The sentence’s two positions of power

Thoughtful writers understand that the sentence offers us two primary positions of power.

The start of a sentence is one of those power positions.

The other powerhouse locale of sentence geography is the end.

Many writing coaches preach that sentences should start with the subject or main point. In other words, they consider the start of the sentence the true position of power.

I say that’s great advice for the beginning writer. But for the many business and recreational writers who have advanced beyond the nascent stage of the craft, we need to broaden our horizons and add more options and versatility. Otherwise, a person’s writing could take on a sameness that diminishes his or her potential.

Let consider a comparison of sentences that start or finish with their main point.

Bankruptcy is in the offing unless the company significantly cuts expenses or increases sales.

Unless the company significantly cuts expenses or increases sales it is headed for bankruptcy.

Obviously a dramatic subject, one that would make any sentence an attention grabber. In the first example, bankruptcy grips us right away, though we don’t know what it’s referencing. In the second example, a foreboding mood is set in a way that makes bankruptcy, when it finally arrives, pound like a hammer.

Which do you like better? There is no right or wrong. They’re both powerful sentences, though the latter is more suspenseful. That might or might not be your objective or preference.

None of this is to say that a sentence can’t be powerful while positioning its scarlet letters in the center of the construction. To wit:

The company is headed for bankruptcy unless expenses are cut or sales increased.

Though still a strong sentence, in general we do not want to place our most muscular verbiage in the center, where its incandescence can be dimmed by the surrounding packaging.

More often than not, writers overlook the effect of ending their sentences with a bang. Here’s another example of a sentence that makes itself suspenseful by using its payload as its clincher.

“He drove the car carefully, his shaggy hair whipped by the wind, his eyes hidden behind wraparound mirror shades, his mouth set in a grim smile, a .38 Police Special on the seat beside him, the corpse stuffed in the trunk.”

Who wouldn’t be pining to read the next sentence?

During your next writing assignment take these positions of power into account so you can fully realize each sentence’s maximum power.

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