Finished CH. 16; 31,375 word count
Writing Tip: I have a rule of thumb. If a sentence spills over to three lines of manuscript, it is too long. (I use Courier New because I can read it comfortably. For those who use Times New Roman, which is all scrunched up, you would have to make that all of two lines.)
From today's chapter:
Bealomondore and Efficinderpart poured over the journals the next morning, while they waited for Laddin to come back with news of a house that might supply their daggart-making needs.
The fix is almost too simple and requires one less word a period and a capital, not at all arduous labor:
Bealomondore and Efficinderpart poured over the journals the next morning. They waited for Laddin to come back with news of a house that might supply their daggart-making needs.
One of the things I'm fond of is having my manuscript read aloud so I can hear it. Those long sentences require readers with great lung power. Even when read silently those whopping long sentences tax the brain. Most readers read to relax. So be easy on those who pick up your book and chop the behemoth wordage into easy chunks to conquer.
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Mrs. Paul is a fantasy author and grandma. 
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I so agree. So often I have seen sentences that were whole paragraphs. One author I can think of particularly likes to start his books with several of these paragraph sentences.
ReplyDeleteMy rule of thumb, garnered from the book, "If I Can Write, You Can Write" by Charlie Shedd: 20 words or less in a sentence.
ReplyDeleteSometimes I stretch just a wee bit, say 23.