{"slug":"writing-tools-55-essential-strategies-for-every-writer","title":"Writing Tools: 55 Essential Strategies for Every Writer","date":"2026-05-14T13:52:04.871Z","excerpt":"","tags":["writting"],"order":76,"published":true,"content":"

1. Begin sentences with subjects and verbs

Make meaning early, then let weaker elements branch to the right.

Excellent choice. Roy Peter Clark’s Writing Tools is essentially the \"Elements of Style\" for the modern era—practical, punchy, and devoid of fluff. Let’s dive into the foundation of clear syntax.

The Strategy: Begin sentences with subjects and verbs.

In what Clark calls \"right-branching sentences,\" you plant the main clause (the subject and the verb) at the very beginning. This allows the reader to grasp the core meaning immediately. Any additional details, qualifiers, or descriptions then \"branch\" to the right, following the main action.

Why It Works

When you delay the subject and verb, you force the reader to hold a bunch of \"pre-information\" in their mental waiting room before they even know what’s happening. By starting with the subject and verb, you create a clear \"anchor\" that holds the rest of the sentence together.

The Examples

The Cluttered Start (Left-Branching):

After years of searching through dusty archives and interviewing reclusive survivors in the remote corners of the Andes, the historian finally discovered the truth about the lost expedition.

The Tool 1 Upgrade (Right-Branching):

The historian discovered the truth about the lost expedition after years of searching through dusty archives and interviewing reclusive survivors in the remote corners of the Andes.

The \"Suspense\" Trap (Left-Branching):

In the middle of the night, while the rest of the city slept and the streetlights flickered against the damp pavement, the cat jumped.

The Tool 1 Upgrade (Right-Branching):

The cat jumped, cutting through the silence of the city while the streetlights flickered against the damp pavement.

When to Break the Rule

You don't want every sentence to start this way, or your writing will sound like a first-grade primer (\"See Spot run. Spot runs fast.\"). However, you should use this as your \"default\" setting for clarity. Save the \"left-branching\" sentences (where the subject is delayed) for when you want to build tension or provide a specific transition.

Think of it like a train: Put the engine (Subject + Verb) at the front so it can pull the heavy freight of your descriptions behind it.

1. Begin sentences with subjects and verbs

The Strategy: Begin sentences with subjects and verbs.

Why It Works

The Examples

When to Break the Rule

2. Place strong words at the beginning and at the end.