Several Short Sentences
Source: Verlyn Klinkenborg, Several Short Sentences About Writing, opening lessons on sentence attention • Course status: one-chapter reader only
Core shift
Klinkenborg asks the writer to stop thinking of prose as a flow that must be sustained and start thinking of it as sentences that must each earn their place. A paragraph is not a fog bank. It is a sequence of decisions.
The lesson is especially useful for writers who hide uncertainty inside long sentences. Shorter sentences expose thought. They make weak links visible.
Sentence attention
The unit of work is the sentence.
| Habit | What it fixes | Practice question |
|---|---|---|
| Write one sentence at a time | Automatic rambling | What does this sentence do? |
| Trust short sentences | Fake sophistication | Is the thought clearer when shorter? |
| Vary by purpose | Monotony | Where does the reader need speed or pause? |
| Read aloud | Hidden awkwardness | Where does the breath fail? |
| Stop when done | Over-explanation | What can the reader infer? |
Short does not mean childish. It means accountable.
Revision map
The writer moves from flow to sequence.
The page improves when every sentence has a job.
The first habit
After drafting, put each sentence on its own line.
Sentence:
Job:
Keep / cut / split / move:
Next sentence needed:
This makes structure visible. You can see repetition, jumps, weak transitions, and sentences that exist only because you were warming up.
Practice drill
Take a paragraph and split it into separate lines. For each sentence, write one label:
| Label | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Claim | Says what is true |
| Evidence | Shows why |
| Turn | Changes direction |
| Example | Makes it concrete |
| Waste | Repeats or decorates |
Delete or rewrite every sentence labeled waste.
Checklist
- [ ] Can you revise at the sentence level instead of only the paragraph level?
- [ ] Can you make a sentence shorter without making it flat?
- [ ] Can you name the job of each sentence?
- [ ] Can you vary rhythm deliberately?
- [ ] Can you stop before explaining what the reader already understands?