Rereading Jane Eyre

Change is due. Less is more.

I’d had my previous blog template since I started blogging, almost four years ago.

It was pretty, with a Dante Gabriel Rossetti print of Lilith on the header and some of my favourite books from my bookshelf in the background, but it appeared cluttered.

I had been thinking of changing my blog’s appearance for some time, but I wasn’t sure what I wanted or if the change would bring technical problems. I’m delighted that it hasn’t.

I wanted a cleaner, simpler, uncluttered, style, because I’m more convinced each day, that less is more and simple is more effective than complex, in life, love and work.

Writing Flash Fiction has been a great help in uncluttering my writing style (more about that in a previous past, here) and so has following Kurt Vonnegut’s suggestions regarding not wasting the reader’s time (Use the time of a total stranger in such a way that he or she will not feel the time was wasted) and making sure all information is relevant (Every sentence must do one of two things—reveal character or advance the action). 

Then there’s all the advice, especially Stephen King’s, on using less adverbs and stronger verbs, not to mention the impact of showing not telling. So I’m aiming for a crisper writing style, cutting out rambling and overexplaining, use of passive voice, repetition, and trying my best to make readers ‘feel’ they’re inside the novel, not ‘see’ it from the outside.

Of course Mark Twain had said it all before: “Employ a simple and straightforward style.”  No wonder he found it hard to appreciate Jane Austen, who died only seventeen years before he was born. Don’t get me wrong. I like and respect Miss Austen’s work, but she’s a prime example of telling not showing, for example in Persuasion, her last, and one of my favourite novels. More about that in an earlier post, here.

After previewing different templates, I settled for one called Wilson, because it looked clear and clean. I love the use of black and white. simple and clear. I also prefer these colours in my wardrobe. Many busy and successful people like Obama and Bill Gates also stick to few colours when they dress, find out why here.

By the way, there’s a fabulous Ted Talk by Graham Hill called ‘Less Stuff, More Happiness,” which you might like to check out here.

Who needs a rainbow of colours when two are enough? Especially when so many people use Tablets and Smartphones to check blog content.

I’m still thinking of ways to unclutter my menu, but for now I’m leaving it as it is, with six main menus:

Home.

Blog.

About Luccia Gray.

Jane Ere and Victorian Literature.

Fiction Challenges.

Book Reviews and Spotlights.

I’ve kept their respective subheadings for the moment, but I’m thinking of eliminating them altogether.

Hope you like my new blog, and all suggestions and opinions for improvement are welcome.

Are you uncluttering your life and your blog? Tell me how!