We should require of prose what we expect of poetry: vividness, compression, and good sound. The last of these is often neglected by prose writers, as though they were working in a silent genre, or sound was merely a decorative concern. Wrong. What Duke Ellington said of music—“If it sounds good it is good" - holds true for writing. So does the converse: if it isn't music, it can't be wisdom. This Eleventh Hour talk will present how central good sound is to fiction and nonfiction writing - providing examples and techniques for improving sound in prose.

Original lecture date: July 19, 2023