What Does Your Ear Hear?

By Susan Reichert, Editor-in-Chief for Southern Writers Magazine 

We as writers know there are rules we are to follow in writing.  But, did you know there are times you can break those rules of writing?

You can, and you aren’t being rebellious, difficult or even childish. Aren’t you glad? I know I am.

When you write thrillers, for instance, you’re concerned about getting the atmosphere of the story down on paper. What is your ear hearing? Does it hear tension, danger, and trouble?

When we are writing dialogue, there are times you just can’t follow the rules, not if you are writing the dialogue the person would be speaking.

Now, don’t get the idea I am trying to get you to stop following the rules. I believe you need to know the rules, and if you do, then you know when you are breaking them, and if it is in a place they need to be broken.

When you read a sentence on paper, your ear tells you, “right on target––or off target”.

Winston S. Churchill said, “Broadly speaking, the short words are the best, and the old words best of all.” He could have also said the shorter sentences are the better ones too, however, he didn’t say that. But they are. Short words have more punch.  I think short sentences also have more punch. Try reading a long sentence with say 40-50 words in it. Does your ear get tired? Does your brain start wandering? Mine always does.

One of the things a writer needs to be is a good communicator. Every time I write something I need to turn around and read it. What does my ear hear? Does it make sense? What can I take out? What do I need to add? These are some of the questions I ask myself. What I find sometimes is a couple of sentences are not making sense or they’re rambling. Clarity is important in our writing. We don’t want people confused trying to read what we’ve written. Listening to what we are reading helps us be better writers.

In high school, one of my teachers, (won’t mention a name) was always trying to impress upon us the importance of being organized. She would say, “Only then, can your words have clarity.” She was right. We do need to be organized. It especially helps when we are talking to be organized in our thoughts so there will be clarity in what we say. I can hear her asking us, “Did you hear what you just read?”

The answer she got was, “Of course we did.” But she meant did we hear with our ears and did we understand what it said.

The other subject she stressed, repeatedly, was writing outlines. Let me say to this day, I hate writing outlines. We are talking over fifty years here, I still hate writing them. But she was right again; outlines are wonderful tools for writers. Thank you Mrs.… (No names remember?)