Prose checks › Sentence rhythm Pro

Prose check: sentence rhythmShort. Short. Short. Short.

Prose has a beat. Four sentences of the same length in a row flatten it; one very long sentence can lose the reader halfway. Falcontext checks your sentence rhythm for both.

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In Falcontext’s Edit tab, Sentence rhythm is one part of Sentence and paragraph length, with paragraph length. Each part has its own light, and the worst sets the check’s.

Two things it looks for

  • Flat stretches: four or more sentences in a row of about the same length.
  • Long sentences: over 35 words. Over 50 counts as very long.
BeforeThe rain came at dusk. The wind rose with it. The boats pulled at their ropes. The harbour emptied fast.
AfterThe rain came at dusk, and the wind rose with it. Boats pulled at their ropes. Within the hour the harbour was empty.

Sentence rhythm in published novels

Across the 38 published books I measured, the middle one had 2.9 flat stretches per 100 sentences. And 5.7% of its sentences ran over 35 words; three in four books stayed at 10% or under.

Where these numbers come from.

How Falcontext checks sentence rhythm

Guidelines, not rules. Your rhythm is your voice. This makes you aware of the flat bits, not the right length.

Falcontext’s Edit tab beside Perch’s writing pad: the Sentence rhythm check open, finding a flat stretch of five short sentences of the same length, marked in the text.
Finds
Flat stretches and sentences over 35 words, each marked in your text.
Traffic light
  • Up to 4 flat per 100 sentences, 10% long
  • Up to 6, 15%
  • More
The worse of the two sets the light.

The fix is almost always the same: mix it up. Join two short ones, split a long one.

Rhythm is what the third pass of self-editing your novel is about: how each sentence reads, and how they sound together.

Are you a long-sentence writer or a short-sentence writer?

Questions about sentence rhythm.

How long should sentences be in a novel?

There’s no right length, but variety matters. Falcontext flags four or more sentences of about the same length in a row, and sentences over 35 words, against lines measured from published fiction.

Is a long sentence bad?

No. A long sentence can be beautiful. It’s a lot of them, or one that loses the reader, that’s worth a second look.

Related checks

Repetitive openersParagraph lengthReadabilityPunctuation habits

In Falcontext

Self-editing guideWhat to do in each passEditing passesRun the checks scene by sceneHow the lights are setLines from published fiction

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