Make Your Writing Flow | Sound, Rhythm, and Even Contractions

When people say they want their writing to "flow," they often mean that they want it to sound good. So how do you make your writing sound good? In this video, we discuss four ways to make your writing sound better.

0:00 Introduction
1:07 Letter Sounds
4:03 Rhythm
5:43 Controlling Flow
8:14 Contractions!
9:22 Conclusion

[siddharthgupta]

We're (see i hv started using contraction😅) blessed that, such an adept and experienced person is there to help us in honing our skills... Thank u so much

[hannahbrown]

Starting at 2:40 when I heard that it had me grinning ear to ear. Something about that just tickles my brain, its partly why I love the song Alphabet Aerobics so much. Id love to sound like a cartoon character!

[Tommy_]

Hi Andrew. New subscriber from Denmark here :-)
I'm a mathematician that likes to write. When I was in school, I really liked grammar, but I didn't enjoy writing at all. For some reason, this has changed, and writing my thoughts and ideas can feel both relaxing and rewarding.
I love to understand things and your videos are inspiring and instructive.
Obviously, English is not my mother tongue. However, your content is very language independent and is transferable to Danish (for instance). As a bonus, I learn more about English at the same time.

[sea]

This is such good teaching! Love the examples.

[tam]

This is so beneficial a lesson to me, I had encounter you earlier. I will learn from your YouTube treasure diligently. Many thanks, Andrew.

[omikronsigma]

Thank you for making me think more about writing.

[darkengine]

I'm so grateful to have discovered this channel! Currently I'm learning the very basics of creative writing with popular advice such as to "show, don't tell", to favor active voice over passive voice, and to streamline our writing by eliminating as many superfluous words as possible. I've found none of it particularly objectionable except for the very last piece of advice to streamline and maximize economy.

Even disregarding my inept writing and coming purely from the standpoint of a reader, I find a lot of the most contemporary commercial fiction difficult to read despite being so economical in the use of words. I couldn't pinpoint why given how the sentences are much simpler and shorter than the fiction I grew up reading, but I suspected it had something to do with flow. Even "shrugged his shoulders" (a line I've seen critiqued to death in favor of merely "shrugged") has a pleasant alliteration that seems to smooth and round things out.

I am [I avoided the contraction here since I wanted to emphasize "am"] trying to pay some attention to economy, yet I often feel so compelled to insert words that contribute nothing to the literal meaning of a line. If we take the line, "My [own] mother wept at my callous response, " I want naturally to insert "own" and desperately keep it in that sentence even after I become completely aware that it contributes nothing to its meaning. Might that relate to flow? I also find it functioning as a form of emphasis.

[jeffstone]

''Lure them in with aesthetics''
The riparian observer
Thanks Andrew

[jonathanlochridge]

Flow is a tool.

A fast flowing paragraph is similar to run-on sentence. So, even though it may be broken up,
It can still be overwhelming. And, clarity can be lost, as little stands out among a sea of words. Therefore, it may leave one without a chance to think. But simply keep on pushing you along, Giving no time to soak in what you read.

Parts of an idea can stand alone. They can be big. Or, Small pieces may come out.

When everything stands out, ideas are slowed. But, paragraphs are quickened.

Having a long sentence is often wrong for the same reason that a flowing paragraph might, it fills the cup of what people can remember, when it spills, it is hard to understand.
But, breaking brings release.

What you say is enhanced by how you say it. Change is the core of method. It creates a path like the course of a river. A river carries on, but it bends from side to side. It drops. Or gently flows over a stone, leaving a ripple along it's surface as it moves.

Rhythm ticks on with a tempo. Even in speech the same thing can be said slowly, or quickly. The more beats that are added, the longer it takes to finish without straying from the beat. In some cases it may be changed for effect. A note can be played both staccato or legato. And they both give a different feel.

Your purpose guides feeling, tempo, and flow. It is important to express it by saying what you mean. And also pulling out things that get in the way of that purpose. Whether it be one thing or several, purpose is key.

A side note:
I have actually struggled a lot with purpose when it comes to casual writing.
In many cases I simply say the first words that come to mind.
Which tends to lead to a natural flow. But, it many cases will turn out unclear.
And in some cases, editing may simple improve clarity but not really work to ensure the flow is being used to build something bigger.

[MichaelLevine-ny]

Have you done, or would you do, a video on the whys of English pronunciation and conjugation? Such as knight= nite or enough= enuf. And to conjugation to past tense: walk- walked, skip - skipped. But other words are not "ed" added but become a different word, speak - spoke or run - ran. Thanks.

[TrickyNick]

Can you recommend any books that explore these topics? I find most writing books tend to focus on structure or grammar.

[vinceha]

Hi Andrew, do you have any recommendations for books that elaborate on phonetic flow?

[stevecarter]

I have a spicy brain and found myself distracted by alliteration and internal rhymes. I wonder whether there's been a study of the impact on comprehension of these elements for ASD and ADD brains.

[yapdog]

Alright, alright, I'm subscribed. 😁

[sforsterification]

This was excellent stuff Andrew. I would love to see more on flow. Perhaps you could add a video with plenty more before and after examples, or could you suggest some great reading on flow?

[GlenWasson]

In my poetry I often use contractions when one syllable is needed, not two.

[gamewriteeye]

7:48 A visual test to see how I'd reconstruct the sentence to my understanding of “flow”. *Editing note: “the board of directors” sounds singular in its construction like “I”; it'd go like “he/she recommends”, but drop the—s—for the verb to be “the board of directors recommend” as a singular they.

In light of these recent government restrictions, the board of directors recommend an immediate moratorium on all bioregulatory product development in relation to our biomedical research procedures for the foreseeable future.

*Editing note: Tempted to put—un—in foreseeable future, based on reconstructing it. Does it give this sentence a voice?

In light of these recent government restrictions, the board of directors recommend an immediate moratorium on all bioregulatory product development in relation to our biomedical research procedures for the unforeseeable future. Any and all non-compliance to do so will receive reprimandation upon funding for this support.

*Editing note: A second sentence following this change allows for a difference in “where” the writing flows next. The direction of writing flow, given the style (voice of the writing) alters it to be said a certain way, if not at most times, always pertains to the goal of the writing itself (or the paragraph's idea). Whether this detracts from formal writing in favour of creative writing differs, since “voice” in works like research papers prefer the style to be passive and not active (e.g. There was a proposable change in the requested transfer of subset E transferring into D).

[andreiishybanov]

I prefer not to place “then” in middle of a sentence. I would rather prefer to simplify a sentence.