Five-word sentences

By Gary Provost

I’d read this years ago and saved it. It’s brilliant and says it better than I ever could. Written by Gary Provost, a writer and writing instructor who passed away in 1995, but his works and classes are still available on his website.

“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.

Photo by Toa Heftiba on Unsplash

“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 the drums, the crash of the cymbals--sounds that say listen to this…