How to Write Like Laura Ingalls Wilder
October 30th 2008 12:43
Why was Laura Ingalls Wilder such a good writer? The answer is clear. It's because her sister was blind.
When Laura was a young girl her sister, Mary, went blind. Laura learned to be Mary's "eyes". She learned to describe people and places so Mary could "see" them.
Read the following excerpts from "Little House on the Prairie". Notice how Laura describes the landscapes and the people.
"They drove a long way through the snowy woods, till they came to the town of Pepin. Mary and Laura had seen it once before, but it looked different now. The door of the store and the doors of all the houses were shut, the stumps were covered with snow, an no little children were playing outdoors. Big cords of wood stood among the stumps. Only two or three men in boots and fur caps and bright plaid coats were to be seen."
"The enormous lake stretched flat and smooth and white all the way to the edge of the gray sky. Wagon tracks went across it, so far that you could not see where they went; they ended in nothing at all".
Now, it's your turn to write like Laura Ingalls Wilder. Try this exercise. Pretend your readers are blind and describe your writing space to them. Or, describe your dream writing space. Post it here in the comments box. Let us "see" your space!
When Laura was a young girl her sister, Mary, went blind. Laura learned to be Mary's "eyes". She learned to describe people and places so Mary could "see" them.
Read the following excerpts from "Little House on the Prairie". Notice how Laura describes the landscapes and the people.
"They drove a long way through the snowy woods, till they came to the town of Pepin. Mary and Laura had seen it once before, but it looked different now. The door of the store and the doors of all the houses were shut, the stumps were covered with snow, an no little children were playing outdoors. Big cords of wood stood among the stumps. Only two or three men in boots and fur caps and bright plaid coats were to be seen."
"The enormous lake stretched flat and smooth and white all the way to the edge of the gray sky. Wagon tracks went across it, so far that you could not see where they went; they ended in nothing at all".
Now, it's your turn to write like Laura Ingalls Wilder. Try this exercise. Pretend your readers are blind and describe your writing space to them. Or, describe your dream writing space. Post it here in the comments box. Let us "see" your space!
| 27 |
| Vote |
Subscribe to this blog
