How to Tighten Your Writing (Part 3): Beware the run-on sentence

In this third part of my four-part series on tight writing, it’s time to learn about the importance of sentence variety.

Too often the pacing of a paragraph or page is under-valued, disregarded in favour of what may seem more integral to strong writing, such as compelling verbs/nouns and strengthening dialogue.

Run-on sentences occur when writers fail to take a necessary pause within a phrase, or couple two ideas into a sentence that can extend to 50 or 60 words. There isn’t an industry standard on how long any sentence should be, but I’d contend that anything over 50 words deserves a harsh edit.

Why? Think of how a long sentence would read when spoken aloud. You don’t have time to take a breath in a sentence such as…

Mark wandered around the mall for another hour as his energy waned and his head began to ache and all he wanted to do was find the store where he bought that cellphone that was beginning to send him random creepy texts from a number he didn’t recognize and that began with an area code far from where he lived.

Phew, I’m breathless just writing that paragraph. Which it became, even though a sentence need not always extend that long. Consider this quick edit: