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Q&A Is it acceptable to use synonyms to achieve rhythm?

I would venture to guess that most writers whose prose has a poetic quality produce that quality naturally, without conscious effort. However nearly anything that can be produced by nature can b...

posted 6y ago by Chris Sunami‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

Answer
#3: Attribution notice added by user avatar System‭ · 2019-12-08T07:50:00Z (over 4 years ago)
Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/32941
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
#2: Initial revision by user avatar Chris Sunami‭ · 2019-12-08T07:50:00Z (over 4 years ago)
I would venture to guess that most writers whose prose has a poetic quality produce that quality naturally, without conscious effort.

However nearly anything that can be produced by nature can be reproduced by craft, so I would also venture to guess that there are writers who spend a great deal of time and effort --and consider alternate word choices -- in order to produce that same poetic quality.

In the end, however, the method of production doesn't matter. Ideally a piece of prose should sound effortless and natural --even if it took days of steady effort to produce. Contrariwise, prose can easily sound forced and labored even when produced in a single burst of inspiration. So the real question is whether the final product meets expectations, not how was it created.

#1: Imported from external source by user avatar System‭ · 2018-02-01T16:55:47Z (about 6 years ago)
Original score: 3