How can I stop writing in short sentences?
I thought Blair’s answer was quite good. You do not necessarily want to stop using short sentences. The best writing tends to have changes in rhythm and sentences of different lengths. It can be tedious to read a writer who uses exclusively long sentences, or one who does the opposite. You want to mix it up.In terms of practical advice about how to write longer sentences, I would suggest that you pay attention to sentence structure and the use of clauses (fragments). There are all sorts of clauses; adjective, adverb, etc…The most basic type of clause is an adjective clause, which provides additional information about a noun. You should also become aware of how to use present participle clauses, which often show result, extending the length of a sentence and allowing you to take a thought to its logical conclusion.Another method to increase the length of sentences is to learn idioms that, by their nature, tend to lead to longer constructions. For example…. either/or… not only/but also etc…Idioms allow the writer not only to write longer sentences, but also to focus on parallel structures and semantics.You may also try to experiment with the use of introductory clauses. By using participles, both present and past, in the first part of a sentence, the aspiring writer can learn how to construct more complex sentences, which require additional thought, and to create relationships of ideas within the sentence, but the writer must also be careful so as not to create lengthy sentences simply for the sake of complexity because such a strategy can be tedious for the reader and can reveal a pretense on the part of the writer to sound gratuitously intellectual without actually saying much of importance, a style that was popular in the 1960s and that has, fortunately, given way to clearer writing.
Why do authors use run-on sentences in their writing?
I know they have the freedom to do whatever they want in their writing, but in classic novels, there is always a reason behind EVERYTHING an author does, especially sentence structure. If an author was trying to prove a point to the reader using sentence structure, what would that point be?
What is the effect of short sentences in literature?
I think most writers who use that style probably intend it to sound like spoken language. Most people use fairly short sentences when they speak, and very often do not use complete sentences at all. Short written sentences, especially as dialogue, can increase the tension or appearance of anxiety in a scene. In the example you gave, the writer is trying to make the speaker seem perhaps a little irritated. The writer also is trying to make the speaker seem as if he is speaking his thoughts as soon as he forms them in his mind. It appears that the speaker is "thinking out loud", and not really planning what he says before he says it. Peace to you.
What purpose does short sentences have on writing?
A short sentence gets your point across before a reader can fabricate a defense. A long sentence invites the mind to wander, and if the logic is hard to follow then the reader gets lost in thought and never gets back to see what you were trying to say. So you use both in your writing to maintain interest. But the short ones are the ones that get your point across.