El ritmo
Una de las características más importantes de un texto bien escrito es su ritmo. El ritmo facilita o dificulta la lectura, de ahí que convenga fijarse mucho en que no suene excesivamente monótono, que las pausas y silencios estén bien colocados, que no haya rimas internas ni cacofonías…
Me han pasado un texto buenísimo que ilustra perfectamente la importancia del ritmo. Está en inglés, pero merece la pena (lo traduciría, pero pierde su sentido). Espero que os guste tanto como a mí. La cita es de Gary Provost y está sacada del libro 100 ways to improve your writing (1985).
This sentence has five words. Here are five more words. Five-word sentences are fine. But several together are monotonous. Listen to what is happening. The writing is getting boring. The sound of it drones. It’s like a stuck record. The ear demands some variety.
Now listen. I vary the sentence length, and I create music. Music. The writing sings. It has a pleasant rhythm, a lilt, a harmony. I use short sentences. And I use sentences of medium length. And sometimes, when I’m certain the reader is rested, I will engage him with a sentence of considerable length, a sentence that burns with energy and builds with all the impetus of a crescendo, the roll of the drums, the crash of the cymbals: sounds that say, listen to this, it is important.
