Tips and Tricks?

It makes sense to me, and hopefully to others, for me to write a little about what I am getting from my reading of Devil in the White City. What I mean to say is that I would like to share a little about how the author (Erik Larson) uses certain techniques that are helpful to someone who is interested in creative nonfiction. I feel like many stylistic choices are made that can connect to our own writing, especially as we move towards the “Long Haul” project.

Alternating Plots:

Although alternating plots can be annoying if you are only invested in one of the plots (as Billy mentions is the case for many of the critics of DWC) this technique serves important purposes stylistically. Firstly, the opposition of the two main plots (which I discussed in my last post) are strengthened and emphasized by their proximity to one another. Through the telling of the stories in alternating chunks, Larson is able to make connections and show the differences between the two tales, as well as the two characters of the story. This means of telling the story also helps to eliminate the confusion of the audience by telling the stories of each man, chronologically, and at the same time. Although you are bouncing from plot to plot, the stories are coherent, and mesh well together. Through a chronological telling, the audience is better able to keep track of the men, but also the history of the city that is included throughout the text. Keeping the audience in mind is always important. If you lose the reader through the course of your story, then what is the point of writing?

RESEARCH:

Obviously research is a main component of Devil in the White City, because the stories of the main plot have occurred before the author was even born.  This is not a hindrance to Larson, as he uses multiple sources of information to bring life to the truth of Chicago during the World Fair. Broad historical facts are used, to give context to the world of the story, and how this affects the circumstances leading up to the world fair. Examples of this are the details about the fire of Chicago, the competition with France’s world fair (Chicago has to beat the Eiffel Tower) and architectural advancements (discussed in Billy’s post). Most importantly, letters, journals, and personal writings of the characters of the plot are used to create dialogue. This is important, because, like a nonfiction work, dialogue really gives insight to the characters, and is more interesting to read than historical facts. In this case, research is everything. Without the painstaking research that Larson has conducted, the story could be contained in a couple of paragraphs in a magazine or newspaper article, but is instead expanded to the childhood of a serial killer, and many other interesting tidbits that teaches the audience much more than just the facts of the murder cases.