I had a real treat this past weekend. I discovered a book in the New Fiction section at our public library called A Place Like Home by Rosamunde Pilcher. She is a favorite of mine. I knew she had passed away, so was delighted to find this book of her short stories. None of these warm, romantic tales had been published in book form before.
This very popular UK writer is best known for her novels, and in particular, the one titled The Shell Seekers. One of my all-time favorites
As I read the short stories this weekend, I once again admired Ms Pilcher for her storytelling but also for the wonderful way she used words I started pondering the way she set a scene or described a place using a smattering of words that managed to transport this reader into the story.
I copied a few sentences or phrases from the book and put a very plain sentence first to show the difference
A. There was a bridge over the river.
B. A bridge curved over a ribbon of water
A. It smelled clean.
B. There was a cool, scrubbed smell, rather like we’ll-kept dairies.
A. She looked up at the sky.
B. She looked up through the leafy boughs of the trees, to the infinite misty arc of the evening sky.
A. It was a nice morning.
B. The morning air was sweet and cold and smelled of the sea.
Notice that the A sentences tell us something, but the B sentences, written by Ms Pilcher, show the reader so much more. Her sentences bring the reader a clear picture.
When we write our stories, we should strive to write the kinds of sentences that Rosamunde Pilcher offered her readers
I finished reading the last story yesterday, and I closed the book with regret that I had come to the end. Wouldn’t we all like our readers to feel the same?
No comments:
Post a Comment