How to make words flow in writing?

Question

im very interested in writing (im 15) and i would really like to know how i can improve my writing skills and make my stories flow (i like teen fiction, obviously) you know that book Shiver by maggie stiefvater? well, its written and flows pretty well! how can i do that?

Answer 1

It's all in the rhythm, sentence lengths, and word choice. Now, I'm not one for poetry, but I think everyone can agree that it almost always has a rhythm. Ex:
Rose are red
Violets are blue
Critique this poem...
And I'll hurt you. (Not seriously, it just rhymed, and was rather humorous.)
Okay, so, it has rhythm! Writing that has rhythm doesn't have to rhyme, of course:
He closed his eyes and knew he wasn't ready to give up. But his enemy wouldn't let him pass, and his eyes wouldn't let him see.
Hear it?... Rhythm! And notice the word choice. I used "let." It gives emphasis, not repetition. (The bad kind.) Bad repetition would go something like:
She ate the cake and thought it was good.
"Isn't this cake good?" her friend asked, eating another bite.
"Yeah," she said, eating another bite. The cake was really good. She liked cake, she thought to herself, eating another bite.
-Okay, that was bad wasn't it? Now here's a excerpt that lacks rhythm:
He ran for the door. He didn't think what he was doing was wrong. He was afraid of getting caught. His hair was brown. His hair fell over his eyes slightly. He quickly walked down the steps. He looked around. He could see the spaceship.
-Sounds choppy, right? This is where rhythm and sentence lengths come hand in hand. What makes good rhythm and flow is when you vary your sentence lengths. Notice above with the space ship thing, each sentence has the same hit. If your ear can hear a pattern, you can tell when each pattern ends, and another starts. ie: it's choppy.
Another thing about sentence lengths:
When you're writing something, let's say an action scene, you want to tend to keep your sentences shorter. Quicker. Faster. It gives a sense of urgency. Example:
The door clicked open. Jack froze.
With his back still turned, he stared ahead of him. There it was. His key to fame and fortune hidden in the shadows. It so close. So tantalizingly close. But he didn't dare move another step. No. Not after what happened last time.
-Granted, they're not ALL short. Otherwise it would sound choppy.

Good Luck! :D

Answer 2

Read up a bit on punctuation, from what I see right now, you're not using a lot of it. However it shouldn't take too long to get into the habit of adding it in the right places.
Then make sure the rest of your spelling and grammar is correct on everything you write down, so that people may actually understand what you are saying (I don't mean that we can't now, of course, but there's always room to improve).

Writing so that your words flow is just practice. Start writing short stories and you'll notice how your skill grows after each one.
Look at the book you mentioned and others, read them very carefully and take in what you can from the writers technique.
Then go back to your stories and try to mimic what you have learned from reading by changing everything that isn't quite right.

Eventually, you'll get the hang of writing with skill and flow, you only need to mix imagination and effort, and you will go from rambling to short-stories to chapters in no time at all!

Answer 3

you should probably plan out your story first--dont worry if its really detailed. make sure everythin fits together and there arent any loose ends or akward parts that dont really belong. other than that, well, if ur trying to write a story about something in the future, dont say wen it is or dont make it happen any time close to now or when that year comes people would be like geez this is rubbish

Answer 4

Practise.

A lot.

For years.

Writing is a craft like any other. You have to WORK at it.