1. This sentence has five words.
This sentence has five words. Here are five more words. Five word sentences are fine. But several together become monotonous. Listen to what is happening. The writing is getting boring. The sound of it drones. It’s like a stuck record. The ear demands some variety.

2. Now listen. I vary the sentence length, and I create music. Music
Now listen. I vary the sentence length, and I create music. Music. The writing sings. It has a pleasant rhythm, a lilt, a harmony. I use short sentences. And I use sentences of medium length. And sometimes when I am certain the reader is rested, I will engage him with a sentence of considerable length, a sentence that burns with energy and builds with all the impetus of a crescendo, the roll of drums, the crash of the symbols – sounds that say listen to this, it is important.

3. Varying Sentences
My parents left. They just simply drove away. I waved good-bye while standing on the edge of the curb. I held back the tears stinging my eyes. My feet remained planted in the same place. I could no longer see their white Durango. “What now?,” I thought to myself as I walked up the three flights of stairs to my dorm room. I tried to hold back the flood of tears threatening to escape. My heart felt like a lead balloon.

4. Adding Description through Actions, Dialogue, and Thinking
“I can do this, I can do this, I can do this.” By repeating this line over and over again in my head I was hoping to convince myself that everything would be okay. My heart could not be convinced. I reached out and tightly gripped the cold, metal hand rail to keep myself from turning around and running as far and as fast as I could.
“This is ridiculous,” I surprisingly said out loud. College was not a choice. It was a requirement. And the path to fulfilling my dream of one day having my own classroom full of young minds. With a new sense of determination I steadily climbed each of those concrete stairs until I reached my sun-filled and cozy dorm room. Plopping down on my new plaid comforter I looked around and saw the pictures of my family, posters of my favorite movie stars, the pillow my grandmother made for me and I realized that this is my new home…and it isn’t so bad after all.

5. It’s Your Turn!
That was “This Sentence has Five Words” by Gary Provost. Can you see and hear the difference? What does your writing sound like?