When she brought the tray and put it on the bed table I thanked her and ate a little of the supper. Afterward it was dark outside and I could see the beams of the search-lights moving in the sky. I watched for a while and then went to sleep. I slept heavily except once I woke sweating and scared and then went back to sleep trying to stay outside of my dream. I woke for good long before it was light and heard roosters crowing and stayed on awake until it began to light. I was tired and once it was really light I went back to sleep again.
Can you guess the author? Here is hint : these lines were written in 1929. Yes, you got it right. It’s Ernest Hemingway, “A Farewell to Arms“, last paragraph of Chapter 13.
While reading the book, I caught myself a few times thinking that it feels a lot like a blog – first person story telling, simple sentences, a few “what I ate for breakfast” paragraphs. But then again, somehow it feels better than a blog – connectivity, metaphors, a tiny hint of old times.
They say that one can improve his own writing by reading great writers. Having this book in mind, I do agree with that. And, it seems, I’m not the only one thinking of what and how to learn from Hemingway for my blogging – Copyblogger published Ernest Hemingway’s Top 5 Tips for Writing Well some time ago.
I doubt that the muscle straining is always necessary and suitable for the purpose, but I definitely agree with the rule No.5 which applies to 95-99% of the bloggers’ creations.