Anna Quindlen: A Journey Of Literary Success

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Widely respected throughout America, Anna Quindlen is a notable author and columnist who jump started her career as a part-time reporter for the New York Post at the age of 18. After earning her B.A. degree at Barnard College, New York City, Quindlen upgraded to positions as a general columnist, and later deputy metropolitan editor, for the New York Times. Her biweekly column, “About New York,” resulted in her becoming the third woman in all history of the Times to write a regular column for the exclusive and elite op-ed page. Quindlen then went on to receive the Pulitzer Prize for Commentary in 1992. From essays to children’s books to semi-autobiographical novels, Quindlen has been putting her thoughts down on paper for as long as she can remember -- a habit that has certainly paid off, as evidenced by her incredible success. This writer’s duty is to pass on the advice and …show more content…

She lists ideas in swift successions, often choosing to forego coordinating conjunctions such as “and,” “if,” “or,” and “but” in order to get the same point across in fewer words. She also utilizes hyphens and em dashes rather than periods or semicolons. This is an effective strategy in that it implies an interruption, and then recommencement, of ideas. Her writing is polished and organized but still depicts a visible thought process. For example, in Loud & Clear, Quindlen writes, “...Penelope Leach, T. Berry Brazelton, Dr. Spock. The [books] on sibling rivalry and sleeping through the night and early-childhood education - all grown obsolete. Along with Goodnight Moon and Where the Wild Things Are, they are battered, spotted, well used…. What those books taught me, finally, and what the women on the playground taught me, and the well-meaning relations -- what they taught me, was that they couldn't really teach me very much at

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