Finding a Rhythm - WriYe

Poetry has an obvious rhythm, but so does prose. Writing can be as musical as, well, music writing. What type of cadence do you find in your own writing? Are you short and choppy? Long and lyrical? And why is your way better than anyone else?

I love music and I'm a pretty good musician, but honestly I don't think about rhythm much when I write. I find that the mood my characters are in will influence how short or long their sentences are when they speak, and I try not to let my descriptive sentences run on too long, but it's not usually at the forefront of my mind.

When I'm doing a freewrite then my sentences do tend to run on, but then when I'm writing a more cohesive story then I find I write according to the mood - and genre - of the piece.

Another things, although it's not entirely related to the question, is that I often listen to music when I'm writing, and I try to listen to music that I think is appropriate for that character. When I'm writing Lois McBride I listen to tracks by Stabilo and One Direction; Dawn Bell is Trading Yesterday and J'Lostein; and so on.

I don't think I have a particular style, and I certainly don't think my way of writing is better than anyone elses, but it works for me!