The main thing I love about learning to tap dance is the teacher explaining how you can perform the same sequence of steps but something as simple as changing the rhythm can change the dance entirely.

The same can be said of rhythm in writing. Not every sentence carries equal weight and small changes in punctuation can have a significant impact. For example, using a comma splice intentionally to increase the pace and tension of a scene.

He raced towards the fence, his foot caught on an exposed root.

This reads differently from:

He raced towards the fence, and his foot caught on an exposed root.

Changing a full stop/period to an ellipsis to emphasise that a character is thinking through a problem or is indecisive.

‘I don’t know…’ 

Compared to the more definitive:

‘I don’t know.’

These changes should always be guided by the manuscript and it goes without saying that the author has the final say on any suggested changes.

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