A sentence without rhythm is a sentence without mood. Learn how to feel the beat of fiction and craft a better book

Learn how to control the rhythm of fiction

This course teaches line editors and authors how use rhythm to elevate a sentence. Discover how to evoke mood, increase readability and convey meaning – without wasting a word.

By the time you’ve completed this course, you’ll understand:
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> What sentence-level rhythm is
> Why varying rhythm makes prose more readable
> How rhythm shows rather than tells mood
> Why rhythm always trumps rulebooks
> The literary rhythmic tools available
> How to use rhythm to structure a sentence
> How to build tension and offer release
> How to create dramatic emphasis
> ​How to craft suspense

Is this course a good fit for you?

This course is for you if you're one of the following:
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  • Experienced non-fiction editors who want to switch to fiction
  • Fiction proofreaders who want to expand their skill set and move into editing
  • Fiction copyeditors with strong technical skills who want to develop stylistic craft
  • Commercial fiction authors who who want to develop stylistic craft

Price

TBC

Format

Self-paced

Access

No time restrictions

Register

The course kit

Here's what's included with your access to the course.

Webinars

Watch the videos
​Watch and learn how to infuse sentences with rhythm using recognized literary tools.

Transcripts

For when you want to read
Download a PDF containing all the slides, each with its own word-for-word transcript.

Practice exercises

Apply your new skills
​Test what you've learned by evaluating real examples of fiction and line editing them.

Model answers

See I how did it
Compare your work with how I tackled the exercises. Remember that line editing is subjective!

Resources

Quick access to craft tools
Access these links to hone your sentence-level writing and self-editing skills.

Free ebook

My flagship line-editing book
Get a free digital copy of Editing Fiction at Sentence Level, my most popular craft book.