NewClassic's Writing Theory
- Thread starter NewClassic_v1legacy
- Start date
Recommended Videos
It's nice to see someone who cares so deeply about the writer's craft in our midst. One must ultimately develop one's own style in order to write well, but one cannot simply mash words together with no regard for the rules of grammar or style and expect to become successful. It takes work; becoming a semicolon-slinging, hellzapoppin' mad dog of a would-be journalist with a penchant for sentences that appear to be run-ons until they are deconstructed is a long and wondrous journey. Deliberately tortured metaphors screaming "there are four lights", references both subtle and ham-fisted, and an abundance of semicolons do not simply appear; they can only come about with a great deal of practice and a willingness to go for the big score where others would simply fall back and punt.
Here's to mastering the craft.
Here's to mastering the craft.
Oh dear, this is going to take a while to get through. I'll take my time reading this the coming weekend. Many thanks for making the effort of writing this, I'm sure that It'll prove its worth!
[HEADING=2]All About Characters[/HEADING]
I would be remiss to not nod my head at my inspiration for writing and favorite author Jim Butcher's personal snippet on characters [http://jimbutcher.livejournal.com/1698.html]. His years of experience are likely greater than than my total years of living, much less writing.
[HEADING=3]Do you have character?[/HEADING]
One of my biggest questions to writers asking for my advice is where do characters come from. Many people I've encountered have a plot and idea going in their heads, and then they build a character to fill in the various default slots to make the plot go from A to V, then finally consider what happens to the characters from W to Z during the falling action.
My biggest problem with this is characters are the anchoring point to a narrative. A bad plot or dysfunctional writing can be saved by fantastic characters, and conversely a Mary Sue can kill a great plot or exceptional writing.
Important note, plot and writing are just as pivotal to the narrative as characters. The reason for this is largely psychological. The reason most bar stories start with "I was with my friend..." is because people anchor a lot of their memories to the people they were with, or experiences with individuals they like.
[HEADING=3]Two years before this story happened, I got laid for the first time...[/HEADING]
Instead, characters should be humans. People who were made fun of in grade school, poked fun in middle school, and finally got his "sea-legs" in university. All of this should happen off screen. He needs to be deathly afraid of confrontation, but finally have the confidence to step up if confrontation tosses a cage over him. Give him a girlfriend of two years that dumped him, and a female best fried who's too shy to ask him out. Make this guy a casual drinker, but a scorned hatred for smokers because of his abusive, smoking grandparents. When this guy has a life that ticks and tocks outside of the narrative, then put him in the world. This guy should write himself, surprise you by his reaction, and make him something other than a fill-in-the-blank hero.
Even if that theoretical getting laid doesn't have anything to do with the story whatsoever, this character needs a personality, a history, and a life. Characters in fiction are people, who have lived their lives prior to, between, and after stories. Simply put, the hardest way to make a character is to write someone for a world, not put an already existing person in it.
[HEADING=3]Wait, why do I care again?[/HEADING]
Despite being actual people, characters need to be personable and palpable to the reader. Humans are inherently capable of being liked and disliked by different people, and no matter how well you write or compose a character, he or she could easily be disliked. What you should avoid is making a character nearly universally despised. The loud-mouthed jerk who kicks puppies, pees on the side of the daycare center, and walks on the grass isn't the type of guy we want to follow around.
Making readers care about characters is a tough bill to pay because it's so aesthetically different from one person to another. The only way to go about it in a simple manner is to make the guy easy to relate to. A super-rich suave millionaire is harder to sink into the shoes of than a guy who had to sell his deceased grandmother's recliner to make rent. On the same vein, a character who's too vested in a dark past like his entire family slaughtered by mercenaries isn't someone's brain the average person can break into, so it would be comparable to opening your own house to find the furniture rearranged. It's doable, but awkward.
Characters need to be palatable. Even if they're half-angels with a destiny laden future with a bat wing and an angel wing, then they should at least have the decency to complain about having to pee right as they start doing they can't get up from, or dealing with a boss who just doesn't understand the concept of "reasonable expectations from employees." If you can write a character we can laugh with and say, "Yeah, I did that last week too. It sucked." then you've just won a reader because of a common thread, not just because he's in this book / story we're reading. (Imagine, we're all here because we're gamers. Coincidence?)
[HEADING=3]Wait, what do you mean my hat's on fire?[/HEADING]
Sadly, being relatable doesn't mean you can write about Joe Everyman and call it a day. My brother has kicked off countless rapt rooms simply by admitting that he only has four toes on his left foot. By no other merit, this unusual thing has him at the center of attention and such a creative anomaly. This psychological response is the sort of thing that powers a hooking character. It's not that Jane Everywoman has a job as an financial assistant, it's that she has a emotional association with her job drastic enough to fall in love with customers that remain her clients for long enough. Suddenly, a mundane situation, job, and person has the type of flair needed to really make the reader wonder, "What the hell? I need to keep reading."
Even if this absurdity is just a character's head that randomly catches fire for no other explicable reason. It's part of what makes Jane a protagonist, and not one of the suit-and-ties walking down the sidewalk with a cell-phone to their ears.
[HEADING=3]Ya'll gon' hate 'dis ax-cent, y'hear?[/HEADING]
Characterization in dialog is tough, because it boils down to how this character would speak, phrase things, and act during conversation. A personal habit I have is responding "Food." to "What do you want to eat?" without even telling myself to. It's a practiced response that drives several people up the wall, but is something about myself that doesn't really change with the date. I'm all too happy to point out the obvious and say something sarcastic or clever if anyone tosses me a melon. Conversely, my brother has a very dry tone to his speech that commands a level of logic with his words, and a mindset that humor is best executed sparingly. He speaks in shorter sentences, and has a habit of saying "my dad" and "my mom" even when he's talking to me about our parents. It's not conscious, it's just part of how he talks.
That said, people speak differently. My friend will always punctuation sentences with "you know it?" and police officers will always speak with dry, clipped, commanding authority when on-duty. How a character talks, and directs a conversation, says a lot about who they are. Even the jokes they make are important to little details about their personality.
[HEADING=3]So what does this all mean?[/HEADING]
Probably that I prattle on too long when I'm not trying to be brisk. All it means is that characters need to be unique enough to stand out, normal enough to be people we can relate with, and people with lives completely unrelated to the story.
Remember that characters are the people we grow to care about. It's often the thing we remember. It's been maybe 4 years and 35+ novels read since I read Hitchhiker's, but you would be hard pressed to catch me without being able to immediately recognize Dent, Arthur Dent.
I would be remiss to not nod my head at my inspiration for writing and favorite author Jim Butcher's personal snippet on characters [http://jimbutcher.livejournal.com/1698.html]. His years of experience are likely greater than than my total years of living, much less writing.
[HEADING=3]Do you have character?[/HEADING]
One of my biggest questions to writers asking for my advice is where do characters come from. Many people I've encountered have a plot and idea going in their heads, and then they build a character to fill in the various default slots to make the plot go from A to V, then finally consider what happens to the characters from W to Z during the falling action.
My biggest problem with this is characters are the anchoring point to a narrative. A bad plot or dysfunctional writing can be saved by fantastic characters, and conversely a Mary Sue can kill a great plot or exceptional writing.
Important note, plot and writing are just as pivotal to the narrative as characters. The reason for this is largely psychological. The reason most bar stories start with "I was with my friend..." is because people anchor a lot of their memories to the people they were with, or experiences with individuals they like.
[HEADING=3]Two years before this story happened, I got laid for the first time...[/HEADING]
Instead, characters should be humans. People who were made fun of in grade school, poked fun in middle school, and finally got his "sea-legs" in university. All of this should happen off screen. He needs to be deathly afraid of confrontation, but finally have the confidence to step up if confrontation tosses a cage over him. Give him a girlfriend of two years that dumped him, and a female best fried who's too shy to ask him out. Make this guy a casual drinker, but a scorned hatred for smokers because of his abusive, smoking grandparents. When this guy has a life that ticks and tocks outside of the narrative, then put him in the world. This guy should write himself, surprise you by his reaction, and make him something other than a fill-in-the-blank hero.
Even if that theoretical getting laid doesn't have anything to do with the story whatsoever, this character needs a personality, a history, and a life. Characters in fiction are people, who have lived their lives prior to, between, and after stories. Simply put, the hardest way to make a character is to write someone for a world, not put an already existing person in it.
[HEADING=3]Wait, why do I care again?[/HEADING]
Despite being actual people, characters need to be personable and palpable to the reader. Humans are inherently capable of being liked and disliked by different people, and no matter how well you write or compose a character, he or she could easily be disliked. What you should avoid is making a character nearly universally despised. The loud-mouthed jerk who kicks puppies, pees on the side of the daycare center, and walks on the grass isn't the type of guy we want to follow around.
Making readers care about characters is a tough bill to pay because it's so aesthetically different from one person to another. The only way to go about it in a simple manner is to make the guy easy to relate to. A super-rich suave millionaire is harder to sink into the shoes of than a guy who had to sell his deceased grandmother's recliner to make rent. On the same vein, a character who's too vested in a dark past like his entire family slaughtered by mercenaries isn't someone's brain the average person can break into, so it would be comparable to opening your own house to find the furniture rearranged. It's doable, but awkward.
Characters need to be palatable. Even if they're half-angels with a destiny laden future with a bat wing and an angel wing, then they should at least have the decency to complain about having to pee right as they start doing they can't get up from, or dealing with a boss who just doesn't understand the concept of "reasonable expectations from employees." If you can write a character we can laugh with and say, "Yeah, I did that last week too. It sucked." then you've just won a reader because of a common thread, not just because he's in this book / story we're reading. (Imagine, we're all here because we're gamers. Coincidence?)
[HEADING=3]Wait, what do you mean my hat's on fire?[/HEADING]
Sadly, being relatable doesn't mean you can write about Joe Everyman and call it a day. My brother has kicked off countless rapt rooms simply by admitting that he only has four toes on his left foot. By no other merit, this unusual thing has him at the center of attention and such a creative anomaly. This psychological response is the sort of thing that powers a hooking character. It's not that Jane Everywoman has a job as an financial assistant, it's that she has a emotional association with her job drastic enough to fall in love with customers that remain her clients for long enough. Suddenly, a mundane situation, job, and person has the type of flair needed to really make the reader wonder, "What the hell? I need to keep reading."
Even if this absurdity is just a character's head that randomly catches fire for no other explicable reason. It's part of what makes Jane a protagonist, and not one of the suit-and-ties walking down the sidewalk with a cell-phone to their ears.
[HEADING=3]Ya'll gon' hate 'dis ax-cent, y'hear?[/HEADING]
Characterization in dialog is tough, because it boils down to how this character would speak, phrase things, and act during conversation. A personal habit I have is responding "Food." to "What do you want to eat?" without even telling myself to. It's a practiced response that drives several people up the wall, but is something about myself that doesn't really change with the date. I'm all too happy to point out the obvious and say something sarcastic or clever if anyone tosses me a melon. Conversely, my brother has a very dry tone to his speech that commands a level of logic with his words, and a mindset that humor is best executed sparingly. He speaks in shorter sentences, and has a habit of saying "my dad" and "my mom" even when he's talking to me about our parents. It's not conscious, it's just part of how he talks.
That said, people speak differently. My friend will always punctuation sentences with "you know it?" and police officers will always speak with dry, clipped, commanding authority when on-duty. How a character talks, and directs a conversation, says a lot about who they are. Even the jokes they make are important to little details about their personality.
[HEADING=3]So what does this all mean?[/HEADING]
Probably that I prattle on too long when I'm not trying to be brisk. All it means is that characters need to be unique enough to stand out, normal enough to be people we can relate with, and people with lives completely unrelated to the story.
Remember that characters are the people we grow to care about. It's often the thing we remember. It's been maybe 4 years and 35+ novels read since I read Hitchhiker's, but you would be hard pressed to catch me without being able to immediately recognize Dent, Arthur Dent.
There are two types of story. Character driven, and plot driven. The latter is generally written in third person, switching between several points of view throughout the narrative. The former can be either first or third. Or second, if you're really determined though I don't recommend it.NewClassic said:
This is not to say that you don't need strong characters in plot-driven stories, but they play less of a role than a plot which really draws the reader in.
Most authors know better than to write in second person. There's no better way to offend your reader than tell them how they think, feel, act, and react. This is why second-person is never used. The only outlet where it is acceptable is in "create your own adventure" books, which are fairly niche and pretty uncommon.Flying-Emu said:
It's a good idea not to write in second, because it tells the reader what they're thinking, saying, doing, and feeling. "You got offended by what she said, so you slapped her in the cheek, hard." If the reader liked that line, and didn't want to slap whoever said it, that just ripped the reader from his or her immersion, and calls for a lot of pretense on the part of the writer to tell a reader what they say or do.
Nuke, this is why you're one of my favorites here. I was really looking for something to help me write some things, and this is it.
This is the first thing I have ever bookmarked, and I don't think I'll need much else.
This is the first thing I have ever bookmarked, and I don't think I'll need much else.
Dear Newclassic Computing Engine,
You have to help me, Nuke, I've become (Dun Dun Duuuuun) Addicted to first person stories! I can't help it, every time I sit down to write I find myself slipping into the eyes of my characters! It's making my characters stronger, sure, but the action and scene are taking huge kicks to the bleeding testicles! I try to find a balance, leaning third person heavily towards self-narration and almost fourth-wall smashing character commentary, but it's still losing detail!
Help me Nuke! How do I adapt my new parasitic style to help me encompass a wider setting? Also, have my babies?
Desperately, FirstPersonJoe
You have to help me, Nuke, I've become (Dun Dun Duuuuun) Addicted to first person stories! I can't help it, every time I sit down to write I find myself slipping into the eyes of my characters! It's making my characters stronger, sure, but the action and scene are taking huge kicks to the bleeding testicles! I try to find a balance, leaning third person heavily towards self-narration and almost fourth-wall smashing character commentary, but it's still losing detail!
Help me Nuke! How do I adapt my new parasitic style to help me encompass a wider setting? Also, have my babies?
Desperately, FirstPersonJoe
Just like in Kung Fu where you only practice the basics for 6 years before going onto the cool hypermoves, school conditions and engrains the ideas into your brain so that you automatically have them there.StarStruckStrumpets said:
Any study can have all of the facts put into a simple paragraph, but reading that paragraph doesn't make you a genius. Memorizing the entire paragraph however, might be useful.
Writing third person versus first person is a little confusing, because it's different styles. They're diagramed differently, and even writing in the theoretically similar Limited Third and First-Person points of view, you still have a world of change between them.Ultrajoe said:
What I'm going to say now will blow you mind. Nine days out of ten, writing in First Person is completely acceptable. As I mentioned in the main piece, first person tells a particularly immersive narrative because we're constantly in the shoes of our narrator. By the end of the piece, would should be completely rivetted with our protagonist, and think and feel what s/he thinks and feels.
If you're doing multiple protagonists, third-person is honestly the way to go. Switching points of view in the First Person is incredibly disorienting, and will often serve to screw up the reader rather than help move the narrative along.
The thing about writing Limited Third (which is what I think you're going for) is really about understanding your medium. Limited third can be best described with the analogy of watching a movie. The camera focuses solely on the character it's watching, so you only have a limited perspective on what's going on. Imagine this in your mind as you write in Limited Third, think carefully about what you want the "camera" to keep an eye on. Remember that we're not thinking as the character, but we do hear the character think at times.
Sadly, for lack of being able to elucidate too much more clearly, all I can suggest is read examples of Limited Third and exploring very carefully what you think works versus what doesn't. I'm afraid I'll have to self-illustrate here, so here's an example of my Limited Third writing [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/jump/362.107952.2260477].
Hope this has done a bit to answer your question. I'll try to be a little more clear next time...
[HEADING=2]Reviews and You: NewClassic Accidentally Has the Same Idea as Scotth266[/HEADING]
As I note, scotth266 did this already [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/jump/326.120165.2350144], but I feel like I have a teensy bit of perspective to add to his thread. Honestly, that should be your first go to reference guide, as well as SimuLord's Review Advice [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/18.78700] thread.
[HEADING=3]Formatting - The NewClassic Way[/HEADING]
Before I get into any major comments, make sure to familiarize yourself with the Forum Markup [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/markup_help.php].
Honestly, these forums are perhaps the most comprehensive forums I've found for eye-reading capability. Because it centers the forum to be more of a column rather than a rectangle (like most displays), it reads more like a novel than a majority of the forums I've seen, which scale themselves as wide as your display will allow.
However, because it is still wide and does not have the ability to indent properly, you need to use proper formatting methods to make the most of every word. To do this, make sure to include plenty of space between paragraphs, and to vary the size of both the sentences and the paragraphs. This is a fluid thing, and can sometimes conflict with syntax. There's no real rule to knowing when to pay more attention to syntax or length, and really is more a matter of ear. "Listen" to how the review sounds and reads, and scale it appropriately.
As well as that, the inclusion of images is a Godsend for anyone facing a piece longer than 500 words. The proper formatting for images relies primarily on taste, so will vary from reviewer to reviewer. Like Gigantor and PurpleRain, I tend to follow the use of the img_inline tag. The tutorial for the img_inline tag is below.
The proper use of the img_inline tag is the following:
imageURL.jpg</img_inline>
Keep in mind, the image's width and height are in pixels. If the image is aligned to the "center", the gray box will be 700 pixels in width. Lastly, if you do not specify a width, the box will expand if the text is too long.
imageURL.jpg</img_inline>
Keep in mind, the image's width and height are in pixels. If the image is aligned to the "center", the gray box will be 700 pixels in width. Lastly, if you do not specify a width, the box will expand if the text is too long.
The use of img_inline, in my opinion, should be used primarily as indentation. Because of this, nearly every image should be scaled down to be a more appropriate size for indentation. Image selection is important, and aside from the title image, should be considered for the content of the review. Start images at the top of new paragraphs, and try to scale the the image content to the paragraph content. (Screenshots next to graphics section, soundtrack image next to music, etc.)
Lastly, keep in mind that the end of the review is usually done with shorter sentences and paragraphs than the beginning, because that syntax setup leads to more comfortable departures from your readers. This is by no means a rule, but it does help the reader ease into the verdict and come out of the review more relaxed.
[HEADING=3]Research and Development[/HEADING]
This isn't a requirement, nor is it a demand, but it is good practice to fully play through a game, watch the entire movie, or read the length of the book before reviewing it. Researched alternative games if there is a bad verdict, or providing links to downloads or other media for a title are all "little things" that help the reader get the most out of the review.
For the sake of Massively Multiplayer Online games, it never hurts to read other reviews and ask other players how they feel about things. Maintaining a well researched opinion really is the best method of giving the reader a fully fleshed out review. Sadly, the problem with research is it can occasionally seep into your own outlook, coloring your opinion and affecting your review.
The best way to accomplish multiple viewpoints is to write a review before you do too much alternate-opinion research, then research and edit your review as needed. Collaborative reviews are also another option, but those carry the extra weight of creating a disjointed review. These need to be edited by a single editor, and require a lot more work to really make the syntax and format workable while still unmarred by the editor's opinions.
[HEADING=3]Lazy Conclusion[/HEADING]
Honestly, I had very little to add here because so much of this has all been covered by the two previously mentioned threads. Go check those out.
Don't forget all the joke reviews and the like, such as my reviewing NinjOS, or the Stapler review, which rely more on a sense of comedy.NewClassic said:
Also a note from my marking Review Wars. Whatever happens, a review is not "My day at the shops."
[HEADING=2]All About Words, Sentences, and Paragraphs[/HEADING]
There's a lot of information of the subject of written flow [http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&safe=off&rlz=1C1GGLS_enUS291US316&num=20&q=Flow+of+Writing&aq=f&oq=&aqi=g10]. It's an important aspect of writing that can't really be taught or have lesson plans made up for it. It's a nebulous thing, something entirely subject to personal taste.
It is important though, and not really something that can be single-handedly addressed. There's no one rule of thumb for it, so it has to be something more unique to the writer's style. So it comes down to the three major parts, each having their own individual importance, and how they work together.
[HEADING=3]Words[/HEADING]
As I mentioned previously, words have power. Which word used when and where can make a mind-numbingly strong impact, a single word changing the dynamic of a paragraph, section, or even the entire piece. Words are the logical place to start when considering writing, and what that word's properties are. Harder sounding words are more "dynamic" to the reader, and tend to focus the attention. Words like crash, grind, and break are all clipped words, which call for a more singular amount of attention, whereas words like stay, float, and drift tend to ease into the sentence and are read without a large shift in focus.
Even after passing that, words' interaction affect the dynamic of any given sentence. The phrase "a small boy" has unique properties from "a young child," and using one over the other can have subtle effects on each word's meaning. When it means a singular spelling meaning two or more different things, it has an even greater effect. "I read the newspaper this morning." and "He had to read the newspaper every morning." are two separate sentences whose contexts change the meaning and pronunciation of "read." That also affects the aural properties of the word, and how it affects the sentence as a whole.
[HEADING=3]Sentences[/HEADING]
The obvious transition is to the sentence, where as series of words and phrases make up a thought. How a sentence is laid out makes up part of how it is read, and subsequently understood. The sentence "He was the one who stole the cookies" has a similar meaning to "The one who stole the cookies was him," but the effect on the flow and sound is striking in its difference. There's no rule for this either, as most effects depend on what the writer is trying to accomplish with the sentence. There's never a clear right or wrong answer, so long as the sentence is relatively clear.
How sentences interact is a little more finite than words, if only because the effect is to have the eyes pass over the period as a transition, rather than a full-stop. Words like "However," and "Although," can usually transition the mind from the previous thought without issue, but it's more the power of how one sentence stops. Then how the next one starts.
Most of sentence-transition and placement is almost completely variable, and there's no Geiger counter for a good or bad transition other than the "sound" of the writing. The best method is to start transitional sentences with softer sounds, and try to avoid clipped or attention-drawing sounds at the ends of sentences.
[HEADING=3]Paragraphs[/HEADING]
Lastly, there are paragraphs. Paragraphs are the smaller components that make up a written piece, and often are the pieces of writing that have the most impact on the overall writing as a whole. They are surprisingly similar to sentences in how the word choice early and later in a paragraph affect the transitional properties. Good paragraphs manage to fully encompass a thought and leave little need for future paragraphs to pick up thoughts. They can transition to related thoughts, but should generally be purposeful on their own rights.
Because of that, the transitioning from paragraph to paragraph is often-times unnecessary, as most thoughts are completed before a new paragraph is started. This means that paragraph interaction is largely effective for the overall tone of the piece. Most paragraphs should keep a level tone, and not vary too wildly from it's predecessors or the main idea of the piece as a whole.
However, it is important to note that paragraphs have a strong command of the piece as a whole, and one bad or unique paragraph can completely shift the dynamic of a piece, often times being the section of the piece that is most memorable. The best way to moderate this is to have a single tone for a piece, and to carefully moderate the tone of each paragraph so that it doesn't harshly effect the piece as a whole.
[HEADING=3]What does it all mean?[/HEADING]
The sound of writing is important.
No matter the formatting tricks, writing type, or font face that is used, the sound of the words is always going to play a large part in how a piece of writing is received or read. It means being a subtle, important, and completely unique part of writing that is minuscule in size, but massive in importance. The sad part is there is no single bit of advice or rule for it.
Either way it works, I hope this has at least clarified the why, even though there wasn't much to saw on the how.
Warmest regards,
Nuke
There's a lot of information of the subject of written flow [http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&safe=off&rlz=1C1GGLS_enUS291US316&num=20&q=Flow+of+Writing&aq=f&oq=&aqi=g10]. It's an important aspect of writing that can't really be taught or have lesson plans made up for it. It's a nebulous thing, something entirely subject to personal taste.
It is important though, and not really something that can be single-handedly addressed. There's no one rule of thumb for it, so it has to be something more unique to the writer's style. So it comes down to the three major parts, each having their own individual importance, and how they work together.
[HEADING=3]Words[/HEADING]
As I mentioned previously, words have power. Which word used when and where can make a mind-numbingly strong impact, a single word changing the dynamic of a paragraph, section, or even the entire piece. Words are the logical place to start when considering writing, and what that word's properties are. Harder sounding words are more "dynamic" to the reader, and tend to focus the attention. Words like crash, grind, and break are all clipped words, which call for a more singular amount of attention, whereas words like stay, float, and drift tend to ease into the sentence and are read without a large shift in focus.
Even after passing that, words' interaction affect the dynamic of any given sentence. The phrase "a small boy" has unique properties from "a young child," and using one over the other can have subtle effects on each word's meaning. When it means a singular spelling meaning two or more different things, it has an even greater effect. "I read the newspaper this morning." and "He had to read the newspaper every morning." are two separate sentences whose contexts change the meaning and pronunciation of "read." That also affects the aural properties of the word, and how it affects the sentence as a whole.
[HEADING=3]Sentences[/HEADING]
The obvious transition is to the sentence, where as series of words and phrases make up a thought. How a sentence is laid out makes up part of how it is read, and subsequently understood. The sentence "He was the one who stole the cookies" has a similar meaning to "The one who stole the cookies was him," but the effect on the flow and sound is striking in its difference. There's no rule for this either, as most effects depend on what the writer is trying to accomplish with the sentence. There's never a clear right or wrong answer, so long as the sentence is relatively clear.
How sentences interact is a little more finite than words, if only because the effect is to have the eyes pass over the period as a transition, rather than a full-stop. Words like "However," and "Although," can usually transition the mind from the previous thought without issue, but it's more the power of how one sentence stops. Then how the next one starts.
Most of sentence-transition and placement is almost completely variable, and there's no Geiger counter for a good or bad transition other than the "sound" of the writing. The best method is to start transitional sentences with softer sounds, and try to avoid clipped or attention-drawing sounds at the ends of sentences.
[HEADING=3]Paragraphs[/HEADING]
Lastly, there are paragraphs. Paragraphs are the smaller components that make up a written piece, and often are the pieces of writing that have the most impact on the overall writing as a whole. They are surprisingly similar to sentences in how the word choice early and later in a paragraph affect the transitional properties. Good paragraphs manage to fully encompass a thought and leave little need for future paragraphs to pick up thoughts. They can transition to related thoughts, but should generally be purposeful on their own rights.
Because of that, the transitioning from paragraph to paragraph is often-times unnecessary, as most thoughts are completed before a new paragraph is started. This means that paragraph interaction is largely effective for the overall tone of the piece. Most paragraphs should keep a level tone, and not vary too wildly from it's predecessors or the main idea of the piece as a whole.
However, it is important to note that paragraphs have a strong command of the piece as a whole, and one bad or unique paragraph can completely shift the dynamic of a piece, often times being the section of the piece that is most memorable. The best way to moderate this is to have a single tone for a piece, and to carefully moderate the tone of each paragraph so that it doesn't harshly effect the piece as a whole.
[HEADING=3]What does it all mean?[/HEADING]
The sound of writing is important.
No matter the formatting tricks, writing type, or font face that is used, the sound of the words is always going to play a large part in how a piece of writing is received or read. It means being a subtle, important, and completely unique part of writing that is minuscule in size, but massive in importance. The sad part is there is no single bit of advice or rule for it.
Either way it works, I hope this has at least clarified the why, even though there wasn't much to saw on the how.
Warmest regards,
Nuke