Hear Those Voices?

When was the last time you ever heard someone talk like this?

The devastating effect of the Tim Donaghy scandal will send a ripple through professional basketball that will be felt for ages based on how baseball dealt with a similar occurrence, The Black Sox Scandal.

Never.

At least, not when I talk to my friends. Maybe you do, I don’t know. I can only speak for myself and those I have come in contact with. Writing papers and writing a blog feature two totally different styles of writing. A paper is supposed to be formal, structured, and very academically influenced, either through word choice, formatting, or both. A blog can choose to adopt similar writing, but they usually our written in a conversational voice. This doesn’t mean they have no credibility or their messages are not valid, but they rebel in all that they learned in high school and college.

One of the most controversial bloggers is Will Leitch. Some wake up every morning and add a little humor to their lives on his successful blogsite, Deadspin.com. Others know him for his fight on Bob Costas’ sports show with acclaimed author, Buzz Bissinger, when debating the credibility of blogs. Bissinger, who has made a very successful living off of writing “the right way,” condemned Leitch, and other bloggers, for the casual approach they took to writing.

Leitch, who typically touches on controversial issues and adds fuel to the fire, blogged on the Erin Andrews video scandal just over a month ago. In his blog, Leitch uses his traditionally casual style but it is through this voice that he successfully reaches out to his audience.

Voice is developed through word choice, structure, and phrasing. Leitch conveys a conversational approach by using phrases such as, “As far as I’m concerned,” “I mean,” “You know,” and words like, “C’mon,” and “Umm,”—strategically placed, of course, effectively relaying the idea of though. And that’s another thing…Leitch adds a conversational aspect by frequently going off on tangents mid-thought. His writing isn’t organized to perfection. He does this in his opening sentence:

In the wake of the awful video that hit the Web over the weekend—actually, it had been hanging around for months, apparently, but no one had seen it—everyone is pointing fingers. It's blogs' fault for objectifying her.

By going off on tangents and simply writing what is on his mind, Leitch develops a conversational voice. Think about how many times in conversation you will go off the linear structure and make an off-topic comment because it suddenly pops into your head? I do it a ton. It is normal. It is natural.

Leitch also has uncensored writing in this blog, and others. He describes the guy who filmed Andrews as an “Assbag,” a comical, ‘boys will be boys,’ description. He engages me because he makes me want to talk back to the article, as if it is some kind of a conversation. Leitch develops an edge in his writing with his use of vulgar language. At the same time, this style is still inviting of response and makes me feel like I am having a conversation with him.

Another style Leitch employs is his usage of the first person. He has no qualms about using “I” or, when appropriate, using “we,” allowing him to connect with his audience. Additionally, Leitch uses italics to emphasize points and to add emotion to his writing. When restating that the nude video featured Erin Andrews, a “sex icon,” he re-emphasized by writing, “It’s Erin Andrews!”

Writing sometimes comes across as monotonous but with his creative use of italics, Leitch creates emotion in his writing. I can almost hear his pitch raise or drop with certain comments based on the way they are formatted within the context of the blog.

In a blog about Michael Jordan, Leitch touched on the death of Michael Jackson for whatever random reason--see? Tangents!--and talked about how shocked he was at the worldwide period of mourning for the legend. "That weirdo? C'mon!" The italics help the reader feel and understand the emotion of his writing and the sense of his personality.

In another of his articles, chronicling the first decade of this millennium, Leitch employs many of what we have already discussed, including ellipses and hyphen-notated tangents that increases the level of conversation.

Through his voice, Will Leitch creates a persona that is edgy and emotional, while maintaining an inviting conversational tone throughout.

Regardless of your stance of blogs, it is almost undeniable that blogs bring out a writer’s personality and unique styles more so than most forms of writing. It allows a writer—or a blogger, to develop his or her voice. It allows us to say fuck, shit, and I’m out, bitch!

Blog Titles: Boy, That Decade Just Flew By, Didn’t It? & Erin Andrews and Guilt, Imagined and Otherwise