I wish I could say I’ve completed a first draft of my next book, but the truth is I’m far from that point. Every night before I fall asleep, I listen for my characters to speak. Every day I continue reading and waiting to get back to work. Ah well, one day soon …
This past week, I took a workshop from the Women’s Fiction Writers Association on writing middles, and I hope to get a spot in the upcoming workshop on writing beginnings and endings. That should cover a brush-up on structure, right?
Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice was the book used as an example in the first workshop. I can’t recall reading any of Austen’s works and don’t own any, so I downloaded a digital copy of the book, but I didn’t have time to read it before the class started. Instead, I watched the 2005 movie version. I loved the movie. (And yes, I know it wasn’t completely faithful to the book.)
Apparently, most Austen fans prefer the earlier BBC mini-series version with Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy. I watched clips of that one, and though I’m sure it was a top-notch production and Firth acted splendidly, I prefer the more recent version with Matthew MacFadyen, maybe because he reminded me of John Cusack. And Keira Knightley, who played Lizzie, reminded me so much of my oldest granddaughter that watching the movie was a delight.
So anyway, I got introduced to Jane Austen fifty years later than most readers do. I confess reading the text was a bit daunting. Maybe my inner ear isn’t tuned to Regency. I had no trouble with the dialogue in the movie, but I’ve since learned it was slightly modernized because the director theorized people didn’t actually speak the way Austen wrote.
Wishing is where I started this and that’s where I’ll end. I wish my Nicole would speak to me with her beautiful words. I wish my Jesse would speak to me in his soft, molasses drawl. I wish the words would flow and carry me swiftly down the river to the The End.
I wish …
Linda Cassidy Lewis 
Keep listening! Whispers can roar if we’re quiet. I know what you’re feeling, and we’ll both find our way.
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Thanks, Jill. I know you’re right. 🙂
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When the time is right, the words will come.
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That’s true, Anonymous. I’m likely blocking them with my impatience. 😦
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I have been reading Jane Austen since middle school and I also prefer to watch the version with Colin Firth because Keira Knightly makes me mad. It is not because her version was less faithful to the book, it’s just that she has this habit of not annunciating and talking though her teeth. Bad diction is a major pet peeve of mine. I used to have huge speech problems so I had years of speech therapy and because of that I notice peoples’ pronunciation habits.
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I understand your pet peeve, writerscafe, as my youngest son was a mumbler. But Knightley’s mouth is one of the things most like my granddaughter’s, so that didn’t bother me at all.
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I love anything Jane Austen and have watched all the movies. It doesn’t seem to matter who plays the parts, it is the story I love. It would be fun to take a course with P&P as the example. Sounds like you are working hard on finding ideas for your story. It will all come together as it did for Jane Austen. She took forever to complete a novel and now we are still reading and dramatizing them 200 years later! (Your granddaughter must be very lovely if she looks like Keira Knightley)
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I read a great post on Writer Unboxed yesterday, Darlene, that made me realize I’d fallen out of love with my WIP. So that’s my next goal, to reacquaint myself with my characters and story because when I feel that love again I’ll be able to write.
And yes, our Kaitlyn is lovely. 🙂
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I hope they speak to you soon, Linda! I’m attuned to Regency, and do prefer the BBC version. I quite disliked the Kiera Knightly version, but that’s probably because I can’t stand Kiera Knightly, hah. I loved the costumes, and I thought the cinematography was excellent. 🙂
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I’m sure when I get the time to be quiet with them, they’ll speak, Michelle.
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