f l u e n c y

fluency is the rhythm and flow of languagethe sound of word patternsthe way in which writing

plays to the ear

it’s cadence...

music

Lines that have a pleasing lyrical quality...

three types of “music” in my writing

Lines that have a strong, steady melody...

Lines that have a jazzy, syncopated beat...

lyricism

a light, lilting melody

night is coming,

and out of the rustle

of grandpa’s wheat,

you can hear the whippoorwill’s

hollow song arising.

out in the fields

you can smell wild clover

mixing with the scent

of freshly mown hay.

and if you stay very still

and squint way up high,

beneath the straying clouds

you’ll catch the glimmer

of a red-tail hawk

endlessly circling.

when grandma moses looks out her window,she sees a world of spotted cows,and rolling hills, and white picket fences.

a world of thunderstorms,rain-drenched fields,and hand-washed laundry flapping in the wind.

where hired hands plow open fields,and children play in flowering orchards.

Where friends and family gatheron moving dayto help a needy neighbor.

syncopation

the unevenness of rhythm

storm.

blue sky darkened.

green fields checkered.

yellow sun streaked with clouds

and hiding.

FLASH! lightning in the fields.

RUMBLE! thunder right behind.

FLASH! RUMBLE!

FLASH! RUMBLE!

FLASH! BAM!

RUMBLE! CRASH!

the wind is whipping through the trees.

the rain is bouncing off the ground.

the world is dark and wet outside.

suddenly the storm is all around.

hey, everybody, are you ready?Uh-huh!Then snap those fingersand tap those toes,and sing along with me.

all right!here we go...

she has straight hair.he has curly hair.how perfectly remarkably strange,Uh-huh!

straight hair.curly hair.different--mm-mmm,but the same, ah-ha!

now isn’t it beautiful,simply unusual,bein’ with you this way!

chris raschka

melodicism

a strong, constant melodic sound

ten babies asleep in a crib,

ten babies asleep.

take one out,

and pass it about...

nine babies asleep in a crib.

nine babies asleep in a crib,

nine babies asleep.

take one out,

and pass it about...

eight babies asleep in a crib.

eight babies asleep in a crib,

eight babies asleep.

take one out,

and pass it about...

seven babies asleep in a crib.

shake, shake, shake, dem bones.

shake, shake, shake dem bones now,

shake, shake, shake dem bones

at the hip-hop halloween ball.

hey li’l red so sweet so good,

you sure can shake that riding hood

come on, li’l red, won’t you dance with me

at the hip-hop halloween ball.

Now here comes Jack with a cow to sell,

did you ever think Jack could dance so well.

Come on, li’l Jack, won’t you dance with me,

at the hip-hop halloween ball.

conventions

the extent to which writers use spelling, punctuation, grammar, etc.,

correctly and with precision

but what does correct mean in the hands of a writer?

william wanted a doll.

he wanted to hug itand cradle it in his armsand give it a bottleand take it to the parkand push it in the swingand bring it back homeand undress itand put it to bedand pull down the shadesand kiss it goodnightand watch its eyes closeand thenwilliam wanted to wake it upin the morningwhen the sun came inand start all over againjust as though he were its fatherand it were his child.

“a doll!” said his brother.“don’t be a creep!”“Sissy, sissy, sissy!” said the boy next door.

conventions

instead of thinking

u n convention a l

think...

Storm.blue sky darkened.green fields checkered.yellow sun streaked with clouds and hiding.

flash! lightning in the hills.rumble! thunder right behind.

flash! rumble! flash! rumble! flash! bam! rumble! crash!

Storm.blue sky darkened.green fields checkered.yellow sun streaked with clouds and hiding.

flash! lightning in the hills.rumble! thunder right behind.

flash! rumble! flash! rumble! flash! bam! rumble! crash!

Storm.blue sky darkened.green fields checkered.yellow sun streaked with clouds and hiding.

flash! lightning in the hills.rumble! thunder right behind.

flash! rumble! flash! rumble! flash! bam! rumble! crash!

Storm.blue sky darkened.green fields checkered.yellow sun streaked with clouds and hiding.

flash! lightning in the hills.rumble! thunder right behind.

flash! rumble! flash! rumble! flash! bam! rumble! crash!

the wind is whipping through the trees.the rain is bouncing off the ground.

the world is dark and wet outside.suddenly the storm is all around.

the storm is all around

and all you can hear

is the rat-tat-tat

rat-tat-tat

of raindrops

beating down.

the storm is all around

and all you can hear

is the rat-tat-tat

rat-tat-tat

of raindrops

beating down.

foreground meaning...

background sound...

the storm is all around

and all you can hear

is the rat-tat-tat

rat-tat-tat

of raindrops

beating down.

the robin huddles in its nest, waiting.

the cows in the field stand still.

the farmer stares from his window

as water races past his

newly planted seed.

the world is dark outside.

the world is wet,

and wild with the wind

that shakes the house,

bends the trees,

whips the telephone lines

until they snap and sing.

the storm is all around.

the storm is all around.

the world is dark outside.

the world is wet,

and wild with the wind

that shakes the house,

bends the trees,

whips the telephone lines

until they snap and sing.

the storm is all around.

the storm is all around.

the world is dark outside.

the world is wet,

and wild with the wind

that shakes the house,

bends the trees,

whips the telephone lines

until they snap and sing.

the storm is all around.

the storm is all around.

the world is dark outside.

the world is wet,

and wild with the wind

that shakes the house,

bends the trees,

whips the telephone lines

until they snap and sing.

the storm is all around.

the storm is all around.

The robin huddles in its nest, waiting.

The cows in the field stand still.

The robin in its nest looks upward.

The cows twitch their tails in the field.

then a hole in the sky opens.

on his porch the farmer chuckles to see

the hole grow bigger

and bigger

AND BIGGER

until it fills the sky again with blue,

and paints the fields with green,

and drenches the sun with yellow so bright

it almost hurts to see

the storm,

now just a lace skirt draped

over the distant mountain rise

...and quiet.

it almost hurts to see

the storm,

now just a lace skirt draped

over the distant mountain rise

...and quiet.

beating

Emphasis on the figurative...

Emphasis on the literal...

the storm...

a lace skirt draped

over the distant mountain rise

bouncing

whipping

snapping

to arrange in a systematicand orderly manner

organization

movementshape

the geometry of organization

a story that begins and ends at the same place,

or with the same line

the circle story

the staircase

a story that alternates betweenseveral verses and a chorus

the slow ascent

a story that slowly climbs in intensitybefore its final scene

the tent or pyramid

a story that ascends to the midpointthen descends with the same momentum

the escalator

usually a counting story that progresses either in ascending or descending order

the freight train

a story organized around independent stories or discrete information on each double spread

parallel bars

a story built with couplets,each complete in itself,

but each contributing to the whole