Sunday, October 23, 2016


Christie Fewkes

Week 8


I never really gave much thought to sentence structure beyond spelling and grammar.  Previously, I had always been taught just the basics about writing anything so this has been interesting, to say the least.  I probably learned more this week than I have all semester.  I enjoy the idea of an author having their own style.  While I’m sure it’s not a new concept for me, I don’t believe I’ve really ever given it much consideration.

This week, I found an author with a somewhat unique niche. He sends a message with every book or article he authors and uses several of the techniques we learned about this week. I have chosen to show his ability to use short sentence structure to motivate his readers.

Joel Osteen is a pastor, televangelist, and author from Houston, Texas.  He writes inspirational books, 7 of which have been on New York’s best-seller list.  In reviewing his books, I have found that much of his writing contains short sentence structure intended to move his audience and motivate his readers. Some examples are below:

“No matter what's happening, choose to be happy. Don't focus on what's wrong. Find something positive in your life.”

“I think God wants us to be prosperous. I think he wants us to be happy. To me, you need to have money to pay your bills. I think God wants us to send our kids to college.”

I believe he maintains this writing style to be clear and concise; he wants the reader to clearly understand his point.  I also think he understands his audience and delivers a written message they will quickly understand and perpetuate.  Each sentence is a statement intended to support or drive an action in the reader.  In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life: it goes on. — Robert FrostIn three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life: it goes on. — Robert Frost

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