actions that prosody provides, Hruby Powell creates a memorable moment by placing readers right inside Josephine’s dance routine. In the moment. And this, because of its intensity and energy, feels like a pause, even as its speeds up and shifts readers back to the next moment and scene of her story.
Consider how different this experience would be if you remove this performance feel from her storytelling. Reread this, skipping that active section.
Pause for a moment and think about what you learn about the setting, character, the music in this moment. Now think about how very
few words this represents in novel and how much potential you have to engage the stage for your readers throughout every manuscript. Huge.
Analyze pace
This unique experience represents pacing: the pause, punctuation (squeeze, now) and placement (line break), performance (focus
on action, movement), prosody (FLY), alliteration (knees squeeze) consonance (scissor and splay), and personality.
Remember that a short sentence cleanses the reader’s palate and amps up the pace, but the sounds of language or prosody touches upon that universal language the whole world speaks: music. When you craft a sentence, you have so many choices. You might infuse a sentence with prosody: internal rhyme or roll-of-the-tongue lyrical language, or shift from longer sentences to a sweet, short one. This offers you a lot of flexibility in pacing to enhance your plot. You know if you have a lot of information to share and want it to feel swift for readers, you will add in literary devices and rhythm, etc. to accomplish this. This is the power of pacing. This is huge, so let’s explore it in award-winning books.
Your goal, as you prep your manuscript for agents and editors, remains musical engagement. Do what it takes—go the extra to make sure you’ve checked and double-checked how well you are positioned in the market place—to keep prosody a part of your writing and communications with readers.
Our final section will focus on prepping your writing for editors and agents, and with each check, be sure to keep the sounds and rhythms of language a huge part of your writing:
REFRESH YOUR READ
A short sentence punches up your writing. It’s powerful. The short two-word or three-word sentence pauses and refreshes your reader’s palate. You may think of the two-word sentence as a swift-speed pacing move and that it is, but, fair warning: it simultaneously pauses and refreshes.
Amazing, right?
Will a longer sentence, infused with literary devices create lyrical flow, and allow the longer sentence to read swift and short? So much of pacing both slows and speeds; it’s not a predictable one-way experience, so monitor both pacing and prosody and their impact on your plot as you work.
Short and long sentences and the influence on speeding up or slowing down pacing is only partially true. Once you explore the nuances of pacing, you see that this argument falls apart when prosody arrives. The sounds of language may present internal rhyme or roll-of-the-tongue lyrical language and step in to make a long sentence feel short. It may sing.
As an AP dual credit secondary senior English teacher, I often charged my students to include two to three, two- to three-word sentences on their first drafts. What I came to see this one pacing element as a way to relax their writing and give way to more engaged writing. You, too, may realize this in your own writing.
SHORT, PUNCHY SENTENCES
The use of short sentences, even fragments, in the Schneider Family Book Award-winning The Running Dream by Wendelin Van Draanen proves this. In this novel, the short sentence shares the emotional reality of the main character and drops readers onto the track during a major running event. It shows how using short sentences will invite readers into a scene with immediacy and impact. Emotional reality is shared in the first line:
My hopes, my dreams, my lie…it’s over.
The only one who seems unfazed is Dr. Wells. “Hello there, Jessica!” he says. I don’t know if it’s day or night. The second day or the first. “How are you feeling?”
I just stare at him. What am I supposed to say, Fine? He inspects my chart. “So let’s have a look, shall we?”
He pulls the covers off my lap, and I find myself face to face with the truth. My right leg has no foot.
No ankle. No shin.
It’s just my thigh, my knee, and a stump wrapped in a mountain of gauze.
Analyze pace
With this exchange, Van Draanen brings prosody and pace into play by word (no….No….No….), pause that slows and adds rhythm (I don’t know if it’s day or night.), fragment (The second day or the
first.), punctuation (ellipse…it’s over), performance (random verb check:
seems, stare, inspects, pulls, wrapped), placement, (words, fragment, line breaks), rhythm and repetition (my thigh, my knee), interiority (What am I supposed to say, Fine?), list (my hopes, my dreams, my lie—“lie” marking that negative space of good writing by doing the opposite
of what you might expect), objects (thigh, knee, stump, mountain), questions, and more.
See how these pacing techniques bring prosody to the page. They support and interweave into produce a dynamic experience for readers, so as you move through this text you begin to identify pacing moves within a story immediately. You benefit from having so many moves to pull from as you write and edit your work, when you can skillfully marry story needs to reader expectations.
All of this marks pacing and pulls her readers onto the page and into the moment of her story. She pauses her delivery at times to punctuate the emotional weight of her main character (face to face with the truth. [Pause]. My right leg as no foot) and also incorporates compare-contrast (Jessica to Dr. Wells). Think about all the extraordinary decisions this Van Draanen made. The fragmented thoughts, the short sentences and incredibly controlled writing unfolds Jessica’s reality and surprises the reader with deft emotional impact.
LONG, SLOW SENTENCE
Let’s explore the slowing of pace using the long sentence. This is not the kind of natural compound variety or run-on style, but that elongated sentence that seizes the opportunity to produce a sentence with dramatic impact and repeating word.
The Wednesday Wars by Gary D. Schmidt utilizes the hero’s journey in chapter one. Hoodhood charges readers that Mrs. Baker, his teacher, hates his guts. He goes looking for an ally in his Mother, then Father, then Sister, with authenticity that embraces the humor of everyday life. In this scene, where he confronts Father, Father’s dialogue points to his dual concerns for his reputation and his business. Consider:
“So, Holling, what did you do that might make Mrs. Baker hate your guts, which will make other Baker family members hate the name of Hoodhood, which will lead the Baker Sporting Emporium to choose another architect, which will kill the deal for Hoodhood and Associates, which will drive us into bankruptcy, which will encourage several lending institutions around the state to send representatives
to our front stoop holding papers that have lots of legal words on them—none of them good—and which will mean that there will be no Hoodhood and Associates for you to take over when I am ready to retire?”
This stands in stark contrast to the next, short, punchy conversation with his sister:
“Mrs. Baker hates my guts,” I told her. “So do I,” she said.
The very dramatic use of short and long sentences will allow you to low down or speed up the pace of your story.
AURAL & ORAL MUSICALITY
Fair warning, however, that when prosody enters this equation and the rhythm and sounds of language—the musicality of language—come into play, a long sentence can read swift and speedy. Adjust pacing to enhance emotions and emphasize meaning simultaneously. You engage your readers and impact them. The writer who writes to mind, heart, and ear will get the accolades.
Aurally-pleasing sounds, the musicality of language, the careful communication an author has with his or her readers to build a keen awareness of each and every plot move is a big part of the awesome plot pacing. It’s exactly what agents and editors crave.
Listen. Incorporate word sounds and pay attention to how each word touches your ear. Think about how scenes and sentences move, how words and accents elevate—and, perhaps, mimic the movement in scene. Marry the action to your words, word sounds, and sentence structures. Use pacing like this to go far enough to keep your reader engaged in plot. Think about your book as a “live” performance and amp up voice, syntax, pause. Craft and weave pictures and visuals together for readers like a delicate tapestry. Take command. Use active voice and add in onomatopoeia and punch up an unforgettable rhythmic quality when you feel a moment calls for it. Make it matter. Illuminate your writing.
A focus on prosody will serve pacing, and that pacing, in turn will enhance and reveal the heart of your story. It’s this daring and delicious duo: pace and prosody, that enhances plot in the best way possible.
PART
PROSODY
There’s other things that your opening should share: prosody. The sound of language, its rich overtones and flavorings like the dialect shared in the Long Way Down, the repetition, and that connection to the interiority of character. Here, the reader is placed right in the guts of character while the character anticipates ‘having enough guts.’ How much voice does your opening have?
For a great example of the Trifecta of Perfect Pacing at play, turn to The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill, and be sure to read it in its entirety. Experience the nuances of pacing and all the tools that create a fresh voice. Prosody works.
MUSICALITY OF LANGUAGE
I often speak to musicality of language. Not only do I agree with Victor Wooten that “Music is a Language” (sSee his YouTube video
on this), I know that that musicality when add-ed to any projects paves the way for its success. The rhythm and nuances of song captivate
us, remains universal in its delivery and represents that more spiritual connection on an emotional level and it all speaks to prosody and voice and the author’s footprint.
If you consider just how powerful voice is, as a teen, I was in a class at a junior college and the professor was reading an essay. I had this sneaky suspicion that the paper, though she didn’t share the author’s name, was written by a friend of mine—and I was right. The way he spoke and presented ideas became his thumbprint. I read much of an illustrated novel that he and another friend were writing during math class (don’t judge), and having read so much of his work, I could readily identify it. This is the best part of voice.
During my MFA, I wondered about voice and whether it could be taught. I believe a writer’s voice is present but needs to be released by letting go, by honing the important mo-ments and ideas—and really tapping into and focusing on writing to that reader who is reluctant and non-caring and sitting idle in the back row. Speak to this reader and you earn them all. Speak to the enthusiasts in the front row and you will pace-it-forward to only a portion of your audience.
So how important is voice? Huge.
ENHANCE PROSODY
You position your manuscript to sell well when you read a scene that is so blanketed with literary, poetic techniques; it makes for such an exciting read! It’s unbelievable. So, this too will thrill an editor and agent. There’s just a certain genius that can be achieved by layering your work with awesome pacing. Use all the tools: word, repetition, rhythm, details, description, questions, setting, lists and threes and
so much more. But what you need to know is that pacing works like an intricate tapestry, it’s a weaving of these 200 techniques and the
flavoring of them that create your masterpiece. Doing this, how will you ever reach that point where you suffer writer’s block again? You know the many moves you can make and once you begin to feel the joy as you
flavor and season your writing for reader consumption, there will be no turning back. Your book diner will be full of hungry readers and that is the goal.
REACH READERS
Editing to reach readers might sound silly, but so often authors do not go far enough in their writing. Know yourself as a writer and do more, do less to do more, un-write your novel strong, explore the
negative and simply see more ways to connect. Your aim in connecting with your reader is to target that more reluctant reader that sits half-way out the door and in the back of the room, just left of Johnny Reads-a-lot. Win this reluctant reader and you secure them all, so challenge your pacing skills and use these many techniques to alert your reader’s attention.
Remember that your goal is to write to the trifecta of awesome pacing and that definitely in-cludes plot, pace, and prosody—and that last little “oomph” is everything. You, as a writer, write to mind, heart and ear, and ear cannot be forgotten. You know that a well-paced story will fall into the heart of your reader for a lifetime, so write it strong.
Craft it well. Know where you are taking your reader within your plot.
— • PACE YOUR PLOT PRO TIP • —
Get on Your Editor’s Good Side
By the Editors, Krista Vitola and Liz Kossnar, Simon & Schuster
There’s a number of things you can do to get on an editor’s good side but some will surprise you in their simplicity:
Emails. We often provide a lot of feedback on your work. Please wait a few days. Don’t email back an emotionally-charged response. Follow this advice: take a breath, give it some time, let it rest a little—then convey what you’d like us to know.
Opinions. In the writing world, we like you to get opinions about your work. Industry professionals, librarians, and writers will bring feedback that includes the reader as well as sales and packaging so share with industry professional versus family.
Twitter. Full social media. Don’t subtweet out of context. Tweets are public, so please know that editors will see your posts, forwards, and comments. Keep comments professional, tagged correctly,
and in context.
Deadlines. Revisions. If we come up with a timeline, but if you cannot make your timeline, we have a “just let me know” policy. Do your due diligence and know there’s a series of events preset to move your book into the market. If you have to delay, it’s best for us to know ear-ly.
Timelines. Once we acquire your book, we let you know when we can read and send you an editorial letter, often 8 to 10 pages. Often times, we juggle your book between other manuscripts, so you may have 6 months or you may have a year, depending on your release dates.
Book launches. Launches speak to our entire team. We share why we love the book and why it should be a priority and get the most attention. We look for the hooks that will make your project stand out. We often set up the book meets book or book meets movie
comparison that allows others to instantly connect to your project.
Submissions. It’s really nice to be sure you are submitting 12 pt. point, Times New Roman font, double-spaced, with page
numbers. This makes it convenient and saves your editor. So, please be sure you stick to the standard submission format.
For more about this topic, please watch more advice on their webinar, available on Kid-LitCollege.org.
— • — • —
16
PROSODY & PACE
Pay attention to pace and prosody, and you create a musical experience for your reader. Take one read, only the opening, of Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi. Listen to how pitch, loudness, tempo and rhythm in the opening alone:
I try not to think of her.
But when I do, I think of rice.
When Mama was around, the hut always smelled of jollof rice.
I think about the way her dark skin glowed like the summer sun, the way her smile made Baba come alive. The way her white hair fuzzed and coiled, an untamed crown that breathed and thrived.
I hear the myths she would tell me at night. Tzain’s laughter when they played agbon in the park.
Baba’s cries as the soldiers wrapped a chain around her neck.
Her screams as they dragged her into the dark.
The incantations that spewed from her mouth like lava. The magic of death that lead her as