Cadence Matters:
In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit
Vs
A hobbit lived in a hole in the ground
The small boys came early to the hanging
Vs
The small boys came to the hanging early
This line from one of C.S. Lewis’ letters. “Always write (and read) with the ear, not the eye. You should hear every sentence you write as if it was being read aloud or spoken. If it does not sound nice, try again.”
From now on, I plan to consider the different possible orders for my words. I’ll try them back-to-front, inside-out. And I’ll read with my ear, not my eye. And I’ll remember that I want the sentence with the most music, the most cadence, the most brilliance, and maybe a little poetry. I’ll remember that it’s not that hard. Sometimes it’s as simple as moving one word.