We are drawn to the work of our favorite authors because we like their voice and writing style. The unique, recognizable way they choose words and assemble them into sentences appeals to us, although we don’t consciously think of it that way.

In Monday’s post, Narrative Voice, an Author’s Style, I mentioned three components of an author’s voice:

1. How the habitual choice of words shapes the tone of our writing.
2. How the chronic use and misuse of grammar and punctuation shape the pacing of our sentences.
3. How our deeply held beliefs and attitudes emerge and shape character and plot arcs.

Today’s post focuses on word choice. What do you want to convey with your prose? This is where the choice and placement of words come into play. Active prose is constructed of nouns followed by verbs or verbs followed by nouns.

Where we choose to place the verbs changes…