Attempting Jane Austen

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I have been trying to write a story much in the way of Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility, as it is one of my favorite stories, but I have taken some creative liberality with the story. I do hope that my readers will be okay with that. I want to stick with the basic idea but in order to stay true to my voice have decided to change some of the plot points.

This scene is one of my creative liberalities... Laurel, the eldest gets sick, this is to motivate Emmy growing up a bit. In this scene Emmy has gone back home to fetch mother with Ethan Foster's help.

I love the picture below (even though it is the wrong era for my story) it reminds me of Emmy sneaking off into her woods.

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Emmy could not recount all the word she said to her mother she just remembered falling into her mother's arms weeping. They had arrived after dinner so it was too late to start back to Boston but Mrs. Pembers had the cook make them a light meal but Emmy ate only two bites before she felt sick to her stomach. The next day Fiona spent the day making arrangements for Gloria to stay at a friend's house and she made sure a nurse and doctor were on call in case anything happened to Grandma Danford. Mrs. Pembers said she could handle everything but Fiona felt better knowing the house was well maintained. Emmy still didn't eat much of any meals and went to bed right after dinner exhausted from not being able to sleep the last couple of nights. She still could sleep though and until the sun rose. She just paced the floor. Once the sun was up she got dressed, did her hair and snuck outdoors to her woods, the only place she felt she could get peace.

            "Ah Miss Emmy there you are," Mr. Foster said finding her in the woods.

            "What are you doing here?"

            "Your mother sent me looking for you. She said you would be here?"

            "Is everything all right?"

            "Oh yes. She wanted you to know she would be ready in the hour and then after lunch we should take off."

            "Who can think of food at a time like this?"

            "You must stay healthy Miss Emmy, you will be no good to your sister if you too are ill."

            "I am no good here."

            "Yes you are, you are bringing her mother to her."

            "Yes I am a good messenger."

            "Miss Emmy you are much more than a messenger."

            "Not much more."

            "What would your sister say if she heard you talking like this?"

            "First she would be upset I was walking in the woods and getting my dress dirty. She hated these woods."

            "Really? When I was here last she seemed rather fond of them."

            Emmy remembered that conversation from what she overheard, Laurel had spoken more to Ethan than she had to her own sister about her desires. Then she remembered what Laurel had said about her being so naïve. Emmy couldn't help but giggled when she thought about she had acted.

            "What are you giggling at?" Mr. Foster asked.

            "I overheard one of your talks, when you and Laurel walking out here once, she called me naïve and how I had my head in the clouds most of the time. I guess I was, I guess I am naïve and a silly dreamer. You see, I never had to grow up Laurel was always grown up for the both of us."

            "I think you are pretty grown up."

            "Only because I have to be, if Laurel was healthy and strong , I would still be in my ignorant ways, but circumstances have charged and the world feels so different now."

           

            "But still you find comfort in these woods? Miss James, I mean Mrs. Danford can dress you up in fancy clothes and teach you how to do your hair and your sister's sickness might have forced you to grow up but don't ever lose what makes you, you. These woods, your stories and your heart for adventure that is truly who you are and all the rest is just additional."

            "You were not here for Miss James' trip, who told you that?"

            "She did, she boasted about how she had dolled you up but I rather prefer you with your hair down and rather unruly then a doll who looks too perfect to touch."

           

            Emmy turned around feeling a flush upon her cheek. "You shouldn't talk that way."

            "In what way?"

            "It is almost flirtatious and anyone who didn't know you were in love with Laurel would question your loyalty." She had said it faster than she could think and now that it was there she couldn't take it back.

            "What?"

            She turned back around to face him. "I am sorry Mr. Foster, I should not have accused you of flirting you are only too kind. Please don't tell my sister about any of this."

            "I won't."

            "Especially not about-"

            He cut her off "Don't worry Miss Emmy, I will not say a word, discretion is my greatest flaw. But I am surprised for a girl who lives in the clouds how well you notice things here on earth."

            "I do not mean too."

            "It was all right, " he turned around and walked away leaving her in the woods by herself.

A naive writer's advice

I am not a published author, so you can take my advice with a grain of salt and I won't be offended. But in my years of writing I have discovered a few things.

1. Writing is a lonely job. So I say find a group of writers to hang out with, not just bloggers but people in real life. A few weeks ago a woman from my church started a Facebook page for people who go to my church who want to be writers. While yes it is a Facebook page, I see these people at least on Sundays so it is great to have them in real life and virtually give me advice and support. I think for our sanity writer's need support, while friends are great, a little group of other writers is great. So if you are a writer- find other writers, take up seats at a coffee shop and just be there for others. 

2. Be okay with crossed out pages. I don't know how people write by looking at a computer screen. I can only be inspired when I am hand writing stories... I know it takes me a long time to write because of this but I love to write in journals. For a long time I hated when I written something then crossed it out, I am slightly a perfectionist and I didn't like the way it looked to have it crossed out, but now I have embraced it. I would rather cross things out and make them better than be stuck with something I don't like. 

A page from my story notebook

3. Just write. Sometimes easier said then done. Lately I have really been pushing myself to write and finish my story but sometimes my brain is stuck so I give myself time to go for a walk, read a book or just watch TV but at the hours I know I think best creatively I "force" myself to write. Find the hours you think more creatively, find a spot you like to sit and write. For me it is 10PM to 1AM (I don't know why is late) and the corner of my bed. I have a day bed and I find the top corner of my bed the best place to write. Also make sure to give yourself time to not write, if needed.

4. Embrace your voice. In school teachers always said that they can know when you plagiarize because it doesn't sound like you. I think this is very true in all writing. We are each given our own thoughts, our tone and our own writing style. As much as I would love to write like Jane Austen, where paragraphs could last for pages, I am not Jane Austen and that is not how I write. So instead of pushing myself to write long paragraphs I have to write my own way. Also embracing your voice is writing what you are passionate about even if you think you are the only person who will like it.

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Free write Friday

This week's feature is from a while back but I thought it was interesting plus it has a major tie into one of my new obsessions.... can you guess.... The Hunger Games.

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(Don't worry I won't give away any spoilers)

I follow this blog called Creative Writing Prompts and on April 20th it had one that used the theme of the Hunger Games... no there weren't any kids fighting to the death. I was a really interesting prompt so I thought I would do it. 

“As long as you can find yourself, you’ll never starve.” - Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games

Poetry and Essay prompt: Think about things that fill your emotional hunger. What, besides food, keeps you alive? Free-write a list for one minute. After a minute is up, pick one thing from your list and start an essay or a poem.

To read more click here

I didn't need to think of list I knew what it was that kept me alive, it is writing. I know I should say my friends and my family. That is a much better answer but it is not what came to my mind first. My writing came to my mind first. When ever I need to escape into a world that is all mine, that no one can touch, screw up or destroy I have my writing. I have my own little world and that is where I can go and no one can hurt it. Maybe it is not my writing that keeps me alive maybe it is my imagination, it has been with me before I sat down and wrote a story. It was there with me through all my years of playing dress up and playing barbie. Most girls just dressed up their barbies but I acted out stories with my barbies long before I put pen to paper. I know some people as they get older they seem to lose that world of play and make believe. They slip on their grown up clothes and have more practical aspirations but I still get to lay in fields with daisies and dandelions that dance around me. I still get to wear fine ball gowns and fall in love with a prince. I could go to the moon and back if I so wanted to. I need only pull out a pen and paper and there I will be in my own little world, tucked away from it all. I guess I couldn't live with out my imagination and my writing gets me there.

"It would all end well"

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This is not the end of my story but at the end of this part Aunt Iris believes this  will all end well and I thought that it would be a could title for this section of the story. I have found this quote on Pinterest and right now things are not okay in the story so it is not the end. But as I think about the end of my story I do wonder how everything will be okay. Life doesn't always have ends so as a writer I have always been stuck with thinking how ends are going to happen in stories.

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The next day Emmy felt better until she remembered what happened and where she was. She was Aunt and Uncle's house knowing that her cousin Julia was probably just waiting for her to come just waiting for her to come out of her room so she could rub it in Emmy's nose. Emmy flashed back to that first party she had seen Julia at when she looked as if she was tenderly guarding a secret. At that time Emmy almost believed her to be sweet but now it all made sense Julia was guarding her secret about their engagement. Then at the rehearsal dinner how quick she was to tease Emmy for the way Caleb acted, it was all a fun joke to Julia. Her head now pounded and requested her breakfast in her room.

            "How long is going to stay," Julia moaned at breakfast.

            "She just fainted just last night darling," Victoria said.

            "I know but with the announcement last night I really thought we could start planning the wedding."

            "If we start today or tomorrow it will not make that big of difference. You have plenty of time till June."

            "June?" Julia moaned again "I want to be married as quickly as possible, I do not want to wait till June."

           

            "Yes June, Nicholas and Kathryn will not be back from Italy till at least March and March is far too cold. Besides how would it look if we took the attention from Kathryn, she deserves some time to be the bride of this family. I had to wait eight-teen months before my mother and father even announced my engagement after my sister was married. We announced your engagement barely a week after Nicholas and Kathryn's wedding because you moaned and begged so much but you will not beg your way into getting us to push up the wedding."

            "Then what if Caleb and I eloped?"

            "Then your father will cut you off without a dime and I hardly expect Mr. James can afford to risk it."

            Julia threw herself on the chair she felt she could hardly risk having Emmy and Caleb in the same city for one more day. While he acted coldly to her outwardly Julia felt from the way he talked about when they were alone that he could possible still have feeling for her and Julia would not risk him falling for her again as he did in Pine Haven. By then Julia knew a bit of the true story of Caleb's financial situation, only Mr. Danford made sure to know the whole truth before anything was settled, but Julia loved him with all her heart and did not care how little he brought to the table so Mr. Danford agreed as long as the money remained in Julia's possession and Caleb followed strict guidelines would they consent. Mr. Danford required that his future son-in-law start his new business and head quarter it in Boston so Mr. Danford and Mr. Danford's investors could watch it closely. Also if in three years the business had not done well Caleb would work for Mr. Danford in order to make sure his daughter was well provided for. Julia did not know of this arrangement for all she talked about was how wonderful life would be like in New York. Until June, Caleb would live in New York closing up his New York office and settling up his accounts. Caleb owed some money around town and there Mr. Danford helped him too. For all this Mr. Danford thought Julia's wedding cost him more than he would think but Caleb was always a smooth talker and had been able to convince Mr. Danford it would be worth his investment. Mr. Danford was quick to protect all his investments stating that if anything unsettling happened before the wedding then both Julia and Caleb would be left without a dime, making elopement impossible for the couple. Also if Caleb ill treated Julia in any way during their marriage Mr. Danford had every right to take his money away from Caleb. Julia told her parents that this was true love and she thought her parent were going to extreme measures. Still Mr. and Mrs. Danford would not acknowledge the engagement until after Caleb signed off on all of this, which he had done the night of the dinner party. And Julia had to follow her parents orders so the wedding date was set for June twelfth.

            Since Emmy had not been able to come down for breakfast Aunt Victoria thought it was best to keep Emmy at their home for the day giving her rest. Emmy felt as if Aunt Victoria was doing this completely out of family obligation, it would never look right for a family member to cast out their relative while they were ill. It wasn't that Emmy was ill she couldn't face her cousin and the gloating that would come if she saw her cousin. However she could not stay in this house another day so the next day she got up her strength came down to breakfast, acted pleasantly enough whenever anyone brought up Caleb's name which Julia did a lot she tried to change topics. After breakfast she asked Aunt Victoria if she could return to Mrs. Dumont's home. Aunt Victoria worried a bit that Emmy was not quite ready. Emmy assured her she was plenty healthy to satisfy Aunt Victoria to invite Mrs. Dumont to tea and then Mrs. Dumont could see Emmy safely home. Aunt Victoria consented to this arrangement and wrote Mrs. Dumont quickly about it. Emmy could see that Julia was cheerfully smiling. Emmy thought that it was because she wanted to gloat but Julia wanted her to leave so her mother and her could start planning her and Caleb's official engagement party.

            There is little conversation to record from that day Emmy tried to stay far away from her cousin as possible. She wished she was back in Pine Haven at least there if she wanted to away she could hide in her woods and none really came looking for her. Here in Boston the houses were smaller with maids running around everywhere and at every hour. She could not even escape outside for people crowded the sidewalks, carriages and motor coaches filled the streets, there seemed to be no place of absolute solitude and right now that is what Emmy needed. She need to get away and try to process it all that had happened in the last forty-eight hours for none of it made sense. Though Caleb never had said it he certainly acted as if he loved her, he had hinted at them running away together. surely that must of meant something. Then she came here to see him  so cold and distant did not make sense and now to learn he is engaged to her cousin it was all mind boggling. Uncle Charles had said they didn't want to announce their engagement till after Nicholas was married, could they could have been engaged that when time in Pine Haven? Was his flirtation to her been all a joke between Julia and Caleb? None of it made sense and in her time of needing her woods she was far away from all she knew. Her only comfort in that day was seeing Aunt Iris who promptly took her back home after tea.

            "Aunt Iris, I am so happy to be back, that house was torturous for me I do not know if could survive much longer. It tool all the strength I had to act normal so Aunt Victoria would allow me to come back."

            "Yes I am sure the news of your cousin's engagement would be quite unsettling."

            "It was and how I longed for my woods to escape into."

            "I would then encourage you to go back to Pine Haven but I feel luck has changed for Laurel. Mr. Foster came by today and stayed almost an hour and half."

            "Really?"

            "Yes he came under the pretenses of seeing you but he did not seem to hesitate staying when he learned you were still at the Danfords."

            "Did he say anything else about the party?"

            "Very little, just that before the announcement you were the talk of the party."

            "Anything else?"

            "No he just made sure to tell us that he made sure you had a wonderful evening." Emmy gave a sigh of relief. "Though Alfred did tell me about the gossip of you and Mr. Foster being a couple. Do not worry I did not tell Laurel, who would believe it anyway Mr. Foster so clearly has eyes for Laurel."

            "Thank you Aunt Iris, I was so humiliated when I thought people thought that about Mr. Foster and I. I could not bore to think what Laurel would do if she knew the gossip. I did not even know Mr. Dumont had heard the rumors he seemed so immune to it that night."

            "Alfred always knew everything, just certain things he cares not to talk about and to him had no validity so he cared not to pass it on."

            "I am very thankful to Mr. Dumont's modesty."

            Laurel and Emmy were happy to see each other again. Laurel was sorry she could not be there to pick up her sister, Aunt Iris was still concerned over Laurel's health and could not take any risk. Emmy understood perfectly, she told Laurel how awful it was to be in that house and how she kept replaying the announcement over and over again. Emmy wished she had never gone to that party, how she had longed to see Caleb James, and now every memory of him hurt. The only good news was that he returned to New York on the first train yesterday so she would not have to see his face. Laurel stroked Emmy's hair much in the same way mother had always done. Laurel knew mother would know the perfect thing to say and all Laurel could think to say was how everything would be all right. That wasn't true, she knew and Laurel doubted rather her sister believed her. You could never tell a crying girl that it would be all right because at that moment it felt as if the world would cave in. Laurel knew all this but still was all she say.

To read more of "It would all end well" click here