Edgar Allan Poe and the Single Effect

Atmospheric Totality

Tomorrow is the night of shadows, which naturally brings me to Poe. In his “Philosophy of Composition,” he argued that a writer should determine a “single effect” they want to achieve and then ensure that every single sentence, character, and image contributes to that one goal.

It is a demanding philosophy. It requires a level of discipline that many of us resist. We want to include the funny line or the tangential observation. But Poe reminds us that true power comes from totality. If you want the reader to feel dread, you cannot let them laugh. If you want them to feel wonder, you cannot let them be bored.

The Monroe Minute
Decide on the “one word” you want a reader to feel after reading your current scene. Delete any sentence that doesn’t serve that word.

Until the next page,
Sloane S. Monroe

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Sloane Shay Monroe

I don’t write to idealize love, but to explore it honestly, with emotional precision and depth.