Eudora Welty's Bloggin' Style
I'm paid to organize 3 months of a lecture series. Mostly it's responding to emails from academics, AV & venue peeps but it seems 80% of my time is spent on unexpecteds. Today is the culmination of an unexpected that in hindsight was obvious. I don't want to get into it. It's boring and insignificant.
Eudora Welty has a perfect blog writing style. The Optimist's Daughter has no unnecessary words and sentences are short with maximum effect. See this description of our protagonist (p.3):
Laurel McKelva Hand was a slender, quiet-faced woman in her middle forties, her hair still dark. She wore clothes of an interesting cut and texture, although her suit was wintry for New Orleans and had a wrinkle down the skirt. Her dark blue eyes looked sleepless.
From three sentences we know Laurel's full name, age, physique, character, clothing style, location, and current state of mind.
Eudora expects the reader's attention and uses details to build characters. Laurel finds out her father is dead and she's in the hall with the doctor (p.41):
Laurel felt the Doctor's hand shift to grip her arm; she had been about to go straight to the unattended. He began walking the two women toward the elevators. Laurel became aware that he was in evening clothes.
This bit tells the Doctor's experience with the bereaved and his off duty trip to the hospital. Laurel's previous state of shock is conveyed through her coming to awareness.
Ok peeps. If you are or know a know it all who thinks they can read people like a book by their habits/deportment/slips of speech, tell them to read Eudora Welty. They'll love it.
Eudora Welty has a perfect blog writing style. The Optimist's Daughter has no unnecessary words and sentences are short with maximum effect. See this description of our protagonist (p.3):
Laurel McKelva Hand was a slender, quiet-faced woman in her middle forties, her hair still dark. She wore clothes of an interesting cut and texture, although her suit was wintry for New Orleans and had a wrinkle down the skirt. Her dark blue eyes looked sleepless.
From three sentences we know Laurel's full name, age, physique, character, clothing style, location, and current state of mind.
Eudora expects the reader's attention and uses details to build characters. Laurel finds out her father is dead and she's in the hall with the doctor (p.41):
Laurel felt the Doctor's hand shift to grip her arm; she had been about to go straight to the unattended. He began walking the two women toward the elevators. Laurel became aware that he was in evening clothes.
This bit tells the Doctor's experience with the bereaved and his off duty trip to the hospital. Laurel's previous state of shock is conveyed through her coming to awareness.
Ok peeps. If you are or know a know it all who thinks they can read people like a book by their habits/deportment/slips of speech, tell them to read Eudora Welty. They'll love it.
posted by Imo at 1:04 PM
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