@RamonaRichards

The heat index today is 105 degrees. The barometric pressure is 29.87 and falling, with 51 percent humidity. It truly is going to be a dark and stormy night.

All of which made me think of John Sebastian. (Stay with me, this really is going somewhere.)

Back in the day, I had a major crush on John. Even if you don’t recognize his name, you probably would his songs. Either as a solo act or in his band (The Lovin’ Spoonful), John penned and recorded some of the top songs of the 60s and 70s, as well as one well-known theme for a hit comedy: “Welcome Back,” from “Welcome Back, Kotter.” One of the few people who could play an autoharp on a top ten Billboard hit (“Do You Believe in Magic?”).

John was a master at efficient word play, painting pictures in a concise way that dripped with imagery. Like all great poets, he could lead you on an adventure with just 300 words.

As writers, we can learn a lot from poets, flash fiction authors, and lyricists. Take time to study how they use phrasing and rhythm to help build their images. How varied sentence length can drive or stop movement in a paragraph. After all, writing is more than stringing words together; it’s about weaving a tapestry that takes a reader on a magic carpet ride (ßlook, another 60s song reference!).

I highly recommend that all writers use short passages as a training tool for your craft. Fiction folk should tackle flash fiction. Challenge yourself to build image, character, and plot in five hundred words or less. For nonfiction writers, study devotions. The concise nature of that craft will build writing muscles like you didn’t know you had.

And we should all embrace poetry and lyrics. Listen and learn.

Remember that heat index up above. Listen to the opening of this song, follow the tone change between the verses and the chorus, from driving to soothing. In just a few words, John makes me feel the heat of the concrete, the relentless heat of a sun so bright there are no shadows, and the sudden relief of night.

Y’all stay cool this summer.

Ramona Richards is the associate publisher for Iron Stream Media, the parent company of New Hope Publishers, Iron Stream Kidz, and Ascender Books. She has been an in-house editor for Abingdon Press, Thomas Nelson, Rutledge Hill Press, and Idealsmagazine, and has freelanced for a dozen other publishers. The author of twelve books and a frequent speaker for women’s and writers’ groups, she is the recipient of the 2019 Joanne Sloan National Award for the Encouragement of Writing. Her latest book, Murder in the Family,will be released in October.

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