Did you ever work on a story, have it pretty much “done”, but then think, “It’s still not quite there?” It might be the language, and/or the phrasing. Here's an exercise for exploring the language of your story: Turn it into poetry, then back into prose. Don't be nervous. . .it's only an exercise.
Let’s use The Three Little Pigs, as it already has some of the existing elements of meter and rhyme.
Little pig little pig, let me in, let me in.
Not by the hair on my chinny-chin-chin!
First, break the story down into scenes or segments, and then turn each piece into a four-line stanza (or several). Use poetic structure, rhyme, rhythm and meter. Make it a simple, but use literary license with the syntax and grammar.
Here’s an example, as the wolf goes to the house of sticks. The underlined words are stressed. Yes, it is a bit sing-song, but that’s the point of the exercise.
The wolf approached the house of sticks
With the two little pigs inside.
He could smell the scent of their porcine flesh
And was ready to eat their hides.
He disguised his voice, and knocked on the door
The piglets began to squeal.
They knew the wolf was inviting them to dinner
And that they would be the meal.
Now, turn the stanzas back into sentences. Don't make it sing-song, or force the stressed syllables, but use the rhythm of the words.
The wolf approached the house of sticks, with the two little pigs inside. He could smell the scent of their porcine flesh, and was ready to eat their hides. (speed up here get increasingly louder) He disguised his voice, and knocked on the door. The piglets began to squeal. They knew the wolf was inviting them to dinner, (perhaps a long pause here) and that they would be the meal.
Using rhyme, rhythm and meter can help the flow of the language.