The subject matter of this month’s story is dear to the hearts of all of us who write short stories. In Proof Of The Pudding by O Henry we meet an editor and a much-rejected writer who have differing opinions about what makes a good story. As always, you’ll get the most out of this masterclass if you read the story for yourself: https://writ.rs/ proofpudding.
You’ll notice that right from the start in this story, O Henry uses some very ornate language in his descriptive writing. I particularly like the way he describes the setting that Westbrook finds himself in, and the way he uses pastoral images to bring to life a largely urban setting. The use of ‘vitreous optic’ and ‘vernal coquette’ in the first paragraph show the reader what to expect in terms of language usage. There are also references to the different ways in which words can be used to create something visual on the page. We are told that the landscape appeared a masterpiece, and we
