Countdown To The End

This month has given me a whole new respect for traditional publishers and all they do. Let me tell ya, it's a long list! To date, I have:

• Applied for and received business licenses from both the state and city
• Commissioned and received cover art
• Written back cover copy
• Purchased ISBNs from Bowker
• Finished my edits, including critiques, on His Good Opinion
• Contracted with an editor, who sent me wonderful edits
• Incorporated said edits
• Contacted a proofreader about "oops detection"

I still need to:

• Record my business expenses
• Start a business bank account
• Start the process with Create Space
• Get the full cover finished--back cover included
• Format the book

And that's all on top of writing a 50,000 word rough draft of my Col. Fitzwilliam story next month for NaNoWriMo, and running the local events, and my regular day job. (I have never been so grateful for long weekends in my life--I get two in November, and they will be Godsends.)

It's been a busy month, and some of these things caused undue stress. However, it's done. My book will be published within the next month. Once I have it in my hand, it will all be worth it.

His Good Opinion can be purchased from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Smashwords, Amazon UK, Amazon DE, and Amazon FR. 

This Cover is DIMH Approved

"...Mr. Darcy soon drew the attention of the room by his fine, tall person, handsome features, noble mien, and the report... The gentlemen pronounced him to be a fine figure of a man, the ladies declared he was much handsomer than Mr. Bingley, and he was looked at with great admiration for about half the evening..."


Pride and Prejudice, chapter 3

When I started decided to go indie last spring, cover art was at the top of my concerns. (I've since learned there are other things far more stressful and less pleasant, but that's a post for a different time.) Despite all we say, people do judge books by their covers, and I want His Good Opinion to jump off the virtual bookshelf and scream, "Pick me, pick me!"  

Conversation between me and DIMH*: 

DIMH:  That shows a shocking lack of decorum.

Me: You'd better get used to it, Darcy.

DIMH: I beg your pardon?

Me: You're #hotdarcy. The ladies will be throwing themselves at you.

DIMH: ...

Thanks to some stellar picture finding by Jessica and the amazing graphic design skills of her husband, I now present #hotdarcy, in the flesh:

*DIMH: Darcy In My Head

His Good Opinion can be purchased from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Smashwords, Amazon UK, Amazon DE, and Amazon FR. 

Top 5 Reasons Caroline Bingley Is a Great Character for a Sequel

Austenesque author Jennifer Becton joins us today. Her latest book, Caroline Bingley, left some Janeites wondering--why write about Miss Bingley? (You can see my review on Indiejane.)

Top 5 Reasons Caroline Bingley Is a Great Character for a Sequel

I hear what you’re thinking: Caroline Bingley as the hero of her own Pride and Prejudice sequel? Jennifer, what are you smoking? She’s horrible! Just think of what she said to Lizzy and how she treated Jane. Why should anyone want to read a book about her?

Well, I’ll tell you my top 5 reasons for deciding to write about dear, sweet Caroline, and you can decide if you want to read a book about her.

5. Caroline speaks her mind. Sure, she may not always say the nicest things, but at least she is willing to make her opinions known. In Elizabeth Bennet, we find pert opinions to be a benefit. In Caroline, not so much. Caroline was happy to speak negatively of the Bennet’s vulgar relations and on many other similar subjects of decorum and dress, but in reality, her opinions on wealth and status were not dissimilar to those held by many people in the Regency period. She was an outspoken product of her time and social influences.

4. Caroline is funny. Consider her attempts to woo Mr. Darcy while he demonstrates his letter-writing prowess: “You write uncommonly fast,” “I am afraid you do not like your pen. Let me mend one for you. I mend pens remarkably well,” and “Do you always write such charming long letters to [Georgiana], Mr. Darcy?” (Austen, P&P, ch. 10). Okay, so she may not be intentionally funny, but that is comic gold!

3. Caroline is complex. Caroline is “of a respectable family in the north of England; a circumstance more deeply impressed on [her memory] than that [her] brother’s fortune and [her] own had been acquired by trade” (Austen, P&P, ch. 4). Caroline has a secret. She is a wannabe. She may have money, but it was not gained through socially acceptable channels, and she is trying to hide her lowly past. That’s conflict and it makes for good reading and interesting character development.

2. Caroline is flawed. Mr. Darcy and Caroline were very much alike when they were introduced in Pride and Prejudice: “Darcy was continually giving offense,” and he said many unkind things about Elizabeth’s family and relations. He even participated in the plan to separate Jane and Bingley. However, he mended his ways. Caroline did many of the same things, but she never saw the error of her ways. Caroline has lots of room to grow and overcome her flaws just as Darcy did.

1. Caroline doesn’t mess around. She acts. She may not always do the right thing, but at least she is doing something. She does what she believes is best for her family. There is no dithering or whining. She sees a need and she acts upon it. That is just what we love in a heroine.

So Caroline Bingley may not be the most obvious choice for a heroine, especially because her goals in Pride and Prejudice were in direct conflict with Elizabeth’s. She was the antagonist, but not a true villainess who was out plotting her opponent’s destruction. She just wanted what she wanted, and she tried to make her desires come to fruition. She failed in all ways.

Did Caroline learn from her mistakes? Did she end up marrying a stuffy, old aristocrat? Or did she learn the joys of love?

If you’d like to check out my view on her future, Caroline Bingley is available in ebook format at Amazon, BN, and Smashwords. The paperback will be available soon, but you can preorder a signed copy at my website.

Nancy: There is also a giveaway running at Indiejane that ends today. Whether you purchase a copy or win one, this is a sequel to read and re-read.

When Editing Makes Babies Cry

Sunday I got notes back from one of my critique partners. The inline notes were minimal, but in her email, she mentioned some pacing problems she'd seen--problems I knew existed, but that I hadn't been able to fix despite trying.

The story moved too quickly from Darcy thinking about Elizabeth's words at Hunsford to her being at Pemberley. There was some reflection, but not much that showed why he might have begun to change.  This had been plaguing me for weeks, and it was the source of my problems with balancing the front and back halves of the novel as well. (Front half was about 55-58% of the story, way more than the 50% it should be.) 

I turned to another crit partner who happened to be online and asked for her thoughts, and she pinpointed one chapter that could be expanded on to show his thought process. Here's the original: 

None of these tasks, however, were capable of driving Elizabeth from his mind. When he walked the estate with his steward, he remembered Georgiana commenting that he needed a wife who could walk with him, and he thought again of Elizabeth and the walks they had shared in Kent. When he visited a tenant and awkwardly held the baby he was handed, he thought how much more comfortable he would have been with Elizabeth by his side.

It's not bad, but there's not much detail. The question became, "How can I expand that into something that really shows him missing her and beginning to take her words to heart?" In the end, this is what I came up with (please be kind, this is quite rough):

Richard left the following morning for the Fitzwilliam family seat near Matlock, and Darcy, in desperate need of distraction, threw himself into the affairs of his own estate. In consequence of his lengthy absences over the last year, there were many things that have been left unattended to.

 Nothing, however, could drive Elizabeth from his mind. With every task he completed, he was conscious of how much easier or pleasanter it would have been with her by his side.

 When he walked the estate with his steward, he remembered Georgiana commenting that he needed a wife who could walk with him, and he thought again of Elizabeth and the walks they had shared in Kent. How he had looked forward then to showing her the grounds of Pemberley and his favorite walks through the park. Those spots he had loved all his life lacked luster, now that he saw them without Elizabeth.

 Not long after his return to Pemberley, one of his best tenants celebrated the birth of his first child. By rights, the mistress of the estate would visit the family—but Pemberley had no mistress.
 When Darcy appeared on the Coombs' doorstep, the man could not hide his surprise. "Mr. Darcy!"

 "Good day, Coombs. I hear your wife has provided you with a son."

 Coombs snapped his gaping mouth shut and swallowed. "Yes sir. That is… Well, yes sir. May I ask, sir, why you are here?"

 Darcy raised an eyebrow. "I should think that obvious, Coombs. I came to congratulate you."
 Coombs nodded slowly. "Of course, Mr. Darcy. Would you like to come in and see James?"

 Darcy took his hat off and followed Coombs into the cottage. Mrs. Coombs smiled up at him when he entered. "Mr. Darcy, this is such a surprise!"

 He knit his brows together for a moment. Why are they both so shocked to see me pay this form of courtesy? 

Before he could think any more on the question, a babe was thrust into his arms. "This is our James—isn't he the sweetest lad you ever did see?"   

Darcy held the child six inches out from his chest, and when James yawned and stretched, he panicked. Please do not wake. But young James had not yet learnt that the master of Pemberley was always to be obeyed, and the tiny eyes opened. On beholding an unfamiliar face, the mouth opened in a wail that would have scared years off the life of a grown man, had he not known where it originated.

 Mrs. Coombs bustled over and took her child back into the comfort of her arms. "There there, Jamesey—Mama's here. You aren't afraid of Mr. Darcy, are you?"

 Darcy watched in wonder as the child immediately quieted and settled back to sleep. Never had he been more aware of his own awkwardness, or longed more for Elizabeth's ease of manner.

 The incident did not quickly leave his thoughts. Late into the evening he pondered it, always coming back to one thing: his own tenants, who knew him to be a generous landlord, had been surprised when he also showed them courtesy.

 "Your manners impressing me with the fullest belief of your arrogance…" Was there truth in her words? Did he look down on those he saw as beneath him and not treat them with the same kindness he treated those of his own class?

 Darcy paced the length of his study, an empty brandy glass in his hand. How do my fellow landowners see me? Would they be likewise surprised to receive a note from me on the birth or marriage of one of their offspring? The answer came in an instant—they would not. Those common forms of politeness were de rigueur among the upper class.

 Am I then so caught up with social standing that I cannot offer simple congratulations to a family without it being a noteworthy event? Was Elizabeth right about me?

 Darcy had long acknowledged he had not the ease or openness of manner that many did, and of course he had pride in his family and his land, but he had never taken the time to consider how that was presented to others. In truth, he had never cared enough for the opinion of others to care what they thought of him, but now he wondered if it was more than how he appeared. Am I truly prideful?

 Over the next few weeks, he examined his interactions with all he met: staff, tenant, and landowner alike. What was his first response in all of these situations? Was it one of habitual pride? Did he consider himself so far above even his friends? Were Elizabeth's accusations true?

 Such self-examination is never a pleasant course of study, and therefore, Richard's return in late May was welcome for the diversion it offered. "Did you grow tired of your family so soon?" Darcy gibed when they were seated in the study.

 I had particular fun with the image of Darcy holding a squalling baby. Poor man... I do so love to torment him.

So class, what did we learn today?

1. Pay attention to your gut. I knew from the start that I needed more here, and I never did anything about it.
2. 2. Critique partners are worth their weight in gold.
3. Editing makes small children weep.

Until next time!

PS: Don't forget, my giveaway of The Annotated Pride and Prejudice is still running.

His Good Opinion can be purchased from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Smashwords, Amazon UK, Amazon DE, and Amazon FR. 

Introducing Shannon Winslow, Austenesque Author

Today I invited Shannon Winslow, author of The Darcys of Pemberley, to guest blog. (See my review on Indiejane.) Please also check out her blog and follow her on Twitter--she's a great asset to our Jane Austen community.

Thank you, Nancy, for inviting me to guest blog for your readers. I love making connections with other fans of Jane Austen, and talking about how I happened to write my first novel, The Darcys of Pemberley.

I was as surprised as anyone that I should turn out to be a novelist. You see, although I’d dabbled in other creative mediums (music, art), I’d never given any serious thought to writing. Besides, I had a practical career, a house and husband to look after, and two sons to raise. I barely had time to read a book, let alone write one.

Then about eight years ago, I discovered Pride and Prejudice and simply fell in love – with the beautiful story, with Darcy and Elizabeth, with the elegant period language, and with Jane’s witty writing style. I couldn’t get enough. It became my passion – or arguably, my obsession. Still, it might easily have amounted to no more than yearly rereads of the novel and countless watchings of the ’95 film adaptation.

Undertaking a huge creative project, like writing a first novel, requires a ton of inspiration (which I had, thanks to Jane Austen), but also a major dose of motivation. I found mine in an unexpected place: in the first Pride and Prejudice sequel I stumbled upon.

I’m fascinated with the “what ifs” of life. What if this had happened instead of that? What if I had turned right instead of left at the crossroads? These questions play a significant role in my second novel, and serve as the central theme for my third (both yet to be published). They also apply to my life, and to my writing career in particular.

What if I’d resisted the impulse to buy that movie at Costco years ago, the one with Colin Firth’s handsome face on the cover? Would I have ever discovered Pride and Prejudice? I don’t know. But I’m pretty sure that if I had loved that first sequel (a book praised by many other JA fans), if it had been everything I was personally looking for, I never would have written a sequel of my own.

I wrote The Darcys of Pemberley, first and foremost, to satisfy my own longing to continue the story the way I thought Jane Austen would have done herself, to spend more time with her characters and in their world. In the process, I discovered another passion – a passion for writing that has changed my life.

A Hot Man Is Hard... To Write

Earlier this summer, I decided I needed a hashtag for His Good Opinion. I wanted something short, and that summed up the book. My amazing beta reader (and Indiejane.org cohort) Jessica Melendez suggested #hotdarcy, and after several humorous tweets with suggestions for future books (#SexyFitzwilliam and #takeitoffWentworth, collectively known as #regencystriptease), #hotdarcy stuck.

To the confusion of some readers, this is not because there are hot, steamy love scenes in my book. Rather, the comment, "OMG hot!" is one of Jess' ways to let me know I've nailed Darcy's character. Let's face it--Darcy is hot.

Later, she read another story of mine from a different fandom and commented that I like to write from the male perspective, and it's true. The question that came in the following Twitter chat was this: "How do you, as a woman, write in a man's voice?"

The answer is deceptively easy, my friends. I don't think about writing in a man's voice; I think about writing in Darcy's voice. That's the same way I can write dialogue that sounds right for any character. After all, I've never been a nervous, easily agitated woman desperate to marry her daughters off, but some of my favorite lines are ones I've given Mrs. Bennet.

Voice is not about gender, profession, age, or nationality. Voice is about character. This of course is the difficult part. When you put a character together, you do need to know their gender, profession, age, and nationality, because those things are a part of who they are. However, you have to know this person, as an individual. It's that knowing, that intimacy, that creates dialogue that sounds genuine.

Of course, some gratuitous #hotdarcy action never hurt either.

Build Your Own Austenesque Novel: The Hard Part

Week 1: Set-up

Week 2: Conflict

Week 3: Character

Week 4: Change

So, we've all decided what kind of Austenesque novel would work for us. We've talked about the 3 Cs of plot: Conflict that forces your Character to Change. By now, you should have a basic story idea in mind.

What next?

If you're a plotter like me, you'll spend the next few weeks playing around the idea, figuring out exactly how your story will happen. You might check out books like Book in a Month, which help you flesh out your ideas. 

If you're a pantser like some other writers I know, you'll let the idea sit in the back of your mind, and somehow (in a method that is as mythical as magic to me), your plot will spring up from the ether. You might be helped by No Plot? No Problem! 

But even a fully developed outline isn't a book. Eventually, you have to sit down and write. That's where National Novel Writing Month comes in.

National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo.org,) is a crazy challenge to write a 50,000 word novel in 30 days. This will be my tenth year participating, and my fourth year leading my local region. As November approaches, I'll be blogging occasionally about NaNo and all the ways it can help a writer.

For you, the biggest help it offers is a deadline. You've got a story idea, now you have a time offered to write it. When the new season starts in October, I will post a thread for Austenesque authors, likely in the historical fiction forum. Be sure to check back here and on IndieJane.org, as I'll definitely be posting the link as soon as it's up.

Oh, and if you're wondering--yes, I will be writing my Col. Fitzwilliam story this year during NaNo. His Good Opinion was my 2008 NaNo novel, and I'll be publishing it this November. November and NaNo play a large part in my life as a writer.

Happy noveling, my Austenesque friends.

Build Your Own Austenesque Novel: Change

Week 1: The Set-up
Week 2: Conflict
Week 3: Character

Change is the essence of plot. Your characters go from point A to point B and are changed by the journey. Sometimes, even your setting is changed--Lord of the Rings is an example of a story where the entire world is changing.

In Jane Austen's world, nowhere is this concept of change more evident than in Darcy. His whole appeal really centers on his willingness to change, to become a man who knows how to please a woman.

Change is also the absolute hardest thing to write, in my opinion. Usually, when you start the story you know where your character will be at the beginning and the ending. The path of getting them there can be difficult to chart. For instance, I struggled with Darcy's post-Hunsford disposition. How long did he hang on to his resentment? When did he first begin to see things in a different light, and what sparked that change?

Change should be gradual and natural, something that flows out of your story. It is the effect of your plot, not the cause. Remember, plot = conflict that forces your character to change. Conflict is the cause, change is the effect.

In my Colonel Fitzwilliam novel, the Colonel starts out very sure of himself. However, much of his confidence in his ability to read people--very important in a career as a spy--disappears when he realizes he was betrayed. That is the first change. The second happens later, when the heroine confronts him over it. That sets up the secondary conflict surrounding the romance, which forces the third change and ends with the complete transformation of Fitzwilliam.

Do you know where you want to take your characters? Do you have an idea of the path they'll follow that will seem realistic to the readers? They don't have to be the same characters we know and love at the end of the book as they are at the beginning, but if you're going to change them, you need to show us every decision along the way that leads to their transformation.

Be the change... Um, perhaps that doesn't work so well for fiction. ;)

Build Your Own Austenesque Novel: Character

Week 1: The Set-up
Week 2: Conflict

Character development is at the heart of any novel, but it's crucial when you're writing fanfiction. Your readers are already intimately familiar with your characters. Does the way you portray them match up with the version they have in their heads?

First, a caveat. No two people will see a character in exactly the same light. Part of your job as a writer is to believe enough in your version of the character that the reader will accept it, even if it's not the way they saw them before. Your words must carry enough authority that they will lay aside their own thoughts and opinions long enough to enjoy your story. Perhaps in the process they might even change their minds.

That aside, there are certain things we know about Austen's characters. If you stray too far from accepted reality--say, if Mr. Darcy is suddenly acting more like Henry Crawford than himself--you will lose the reader.

His Good Opinion was enjoyable to write largely because I simply immersed myself in Darcy's character. A version of him took up residence in my head--I call him the Darcy in my Head. DIMH gave me flawless advice about what he would do next, and what he was actually thinking at various points in the story. Examining the slow process of his transformation into a man "capable of pleasing a woman worthy of being pleased" both exasperated and delighted me.

Colonel Fiztwilliam is very different from his cousin. In my story, he is the youngest of three siblings. The nagging of his older brother and sister and the constant fretting and worrying of his mother are part of what propelled him into military service. He is confident and sure of himself, and not unaware of the effect his uniform has on the female sex.

Which characters are you focusing on? Do you have a solid picture in your mind of who they are at the beginning of the novel?

Build Your Own Austenesque Novel: Conflict

Now that you've chosen the basic scenario for your novel, the next step is to determine the plot. At this point, it helps to remember the 3 Cs of plot: Plot = Conflict that forces your Character to Change.

Conflict is easier for some types of Austenesque novels than others--POV and AU novels should be able to simply tweak the conflict in Austen's original work, though you will of course see those events differently through the lens of your particular character or alternate universe. However, if you're writing a sequel or a variation, you will have to choose a conflict yourself.

A word to variation authors: Many fanfiction writers start writing from a desire to get their favorite characters past the roadblocks more quickly. For instance, you might wish Elizabeth never heard Darcy's initial insult or that Wentworth returned in 1810. However, Jane created those problems for one very good reason: without conflict, there is no plot. Conflict is what drives the story. If you eliminate one difficulty, you must create another.

Since His Good Opinion is told from Darcy's POV, the basic conflict in Pride and Prejudice is expressed differently. I increased the stakes by showing, in detail, how his impression of events is so far from how Elizabeth perceived them. For instance, at the Netherfield Ball when she can barely speak a civil word to him because of his behavior to Wickham, he thinks... well, here. I'll let you read it.

Darcy glanced at his watch one last time. Guests had begun arriving over half an hour ago, and he had purposely delayed his own entrance in order to avoid the Bennet family. For Mrs. Bennet surely saw to it they were among the first to arrive.

He walked through the open doors, and all his good intentions were lost. Elizabeth Bennet stood not ten feet away. Her back was to him, and though Darcy told himself to turn away, to pretend he had not seen her, he could not.

She took his breath away. The delicate fabric of her ball gown revealed more of the lithe lines of her figure than he had previously seen, and the candlelight caught and reflected off the jewels in her hair.

 Darcy approached her slowly, gauging his own reaction. Only when he was certain he could maintain his usual reserve did he speak. "Miss Elizabeth?"

She turned, and he wondered if perhaps he had overestimated his own control. Up close, he could see the smooth texture of her creamy skin, and he clenched a fist to keep himself from taking her hand to see if it felt as satiny as it looked.

"Yes, Mr. Darcy?"

He flushed at the question in her voice; how long had he stood without saying a word? "I trust the weather has not dampened your sprits this evening?"

He thought her smile was a little forced, but as he himself struggled to find enjoyment in balls, he did not wonder at it. "You will find, sir, that I rarely allow anything to interfere with my enjoyment."

He bowed and walked away to hide the emotions those words stirred in him. "You will find…" Could this possibly be a hint that she would welcome further attentions from me? Darcy had thought himself immune to her charms, inured against them by the knowledge of her family connections. However, the idea that she would encourage his suit enthralled him, and none of his previous arguments held any weight.

His belief of her affections grows during their stay in Kent, and by the time we get to his first proposal, you might actually feel sympathetic for him, despite the fact that he actually deserves most of Elizabeth's anger.

The conflict in my Colonel Fitzwilliam story revolves around his career as a spy. He's betrayed by someone he trusts, and the resulting disaster makes him unwilling to trust himself. The heroine has to get past his mountain of self-recriminations to prove he's worthy of her trust, and thus, her love.

What kind of monkey wrenches would you throw at our beloved Austen characters?

Build Your Own Austenesque Novel: The Set-Up

During the month of August, I'm running a series for Austenesque fans. We're going to build our own Austenesque novels, from the ground up. Each week, we'll discuss another story aspect until we have a complete toolkit for writing an Austenesque novel.

The Set-up

The first thing you have to decide when you sit down to write a piece of Jane Austen fiction is what do you want your story to be? What novel do you want to focus on? Do you want to write a sequel, a variation, a POV story, or an alternate universe?

If you came over today from Meredith's Austenesque Extravaganza, you might be familiar with those terms. I'll define them very quickly for those who aren't.

• Sequel: The most obvious, this type of novel starts where one of Jane's leaves off. It might follow the primary couple (for instance, Darcy and Elizabeth), or it might follow a secondary character, like Charlotte Collins.
• Variation: This novel takes the original Austen story and deviates from it at some point. Maybe Elizabeth never heard Darcy's first insult, or maybe Captain Wentworth did come back to court Anne in 1810. It branches off from that point of departure to create its own story.
• POV story: These tell the same story as Jane, but from the POV of a different character. My current novel, His Good Opinion, is a POV story.
• Alternate Universe: AU stories take the characters and situations from the original novel and places it in a completely foreign setting. This might be a modernization, or Jane Austen Does Outer Space. The sky is truly the limit with AU stories.

So, what kind of Austenesque novel do you want to write? My next novel is a sequel, based on Pride and Prejudice once again. This time, I'm telling Colonel Fitzwilliam's story. Some interesting bits of back story surfaced while I wrote His Good Opinion, and I'm eager to explore his adventures.

Week 2: Conflict.
Week 3: Character

REMEMBER!

Commenting on this post will enter you in the Amazing Austenesque Giveaway. Make sure you've filled out the form on Meredith's blog, and then any post you make on her blog or on the posts she links to throughout the month will count as another entry in the giveaway. Thank you, and good luck!

Graphic designed by Drew Parsons

Austenesque Extravaganza

Reminder: You can still enter to win a Kindle at Indie Jane. The giveaway is open until August 11.

This August, Meredith of Austenesque Reviews is hosting a month-long celebration of Austenesque novels and the authors who write them. Each day of the week has a theme: Sociable Sundays, My Recommendation Mondays, Traveling Tuesdays, etc. The themes are a balance between new content from Meredith and some fun and games for her readers.

Tuesday and Thursdays she's linking to posts on other blogs--including Austen Aspirations! Tuesday, August 2 is my official Traveling Tuesday shout-out, but I decided to go a bit beyond the call of duty and do a series of five posts, one for each consecutive Tuesday in August.

I'll be blogging on the building of an Austenesque sequel, starting with choosing a scenario, then the hero etc. This is an audience participation series, so come prepared to get involved.

I hope you'll check out the Austenesque Extravaganza, and come back here on August 2 for my first post on the Austenesque novel.

The Devil is in the Details

The trickiest part about HIS GOOD OPINION is getting all the details right. I'm not concerned about the major plot arc--I've read Pride and Prejudice enough times to be comfortable with the story line. It's the little niggling things, like... Was Darcy in the room when that happened, or had he already retired for the night? Could he have seen the expression on her face, or was he looking away?

And, did the Netherfield Ball take place on Tuesday or Thursday?

The answer to that question, dear readers, is Tuesday. However, thanks to the comment in Pride and Prejudice that nothing but a ball on Tuesday could have made the days from Thursday tolerable, I got the days switched around in my head.

Is this a big deal? Not really. It did mean going in and changing all the references to days that followed, and there happened to be a lot of them in that chapter. However, my mistake didn't dramatically affect plot or character--this time.

You may roll your eyes and chuckle about my obsession with details but what if it had been important? What if I'd put Mr. Darcy in the wrong place at the wrong time, or what if I'd forgotten who was in the room or who said what? One small error can snowball into something that takes ages to work out, or even worse, into a huge pile of inaccuracies that never get caught.

I have read fanfiction (published and online) that makes that kind of error, and it loses all credibility when I catch it. I'm determined not to be one of those authors, so I'm obsessing over little things like days of the week. It makes me a little crazy, but at least readers will be able to trust my story.

Austenesque Lesson: The Sequel

Austenesque novels typically fall into one of three categories: variations, alternate universe, or sequels. All three have their own set of pit-falls the author must avoid for the story to be worth reading.

In my mind, the sequel is the easiest to sell to the reader, but the hardest to write. Readers want more of their favorite characters; that's why this genre exists in the first place. However, Jane did a wonderful job tying up loose ends, so it's hard to find an actual plot to work with. After all, plot requires conflict, and the pictures of perfect domestic felicity we find at the end of her novels might seem, at first look, to negate the possibility of the lovers ever suffering discord.

To get past that, the sequel author needs to remember that Jane Austen painted a realistic picture of people and life. People are not perfect, even when their love story has the perfect ending. For instance, I imagine that Emma continued to meddle and Knightley did not stop chastising her for it. Both were improved by the events of the book, but neither were perfected. It is the task of the Austenesque author to find which foibles of personality would carry on into marriage, and how that might affect the couple's future happiness.

In Mr. Darcy's Secret, Jane Odiwe excels at this. Her Darcy and Elizabeth are every bit as much in love with each other as we imagine them to be from Pride and Prejudice's conclusion. However, like all newlyweds, there are things they don't know about each other. Elizabeth in particular is troubled by letters she's found that indicate Darcy might once have loved another lady.

At the same time, his decision that Georgiana must make a good match disturbs Elizabeth. She knows her sister-in-law has formed a tendre for a landscape artist, and the marriage Darcy has in mind for her will not make her happy. Darcy's insistence on an alliance of equal fortune and importance seems hypocritical to her, given that he gave up both to marry her.

Both of these plots are very true to the characters. The story progresses in a manner that allows us to learn more of all our favorite characters from Pride and Prejudice, as well as getting to know Georgiana better yet. By the end, of course, all the misunderstandings are resolved. Life at Pemberley is happy once more.

And that is the true art of an Austen sequel: It takes our characters from the happily ever after we see at the end of the book, through another conflict, and brings them back to a happiness made more complete by a greater understanding of one another. If you wish to see this in practice, I highly recommend Mr. Darcy's Secret by Jane Odiwe.

Jane Austen Was Here

To a certain extent, all authors work in the shadow of the literary greats. How will our books compare when stacked up against classics like Les Misérables, Don Quixote, or Wuthering Heights? For the Austen sequel writer, the pressure is infinitely greater. We are not just working in the same profession as those masters; we are actually taking the characters and settings of Jane Austen's stories and adding to them in some way.

Three weeks ago, I stepped directly into Austen's shadow when I visited Chawton. This house, now home to the Jane Austen's House Museum, is where she lived when she wrote and edited the majority of her novels. If you remember, I planned to spend some time writing on the grounds, and there was some debate over how intimidating that might be.

Honestly, I didn't think it would intimidate me--until I saw her writing desk. This is actually the little table she sat and wrote at. I imagined I could hear the squeak in the door which warned her when people approached. Then I was intimidated!

Look at that chair, at the angle of the chair to the table. This was not an ergonomic work station, friends. Granted, the chair is low enough and the table high enough that she wouldn't have to hunch over her paper, but beyond that... Can you imagine the dedication that would drive you to spend hours a day, cramped into one position, writing away?

Yes, I thought, I can imagine it. While my situation at home is far more comfortable, I still have a chiropractor and massage therapist constantly telling me I should take better care of myself. I ignore them, because sitting for hours a day is the only way to get the book done, and the book demands to be finished.

After touring the museum, I walked a ways up the road to the main house--Chawton Great House. This is a fine Elizabethan manor and I learned quite a bit about the Austen connection to the Knight family. Among the group, there was that electric realization that Jane Austen actually visited this house--ate in this dining room--walked on these stairs.

So did I do any writing? Yes, I did. Intimidated or not, I could not let this opportunity pass me by. Jane Austen was here, and now, so was I.

Austenesque Lesson: Alternate Universe

In fanfiction, "alternate universe" refers to a story that takes the recognizable characters from the fandom and puts them into a completely different setting. Austenesque authors lean heavily toward sequels and variations, but there are a few alternate universe stories out there.

In Pemberley Ranch by Jack Caldwell, Jane Austen goes to post-Civil War Texas. Beth Bennet is a Yankee with a passionate hatred toward former Confederate soldiers and slave owners. Rancher Will Darcy is both--or so she assumes. Meanwhile, Will is too proud to reveal the parts of his past that might make him more appealing to the young lady.

Obviously, when you take a Regency story and move it across the Atlantic 60 years later, there are going to be some changes, and some things won't necessary translate well. The key to an alternate universe is digging deep to find out who your characters actually are, and then deciding how to portray that in your new setting.

Confused? I'll give an example. In Pride and Prejudice, Darcy and Fitzwilliam are cousins, almost as close as brothers. They share the task of caring for Georgiana and it doesn't take much reading between the lines to say they trust each other implicitly. In Pemberley Ranch, Fitzwilliam is Darcy's foreman. The same level of trust exists between the two men, and thus Fitzwilliam plays much the same role as he does in Pride and Prejudice--he's just wearing a different hat.

That kind of finessing takes work. You can't just throw all the characters up in the air and hope they fall into place; you really have to think about who they are and how they relate to each other. That level of dedication is what makes a good alternate universe stand out from the crowd.

Chawton: A Janeite's Mecca

When I plan a vacation, I separate sites into three categories: If I Have Time, Quite Interested, and Do Not Miss. As a Janeite and author of Austenesque novels, Chawton Cottage definitely falls into the third category.

This house is where Jane spent the last eight years of her life. It was here that she edited and/or wrote most of the six major novels. I hunted around the internet for a picture, and found this on thefemalerambler's Flickr feed:

(I'll have plenty of my own to share when I get back, don't worry!)

Now, while I'm at Chawton I plan to do a little writing of my own. It's supposed to be sunny, so I thought I'd sit outside somewhere with a notebook and engage in some method writing. Where better to get into Jane's mind than at her home?

I mentioned this on Twitter, and one person mentioned she'd be too intimidated to write there. So I'm asking you, friends: If you could visit someplace like Chawton, would you be inspired or intimidated?

Style and the Austenesque Novel--Take 2

In one of my first posts, I asked how closely an Austenesque author should follow Jane Austen's style. The general consensus was that it's better not to try, and I agree with that. Not only would it be extremely difficult to manage, copying someone else's writing style doesn't allow our unique voice to come through.

That being said, I've discovered one place where it's crucial to sound as much like Jane as possible. The nature of HIS GOOD OPINION means I've brought over quite a bit of dialogue from Pride and Prejudice. These have been the hardest scenes to write. Seeing my unpolished rough draft next to her delightful prose is... frustrating, to say the least.

But there's hope! Twice in my revisions, I've stopped over a bit of dialogue and asked myself, "Is that mine or Jane's?" Both times it was something I wrote, and I danced a dance of writerly joy.

While I believe myself to be a good writer, I make no claim to being Jane Austen. That being the case, how did I manage this, not once but twice? Hearkening back to another post, it was all about the character development. Both of those lines fit into the story not because they sounded like Jane Austen, but because they sounded like her characters.

This then is the key to writing the Austenesque novel. Study her characters. Learn to speak like them, and you in turn will sound like Jane.

Austenesque Lesson: Character Development

Characterization is a classic fanfiction pitfall, and Austen sequel readers are especially picky about this. They know these characters inside and out, and they want to recognize their favorites in our stories. To avoid their ire, we work hard to present the characters exactly as Austen left them.

However, that's not true to life and it's not good writing. People grow and change; I will not be the same person at the end of this year as I was at the beginning. That change is even more vital in fiction. If we are to believe the crisis that drives your plot matters, your character must be changed by the events.

In Charlotte Collins, Jennifer Becton strikes the middle ground. Becton begins her story with the Charlotte we all know, the lady who believed that "happiness in marriage is entirely a matter of chance." If anything, after seven years of marriage to Mr. Collins she is even more pragmatic than before.

After her husband's death, she is assiduously courted by two men; one a gentleman, the other a rake. When the rake ruins her reputation by spreading a scandalous falsehood about her, she is faced with a decision. Will she remain the same Charlotte who chose security over all other concerns, or will she risk everything for one chance at happiness?

Our last picture of Charlotte is of a woman who has finally found true love. Her life is no longer ruled by propriety or a striving for security. Her life is exactly the opposite of where Jane Austen left her, but those same purists we fear have done nothing but praise this book.

There are three keys to Becton's success. I already touched on the first--Charlotte starts out as the recognizable Austen character. The second is an inciting incident that is both believable and big enough to cause the ripple effect you're looking for. Mr. Collins' death certainly qualifies on both counts.

The third is where the magic is. Charlotte doesn't transform overnight. This is where that little thing called plot comes into play. Each decision Charlotte makes drives her to the next change, which leads to the next decision. When we finally reach the climax of the story, she is sufficiently changed that we can almost guess what she will do.

Character development is a difficult balancing act when writing a Jane Austen sequel, but if we pull it off, the result is a book that will satisfy both the purist and someone only looking for a good story.

Style and the Austenesque novel

Writing a novel in another author's world, using her characters, presents a special set of difficulties. As I read through His Good Opinion, one comes up more than others: How important is it that I emulate Austen's writing style?

Jane favored indirect dialogue. She did it in such a way that you might not even realize it; did you know Mr. Darcy's proposal contains only four sentences of real dialogue? We are then told what he said regarding her family and her background, but not given the words he actually used. In contrast, I love dialogue. My rough drafts are often little more than conversations strung together with a few actions. Description follows in later revisions.

However, I faltered when it came to the internal monologue. Here again Jane used a deft hand to indirectly tell us what the character was thinking. My usual technique is to italicize the private thoughts of the character, but for some reason, I tried to follow her pattern here. Instead of sounding clever, my observations were little more than thinly disguised exposition. I see some serious rewriting in these areas.

The other stylistic question is trickier. How much of the older spelling should I use? Whenever I pulled over dialogue from Pride and Prejudice, I kept the original spelling. However, when I use the same word later, will the modern spelling jar the readers? It seems inconsistent to me, and yet I do not wish to change the spelling in the quote. "Chuses" was the word that caught my eye this afternoon, and it is certainly a common enough word to warrant consideration.

So what say you, readers? Do I follow Jane's patterns, or forge my own road? Should I do as I... chuse?