How to Add More Rhythm to Your Writing

Your words were meant to be played with

Quick note: I’ll be hosting a workshop on this topic for our paid community members on Friday, March 14th, at 9 am EST. If you’re a free subscriber to Writing to (L)Earn, feel free to attend by upgrading your membership below.

Hey there, it’s Michael here. Today, I’ll talk about how I got lucky.

Growing up with a stutter, I constantly had to search for ways to rephrase what I was trying to say until I hit a rhythm with my words. When I started writing, this childhood struggle became an unexpected strength. Even now, if something I've written doesn't roll easily off my tongue, I edit and re-edit until the words flow naturally.

Rhythm gets remembered. It’s what gives our writing beauty. It’s also critical in terms of maximizing impact. In a biological sense, it’s hard-wired into us humans. From our beating hearts to our dancing feet, we love anything rhythmic.

In simple terms, rhythm creates a memorable beat for your writing. If you dig under the hood, it’s not a coincidence that many of the world’s most celebrated writers are music or poetry aficionados. In not-so-simple terms, rhythm is recognizing patterns in your sentence structures and understanding your usage of stressed and unstressed syllables in each word you write.

Today, let’s dig into four of the primary pillars of rhythm: sentence structure, repetition, alliteration, and rhyme.

1. Drive your pacing by varying your sentence structure

Whether attending a class, meeting, or religious service, we’ve all experienced the pain that comes from someone long-winded speaking in a monotone voice. The same rule applies to our written words. Too much of one thing bores us. As humans, we love variety. Varying your sentence structure creates flow and pacing which are critical elements in keeping your readers engaged.

Even though the image below has been passed around the internet as much as a bottle of Glenlivet at a Scottish funeral, it’s worth sharing as it’s a classic for a reason.

Look at where you can chop up your sentences and be strategic about where you let them run wild. Paying attention to the word count in each of your sentences is a good place to start. But don’t stop there. When possible, use short sentences for description and medium to long sentences for action or vice versa.

A big part of your sentence structure is also how you decide to punctuate your work. Even though my high school English teachers would want to strangle me, instead of creating a list with commas or colons, I use a lot of one-word sentences in my writing. The reason? I love the rhythm of fast jabs followed by a slow punch.

Here’s an example from an article I wrote that was featured by Medium editors during the beginning of Covid, entitled, The Night the Drums Began to Play.

“The next few days the numbers got bigger. Over the next few weeks, we learned first-hand they’re not as scary as the small numbers. It’s the small numbers that leave a mark. It’s the small numbers that we’ll remember. Nine is our number. Friends. Family. Friends of family. Burly men shaking uncontrollably in empty garages because they couldn’t say goodbye to their moms. How unnatural it felt to stop ourselves from giving them something as natural as a hug. We made a lot of phone calls those first days. I’m thinking about the people I first reached out to. Those that took the time to reach out to me. A dozen people. Family. Friends. They’re the ones worth holding on to. They’re the ones that matter. I’m beginning to forget all the details of those first few days, but I still see flashes. Phone calls. Drums. Waving at neighbors.

Sometimes the most beautiful moments are born out of chaos.”

2. Strategically repeat, repeat, and then repeat a third time (or even a fourth)

Identifying unnecessary word repetition is one of the first things I look out for when working with a client. Few things begin to zap readers' energy more than repeating the same word multiple times in close proximity when a synonym or different phrasing could be used.

But on the flip side, nothing lights me up more than when I come across repetition done well and is usually done through either Anaphora and Epistrophe.

Anaphora is a fancy way of saying you repeat a word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses or sentences. Its usage is littered through some of the world’s greatest art from speeches and books to music and movies.

• “I see trees of green, red roses too. I see them bloom for me and you.” Louis Armstrong, "What a Wonderful World.”

• "We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets..." - Winston Churchill

And just yesterday, I read a great piece by my friend Linda Bonney that has a nice example: "But maybe we can do it with a bit more awareness. A bit more kindness. A bit more understanding of what we're really doing when we choose to go numb instead of feel."

On the other end of the alliteration spectrum is Epistrophe which is when you repeat a word or phrase at the end of successive clauses or sentences. Here’s an effective example of unleashing this device from Judd Nelson in the film The Breakfast Club:

“Don’t you ever talk about my friends!
You don’t know any of my friends.
You don’t look at any of my friends.
And you certainly wouldn’t condescend to speak to any of my friends.”

Normally, many writers live by the Rule of 3 (“Mankind was my business. The common welfare was my business; charity, mercy, forbearance, benevolence, were all my business. The dealings of my trade were but a drop of water in the comprehensive ocean of my business!”― Charles Dickens), but adding a fourth “my friends” into the mix serves as a great stamp on his speech.

And I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention here the current king of rhythmic genius Kendrick Lamar who managed to pull off using both an Anaphora and Epistrophe to kick off his hit song DNA.

“I got, I got, I got, I got
Loyalty, got royalty inside my DNA
Cocaine quarter piece, got war and peace inside my DNA
I got power, poison, pain, and joy inside my DNA
I got hustle though, ambition flow inside my DNA”

If you want to improve the rhythm in your writing, don’t just listen to music and great speeches, dissect them. The best part of Spotify is you can read the lyrics as you listen. Dig into the syllables at play and think about their use of repetition and why you think they choose to use certain words in tandem.

The same goes for poetry. Read the greats. Poetry is all about meter, beat, cadence, and flow. When done well, it elicits imagery in your mind while leaving lasting words on your tongue.

3. Apply Alliteration to Create Stickier Sentences

The usage of alliteration, which Oxford Languages defines well as “the occurrence of the same letter or sound at the beginning of adjacent or closely connected words,” shows up all around us from business names and slogans to the names of classic characters. Bed, Bath, and Beyond. Peter Parker. Maybe she’s born with it; maybe it’s Maybelline (notice the six-syllables in each of the clauses?)

Alliteration works. It’s pleasing on the eyes and plays a starring role in making your words more memorable. This rhythmic device comes in many different shapes and sizes. However, the most common usages are through Consonance and Assonance.

Consonance is simply the repetition of consonant sounds in words in close proximity.

• "The Soul selects her own Society." Emily Dickinson

• "My father brought to conversations a cavernous capacity for caring that dismayed strangers." John Updike

• Rhythm gets remembered.

On the other hand, Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds in words that are closely bunched together.

• “The rain in Spain falls mainly on the plain.

• “I do not like green eggs and ham. I do not like them Sam I Am.” Dr. Suess.

• “It’s true. I like you.”

You may have noticed in the last example that the vowels aren’t the same, but the sounds are. This is one of the many reasons why reading your work out loud, or better yet, having someone read it to you, is so important.

Like all of these tools, you don’t need to overdo it. But look for spots where you can incorporate alliteration. Especially in the phrases or sentences you really want to stick to the reader’s minds.

And speaking of Dr. Suess…

4. Use rhymes, though sparingly

There’s a reason rap dominates global music charts and The Cat in the Hat is a timeless classic on nearly every child’s bookshelf: rhyme transforms words. It elevates writing from good to unforgettable.

Consider the impact of rhyme in your own favorite songs, nursery rhymes, and catchy advertisements. Why do these words linger in our minds? Because rhyme not only delights the ear but also amplifies your message, making it memorable.

Take Maya Angelou’s masterful use of rhyme in I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings:

“I swear to God, I rather you have a good mind than a cute behind.”

In just a few rhymed words, Angelou vividly communicates a powerful message about intelligence. Rhyme can help you achieve similar emotional resonance in your writing.

But rhyming doesn't mean forcing every line into perfect symmetry. Subtle internal rhymes, slant rhymes, or occasional end rhymes can be equally powerful. Experiment with rhyme sparingly yet strategically, and watch your prose turn lyrical.

Rhythm gets remembered

When your writing moves with deliberate rhythm, your readers feel, experience, and remember.

Practice by reading aloud. Listen carefully. Revise repeatedly. Make your sentences dance and your phrases echo. The more rhythmically attuned your writing becomes, the deeper your impact will be.

—Michael, with John & Darius