Strong Sentences, Stronger Stories: Craft Your Way to Powerful Prose
Welcome to the recap of our March writers’ webinar focusing on the craft of sentence construction—the foundation of all compelling writing. If you missed the live session, you can watch the full replay below.
In Strong Sentences, Stronger Stories, we explored how well-crafted sentences can transform ordinary writing into extraordinary prose. From eliminating unnecessary words to creating rhythm and tension, our discussion provided practical techniques that writers at any level can apply immediately.
Watch the replay now, and continue reading below for a comprehensive summary of the key insights and techniques we covered.
Strong Sentences, Stronger Stories: Craft Your Way to Powerful Prose
What makes a piece of writing truly unforgettable? In our latest webinar, we explored how masterfully crafted sentences form the foundation of compelling stories. Whether you’re working on a novel, memoir, or short story, these insights will help elevate your writing from functional to extraordinary.
The Power of the Sentence
We often focus on big-picture elements like plot and character, but the sentence is where the magic truly happens. As we discussed in the webinar, well-crafted sentences don’t just communicate ideas—they create memorable moments that linger in readers’ minds long after they’ve finished your work.
Strong sentences reveal the author’s unique voice and perspective. They contain the DNA of your writing style, showcasing your distinctive approach to storytelling. When readers quote passages from their favourite books, they’re almost always sharing sentences that struck them with their precision, beauty, or insight.
Creating Tension, Suspense, and Surprise
One of the most powerful techniques we explored was using sentence structure to generate emotional responses. The best sentences often contain an element of surprise, tension, or conflict that pulls readers deeper into the narrative.
Consider this example from The Great Gatsby and how the sentence structure itself creates a sense of anticipation and revelation:
So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.
We also examined this evocative sentence from one of our participants:
The responses blipping across my phone were bright orange buoys on a heaving sea. Little buoys and life jackets lifting us up and keeping us afloat.
These sentences work because they combine unexpected elements, create internal tension, and deliver emotional impact through their careful construction.
Specificity and Elegance
Generic sentences slide past readers without making an impression. During our session, we identified specificity as a key element of memorable writing. Replace vague descriptions with precise details that engage the senses and create vivid images in readers’ minds.
For example, instead of writing:
It’s quite windy and the sea is quite rough but it’s a gloriously sunny day here.
Try something like:
Wind whipped the sea into white-capped peaks beneath a brilliant, cloudless sky.
Elegance in sentence construction doesn’t mean ornate or flowery language. Rather, it refers to achieving maximum impact with carefully chosen words.
Breaking and Building: Sentence Rhythm
Pay attention to the rhythm and flow of your writing. As Don DeLillo said:
Every sentence has a truth waiting at the end of it and the writer learns how to know it when he finally gets there. On one level this truth is the swing of the sentence, the beat and poise, but down deeper it’s the integrity of the writer as he matches with the language.
We demonstrated how sometimes breaking a complex sentence into simpler ones creates a more powerful effect. Consider this example:
Gunfire cracked across the field. Margaret pulled Jane into the ditch, where they watched as the boys jerked and fell like puppets.
We’d improve it by breaking it up and being more specific:
Gunfire cracked across the field. Margaret clamped a hand on Jane’s arm and wrenched her down into the ditch. Scrambling to their knees, they peered through the hedgerow. A burst of gunfire raised small explosions of earth across the field. The boys jerked and fell like puppets.
Short, punchy sentences work well for moments of action or revelation. Longer, more complex sentences can effectively convey contemplative moments or complex emotions—just be careful not to create an “overstuffed suitcase” of a sentence.
From Weak to Strong: Transformation Techniques
During our practical exercise, we transformed this weak sentence:
There was a loud crash that echoed through the empty hallway.
Into this more impactful version:
A loud crash echoed through the empty hallway.
We also improved this overstuffed sentence:
My boyfriend Michael, who left school at fourteen to work in a factory producing cabinets, until a shaft of metal went through his arm and his wrist was permanently weakened, became a delivery man taking hampers of exotic foods to the better-off neighbourhoods – and saved and saved.
By breaking it into sharper, clearer sentences:
My boyfriend Michael left school at fourteen. He worked in a cabinet factory, until a metal shaft pierced his arm and permanently weakened his wrist. He became a delivery man, carrying hampers of caviar, salmon pate and orange marmalade to the better-off neighbourhoods. He saved and saved.
The improvements came from:
- Eliminating unnecessary phrases like ‘there was’ to make the sentence more direct and impactful
- Breaking overly complex sentences into clearer, more digestible units
- Using more specific details (caviar, salmon pate and orange marmalade rather than just exotic foods)
- Creating better rhythm and flow while preserving the essential meaning
Finding Your Balance
It’s your job, as a writer, to care about every level of your narrative. It’s not just about the plot, or the characters and their words, actions and reactions. Those are all important, but in the process of worrying about what your characters must face in their lives, we sometimes forget that we need to focus on every word and sentence construction we use.
There’s a fine line between improving a sentence and completely rewriting it. It’s important to maintain your authentic voice while applying these techniques. Not every sentence needs to be a masterpiece—some serve simply to move the narrative forward—but being intentional about your sentence craft elevates your writing overall.
Moving Forward
As you revise your current project, try these tips we shared in the webinar:
- Ban generic adjectives like beautiful, magnificent, and awe-inspiring
- Eliminate unnecessary words like suddenly, slightly, and quite
- Replace weak verbs with specific ones. Instead of walk, try stride, sidle, or shuffle
- Avoid starting sentences with There was/is or He felt/noticed/watched
- Read your work aloud to catch issues with rhythm and flow
Remember that great writing happens at the sentence level. By honing this fundamental skill, you’ll create stories that resonate more deeply with readers and showcase your unique voice as a writer.
Further reading: The Foundation of Good Writing: The Sentence
Go forth and write
Jo-Anne and Richard
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Looking to improve your sentence craft?
- Consider joining our Writers’ Circle for personalised feedback the monthly Zoom meetings.
- Our Thirty-day Writing Bootcamp dedicates its first week entirely to mastering the building blocks of powerful writing.
