Popular Highlights: Romance

Posted on May 27, 2014 by Shannon Winslow

20140525_213841Kindle has this wonderful, but slightly scary, feature called “popular highlights.” As you’re reading your book, you have the opportunity to add virtual bookmarks or notes and to highlight passages you especially like – things you may want to come back to for another read. Convenient, right? Right.

The slightly scary part? The folks at Kindle somehow know (because of the wireless connection, I’m sure) what you’ve highlighted in your books. Well, maybe not you specifically, but you collectively, the reading public. They keep track of which lines are highlighted and how many times. Anyone can see these “popular highlights” by selecting that item from the menu.

This feature is also pretty wonderful for me, though. It’s very cool, as an author, to be able to see which thoughts from my books stand out to those reading them, which lines were “profound” enough to be worth remembering. Not many people bother to highlight, so I can’t help but feel a little thrill discovering that something I’ve written was exceptional enough to warrant that bit of extra effort!

Most of the highlighted passages in my books seem to fall into one of two categories: love or wisdom. I thought I’d share the top romantic passages with you this time and save the “sage advice” for next time. So here goes. The first example is from For Myself Alone. The other three are from The Darcys of Pemberley.

 There is an intenseness of feeling in our embrace that is new to me – a unity of spirit, and a powerful longing for a deeper oneness in every other sense.

As their eyes met, a familiar, knowing look passed between them, causing her to take a sharp breath and feel a quickening of her heart. With private delight, she noted that nearly a year of marriage had, if anything, increased rather than diminished his power to affect her in this way. Elizabeth had no means of perceiving it, but at that moment Mr. Darcy entertained similarly pleasant thoughts about her.

“Here, with you, I shall always be, so far as it is withing my control. We must trust to God for the rest.”

Yet his conscience would not allow him to rest without giving his wife some token of his steadfast affection. Before extinguishing the candle, he turned to her and softly kissed the back of her head, lingering long enough to take in the sweet scent of her hair and whisper the words “I love you” as a blessing over her. A tear ran down Elizabeth’s cheek and soaked into her pillow.

What do you think? Do you have a favorite – one of these or an alternative? For some reason, readers of Return to Longbourn have been remarkably stingy with their highlighters. I know I wrote some romantic Wentworth's letter_Sodabuglines in that book too. Didn’t I? Somebody find and mark them, please! As for a favorite romantic line from Jane Austen, there are many to choose from. Hard to beat Captain Wentworth’s letter from Persuasion, however, which I enjoyed adapting for my upcoming release: The Persuasion of Miss Jane Austen.

“You pierce my soul. I am half agony, half hope. Tell me not that I am too late, that such precious feelings are gone for ever. I offer myself to you again with a heart even more your own than when you almost broke it, eight years and a half ago. Dare not say that man forgets sooner than woman, that his love has an earlier death. I have loved none but you. Unjust I may have been, weak and resentful I have been but never inconstant.”

What’s your favorite romantic Jane Austen quote? Do you ever highlight in your Kindle? Why or why not?

Posted in Jane Austen, Jane Austen Quotes, my books, Shannon Winslow, Uncategorized, writing | Tagged , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Is it Spelled or Spelt?

Posted on May 6, 2014 by Shannon Winslow

readersWhile my upcoming novel (The Persuasion of Miss Jane Austen) is out to a few trusted beta readers for some feedback, and my graphic designer is working on the cover, I’ve assigned myself a project or two toward readying the book for publication. Probably the most daunting of these is the task of trying to discover all the words where my American spellings differ from the British English spellings, and converting them. I’ve never worried about this before. I’m American and a majority of my readers are American too. It would seem unnecessary, even false, to pretend otherwise, I reasoned.

This book is different, however. What is written in it represents Jane Austen’s own thoughts, expressed in her own words. So in this case, it seems just as anachronistic to have her using American spellings as it would be to have her making a telephone call or driving a car.

I knew, of course, that differences existed -colour/color, behaviour/behavior, theatre/theater, cosy/cozy, learnt/learned, for a few common examples – but little did I know HOW MANY! This “comprehensive” list, which I discovered today, states there are around 1800 roots and derivatives that vary from one dialect to the other. I was floored. How did this happen? Don’t we all speak the same language? Apparently not.

dictionary pageIt seems that in the 18th century, before “the colonies” parted ways with Mother England, spellings had not been standardized. Thus, writers of the most popular dictionaries were free to subsequently decide spellings for themselves… and for all of us as well. Whereas the British mostly followed Samuel Johnson, Noah Webster (a proponent of spelling simplification and reform) was taken as the authority in America. Thus, the great divide developed.

Some of the new reform rules? If extra vowels don’t influence the sound of a word, don’t put them in (colour becomes color, foetal becomes fetal, catalogue becomes catalog). If it sounds like a “z”, make it a “z” (cosy becomes cozy, finalise becomes finalize). Drop unnecessary doubling of final consonants before adding suffix (levelled becomes leveled, etc). Great! I’m all for it.

Two problems, though. There are, naturally, many exceptions to these rules, and I don’t think Webster went far enough! While he was at it, I wish he had taken care of a multitude of other spelling inconsistencies. Examples abound, even within this very paragraph. I give you the perplexing case of the “gh.” Notice first of all that it sounds nothing like either of the letters of which it is comprised, and secondly that the sound the two letters makes together is not even uniform. Now throw in the “ph” in words such as paragraph and phone, and we’re hopelessly confused. And there are dozens more.

spelling is hardIn an ideal world, every word would be spelled (or should we go with the British spelt?) exactly like it sounds, and every letter should make one and only one sound. I realize (or realise) this would require a drastic rewrite of the English language and the addition of several more letters, mostly vowels. But I think it would be worth it in the long run, especially for people like me. Spelling has never been my strong suit.

But back to the task at hand – the process of converting my novel to British English. I bet there’s a computer program out there somewhere that can handle the job. If I don’t find it, however, I hope Jane Austen and my readers in the UK will forgive any errors I make.

Do you think the fine points of spelling really count, as long as the meaning is clear (see my popular related post on the intriguing Cambridge study)? With all our electronic devices, spelling may soon be a lost art anyway, like calculating by hand and cursive writing. What do you think?

“You may think me foolish to call instruction a torment, but if you had been as much used as myself to hear poor little children first learning their letters and then learning to spell, if you had ever seen how stupid they can be for a whole morning together… you would allow that ‘to torment’ and ‘to instruct’ might sometimes be used as synonymous words.” (Northanger Abbey, chapter 14)

writing superherosPS – In case you missed it, I gave an interview this past week for Maria Grace’s blog, Random Bits of Fascination. Among other things, I answer the question, “What superhero powers lurk beneath that mild mannered exterior?” Read the interview here.

Posted in guest blog post, Jane Austen, Jane Austen Quotes, Shannon Winslow, Uncategorized, writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

The Persuasion200 Project

Posted on April 26, 2014 by Shannon Winslow

finalcobblogo (2)If you’ve followed me for a while or if you used to read the now-defunct Austen Authors blog,  you will remember our popular P&P200 series, which was later compiled into Pride and thPrejudice: The Scenes Jane Austen Never Wrote (with proceeds going to a JA charity). Well, now we’re doing the same thing with Persuasion at Austen Variations. It’s the 200th anniversary of the year the story took place, and we’ll be tracking right along in “real time,” supplementing the original novel with scenes Jane Austen alluded to but didn’t write herself.

I’m very excited about this project, both because I had a blast writing for P&P200 and because I love Persuasion so much. A story about youthful error, mature love, and second chances, it runs P&P a close second in my affections. Now I’ll have reason to spend more time with this wonderful book.

I’ve been inhabiting Anne and Captain Wentworth’s world for a year now anyway, as I worked on my new novel (see Work-in-Progress), a Persuasion tie-in with Jane Austen herself as the heroine. In it I’ve drawn a parallel between a previously unknown romance in her own life and the one she was writing about in her novel. [Update: The book, titled The Persuasion of Miss Jane Austen, is finished except for final rewrites and it should be out sometime this summer!]

We’ve just gotten underway with Persuasion200 at Austen Variations, featuring some prequel scenes (things that take place prior to the live action of the novel). In fact, I had the privilege of writing the very first scene called Beginning with an Ending. It shows Anne Elliot as a 14-year-old girl about to lose her mother and receiving some final words of affection and advice from her.

The end approached. As Lady Elizabeth Elliot lay there, gravely ill and helpless, on what she expected would prove to be her deathbed, she could no longer flatter herself that it might be otherwise. Although she had no particular fear for what was to come, she did have enough duty and pleasure in this life as to make her very sorry indeed to be quitting it so soon – especially to be leaving behind her children in want of love and proper guidance. In vexation of spirit, she wondered who was to provide them these and other necessities when she was gone. Certainly not her husband, Sir Walter.

Looking back over a life too brief, Lady Elliot regretted nothing so much as that she had been far too careless in the choosing of her children’s father… (continue reading here at Austen Variations)

Lady Elliot’s death is really the first pivotal event in Anne’s life, and it effects everything that follows, including why she decides she must give up her engagement to Captain Wentworth later, when she is 19.

She was persuaded to believe the engagement a wrong thing – indiscreet, improper, hardly capable of success, and not deserving it. But it was not a merely selfish caution under which she acted in putting an end to it. Had she not imagined herself consulting his good, even more than her own, she could hardly have given him up. The belief of being prudent and self-denying principally for his advantage, was her chief consolation under the misery of a parting – a final parting… (Persuasion, chapter 4)

I’m scheduled to write the engagement scene (look for it at Austen Variations on May 13) and the break-up scene too (May 23)! Which do you think was the most fun for me to write? Actually, I had a little head start with both, since I was able to draw on what I’d already written about the comparable events in my novel.

So, I hope you’ll come along on the journey. Get acquainted (or reacquainted) with the heart-warming story of Persuasion, now with the addition of these new scenes. And at the same time whet your appetite for my new book, coming soon!

Posted in Austen Authors, Austen Variations, Jane Austen, Jane Austen Quotes, Shannon Winslow, writing | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

“The End”

Posted on April 3, 2014 by Shannon Winslow

Last LineI could apologize (again) for going so long between posts, but instead I’ll simply thank you for sticking with me through thick and thin. And I trust you will be glad to know I’ve been hard at work finishing my current novel, entitled The Persuasion of Miss Jane Austen. It’s a Persuasion tie-in with Jane Austen herself as the heroine telling her own story of lost love and second (and maybe third!) chances, which, according to my theory, she pays homage to in her final novel. (see Work-In-Progress)

“The End”

So, I typed those last two words a couple of days ago, and it felt great. I have enjoyed every minute spent writing this book, but it was gratifying to finally get to the end. Progress had been slow, due to other demands on my time, and there’s always that nagging worry that the story won’t come together in the end. It’s a real danger since I don’t plot the entire book out in advance. Things turned out well, however. Now, there will be a couple months’ worth of rewrites and editing, which I won’t mind. I’m not quite ready to let go of this one yet.

Anyway, I announced the book’s completion by sharing the above photo on Facebook. At the same time, I somewhat inadvertently shared the final line of the book as well. In case you can’t make it out, it says: 

Without another word, I lay aside my work and allow Philippe to lead me inside through the cinnamon-colored velvet curtains. 

This drew a few comments, and it got me thinking about last lines in general.

Much is made of first lines of books (“It was the best of times; it was the worst of times.” “Call me Ishmael.” “It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife.”) – how important they are in grabbing the reader’s interest, and so forth. I wrote a post about that sometime back ( Prize First Lines),  which includes a fun montage of Jane Austen’s first lines.

But what about final lines, I wondered? That could be interesting. Turns out I already wrote a post about that too, almost four years ago, complete with a quiz to see if you can identify JA’s last lines, which I have cleverly disguised by changing names, etc. to throw you off the scent. It’s good for a giggle. (I got to read it and be entertained all over again – the advantage of a short memory.)

So instead I went looking through my bookshelves to see if I could find any other interesting last lines. Here’s a sampling of the ones I liked best, beginning with one of my own (Of course I like it, or I would have written something else, right?):

He tugged his wife a bit closer; the music of the opening dance began; and with its heady strains, they moved off together as one. – Return to Longbourn, Shannon Winslow

But they value it all at nothing beside the discovery which gives them happiness: that the wise make of their mistakes a ladder, the foolish a grave.  –  The Hungry Heart, David Graham Phillips

Should we tell her about it? Now what should we do? What would you do if your mother asked you? – The Cat in the Hat, Dr. Seuss

“We could have had such a damned good time together.”… “Yes. Isn’t it pretty to think so?”  –  The Sun Also Rises, Hemingway

For never was a story of more woe than is of Juliet and her Romeo.  –  Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare

Do you think last lines are important? Why or why not? Do you have a personal favorite of your own?

I will leave you with a picture of spring and your Jane Austen quote for the day. It’s taken from one of her lesser works – Lady Susan – and, according to the theme, it’s the last line.

daffodils

 I confess that I can pity only Miss Manwaring, who coming to town and putting herself to an expense in clothes, which impoverished her for two years, on purpose to secure him, was defrauded of her due by a woman ten years older than herself.

 

 

Posted in fun & games, Jane Austen, Jane Austen Quotes, my books, Shannon Winslow, Uncategorized, writing | Tagged , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Time Flies

Posted on February 21, 2014 by Shannon Winslow

time fliesWhere has the time gone? That’s what I ask myself when I’ve been writing. I kind of get lost in the work, and the next thing I know, three hours have passed, often with less to show for it than I had hoped. The same thing happens on a larger scale, of course, as weeks and months go flying by at an ever-increasing rate.

I have my own personal theory about why time goes faster the older we get.

It all has to do with your frame of reference. Remember when you were six and it took FOREVER for Christmas or some other much-anticipated event to arrive? A year seemed like a really long time then because it was 1/6 of your total life experience! By contrast, as an adult, a year is constantly being reduced in your frame of reference to a smaller and smaller fraction – 1/40, 1/50, 1/60 of your total life experience – a mere blink of an eye. Now, though I love Christmas, it seems to roll around again all too soon!

Although Jane Austen was only 41 when she died, she was aware of this phenomenon, and I found a couple of fun quotes from Emma to illustrate my point.

Between useful occupation and the pleasures of society, the next eighteen or twenty years of his life passed cheerfully away. (of Mr. Weston, Emma, chapter 2)

Poof! 18 or 20 years gone, just like that. I had to laugh when I read this.

So why this topic? Two reasons, the first being that I’m about to have another birthday (I’ll be 39 again, in case you’re wondering). The second is by way of an apology of sorts, or at least an explanation, for allowing so much time to pass without a new post. When I checked, I already knew it had been too long, but I could hardly believe an entire month had gone by!

frank churchill“Three-and-twenty! Is he indeed? Well, I could not have thought it, and he was but two years old when he lost his poor mother! Well, time does fly indeed!” (Mr. Woodhouse of Frank Churchill, Emma, chapter 11)

So what do I have to show for all that time? As usual, less than I would have hoped! Life and family must take precedence over work. But I have managed to get some serious writing done too.

I’m now about 3/4 finished with my current work-in-progress, entitled The Persuasion of Miss Jane Austen. If you aren’t yet a Persuasion fan, you should be! And the good news is that you’ve got time to read (or re-read) this, my second-favorite JA, before my tie-in novel comes out later this year (August?). To whet your appetite for the new book, sample chapter 1 here at Austen Variations. I’d like to know what you think of it.

BTW, Austen Variations is a newly launched site designed as a place for readers and authors of Jane-Austen-related fiction to connect. That’s a change in the last month. Austen Authors sort of went up in flames and Austen Variations has risen out of the ashes, with most of the same authors coming on board. I hope you’ll take some time to look around when you get there.

So what, besides writing, do I have on my plate next? Income tax preparation! That yearly ritual rolls around all too quickly too, and it’s a lot less pleasant than Christmas! Wouldn’t you agree?

Posted in Jane Austen, Jane Austen Quotes, life, Shannon Winslow, Uncategorized, writing | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

My P&P Trilogy at Last!

Posted on January 20, 2014 by Shannon Winslow
Jan. 16, 2014

“Oh, For a Pride and Prejudice Trilogy!”

There is a certain mystique about the trilogy, and I think most novelists dream of writing at least one – one that’s important, acclaimed… and preferably available in a beautifully boxed set! That was my dream.

darcys-of-pemberley_kindleActually when I wrote my first Pride and Prejudice sequel, I didn’t know there would be more. The goal was just to carry Darcy and Elizabeth into their married life and tell the story of Georgiana Darcy’s courtship. That’s what I did in The Darcys of Pemberley. But then my muse kept asking me, “Yeah, but what happens after that? What about Mary and Kitty? What happens if Mr. Bennet dies? Who inherits Longbourn, since you killed off Mr. Collins?” Importunate questions, indeed! And when the answers started popping into my head, I knew I had to write another book… or maybe TWO more books. Aha! That was it: a trilogy! How cool would that be?

So I set about plotting what would happen in the two books to follow – or my version of plotting, which means developing a vague idea of where I’m headed and then finding the most interesting route to get there. But that’s where my plans took a detour. More on that later.

Jane Austen never authored a trilogy, as you know, But, when I thought about writing this post, I started wondering about the three-volume novel. Was it roughly the equivalent? Was it common in her day? Was it the forerunner to the trilogies that are so popular now? A little research and I had my answers. The three-volume novel was a peculiarly Victorian phenomenon (thus, Jane did not live to see its day), and it’s not really related to the trilogy except by the number three.

A true trilogy is a set of three individual works (each more or less complete in itself), connected by common characters, setting, or theme. Think Star Wars – the original three movies, I mean – except it sort of broke the rule about each story being complete in itself. Didn’t it make you crazy mad when the second episode (The Empire Strikes Back) ended with Han Solo frozen in carbonite or whatever it was? But I digress.

By contrast, the three-volume novel was a single, long, complex novel (900 pages on average) published in three separate volumes. Initially a prestige format, it became standard after the success of Walter Scott’s novels in the 1820s. Mudie’s (the largest circulating library of the time) basically dictated the format to the publishing industry for the commercial benefits. Most people couldn’t afford to buy the expensive three-volume novels, so they had no choice but to purchase a subscription to the library to have access to them – or even three subscriptions, if they wanted to check out all three volumes at once (your one-guinea-per-year membership only entitled you to one book at a time). Barring this extreme measure, that one novel did triple duty, since it could be shared by three readers at once! Pretty ingenious. However, cheaper printing methods and the dawn of the public library eventually spelled the end for the three-volume novel.

Now, back to my situation, my quest for a Pride and Prejudice trilogy of my very own.

Return-to-Longbourn-book-cover-webIn book number two, Return to Longbourn, I picked up the story a few years later when, sadly, Mr. Bennet dies, leaving his wife and two unmarried daughters to deal with the new heir to Longbourn: Mr. Tristan Collins (the much more attractive brother of William Collins, deceased). The book got off to a fine start, and then one of the characters hijacked the story and went galloping off in a different direction than I had expected. (For more about this wild ride, see my RTL launch post). The result was a lot of fun and a much better book than the one I had originally planned.

So what’s the problem? Well, when I was finished Return to Longbourn, all my loose ends were tied up in very neat little bows; there were no threads dangling, nothing left for a third book. I had a pair of lovely novels, yes, but no trilogy! Disappointing. Don’t worry, though; there’s a happy ending. (I always find a happy ending for my stories!)

I must have said it a hundred times – explaining to readers in what order they should read my books: “You should know the Pride and Prejudice story first, since the other two books are sequels to it. Then read The Darcys of Pemberley next and Return to Longborn last.”

PaP-book-set-04It finally occurred to me that I ALREADY HAD MY TRILOGY! Austen had written the first volume, and I had followed with number two and three. Three books united by common characters, settings, and themes: that’s a trilogy. Right? And I certainly don’t mind sharing billing with Jane!

As for the boxed set, that remains a dream for now. But I couldn’t resist having my graphic designer whip up this virtual version in the meantime.

What do you think? Wouldn’t it look splendid sitting on your bookshelf? *sigh*

 Emma was pleased with the thought; and producing a box, the table was quickly scattered over with alphabets, which no one seemed so much disposed to employ as their two selves. They were rapidly forming words for each other, or for any body else who would be puzzled. (Emma, chapter 47)
Posted in Austen Authors, History, Jane Austen, my books, Shannon Winslow, writing | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Word Play

Posted on December 31, 2013 by Shannon Winslow

Misty Morning

Contents: 1 holiday greeting, 2 news updates, 2 Jane Austen quotes, 2 Shannon Winslow quotes, 1 new game addiction, and a partridge in pear tree…

First of all, I want to wish all of you a marvelous New Year. I hope the rest of your holidays were special as well, although I’m a little late to pass along those greetings except for sharing the picture above. It’s a little pastel painting I did a while back, which I decided to feature on the front of my Christmas card this year. Notice how small the cows are? That’s because my limited artistic skills aren’t up to portraying people or animals any larger. (Check out my book covers for other examples of miniature creatures. And see related post for more on my homemade Christmas card/letter tradition.)

Secondly, I’m thrilled to report that Return to Longbourn made the Austenprose list of best Jane-Austen-related books published this past year, in fact it TOPPED the list. That’s right; it’s #ONE! Whoohoo! I’m in excellent company too. Take a look here and see if your (other) favorites made the list too.

Next, I want to let you know that I’m making good headway on the new book! (See Work-in-Progress page) Housework is definitely suffering as I steal time away time from other responsibilities to closet myself in my cluttered studio with my books and laptop. But when the words are flowing, I can’t NOT write. It’s over halfway done now, and I’m having SO much fun with it – weaving Jane Austen’s story together with her writing of Persuasion.

It’s not just the story that excites me, though; it’s putting together the words themselves. It’s true of my own writing, but also Jane Austen’s. Language and story: it’s the excellence of both that makes her books stand out in my mind, and what I try to emulate in my own. Today, however, it’s the use of language I’m focused on.

She could be playful, as in this excerpt from a letter to her sister Cassandra: 

I shall be able to send this to the post to-day which exalts me to the utmost pinnacle of human felicity, and gives me any other sensation of pleasure in studied language which you may prefer. Do not be angry with me for not filling my sheet, and believe me yours affectionately,  J.A.  (January, 1799)

The other excerpt I chose on the subject of language is a small portion of her most stunning example of “author intrusion” (see related post), as set down in chapter 5 of Northanger Abbey. Here, Austen comes out from behind her characters to take center stage, talking to her readers directly and giving them an earful in defense of her at-the-time-much-maligned art form:

“Oh! It is only a novel!”… or, in short, only some work in which the greatest powers of the mind are displayed, in which the most thorough knowledge of human nature, the happiest delineation of its varieties, the liveliest effusions of wit and humour, are conveyed to the world in the best-chosen language.becoming jane

This line may sound familiar to you, if not from the book itself than from the movie Becoming Jane, where Jane spouts a version of this at Tom Lefroy during one of their verbal sparring matches.

Clearly, Jane Austen had a way with words. She knew it; she was proud of it; and I believe she enjoyed it immensely. I have on occasion, when a turn of phrase comes out just right, had a delicious taste of the same. Here’s one of my all-time favorites from For Myself Alone:

According to her, his character has no rival for loyalty and integrity; his temper is mild as a lambs; his nimble mind navigates the mechanics of the law and the subtleties of poetic verse with equal dexterity; and in the countenance and person of no other man does the ideal of understated male beauty  more comfortably reside.

And now, something I wrote the other day in the new book (Jane Austen is telling her own story, as it relates to the one she’s writing, which becomes Persuasion):

But there was no Captain Benwick for Bernadette to fall in love with at the critical moment, only possibly a Captain Bothwell, who had been less interested in cultivating a new literary garden in her fallow mind than in reaping the already well-grown harvest in mine.

There a trill of accomplishment when the words fall perfectly into place and create a music of their own. Every line can’t be a perfect gem (oops, I’m mixing my metaphors), but they do come along now and again. 

It’s fun to see which lines readers especially like too, as evidenced by how many have highlighted a particular phrase on their Kindles (Spooky! How does Amazon know that? Big brother is watching.). And I remember one reviewer saying that she began The Darcys of Pemberley with skepticism, doubting that she could be drawn into a sequel to Pride and Prejudice. But then she got caught up in the beauty of the language, to the point where she ceased to worry about the story. The language itself made the book worth reading. I took great satisfaction in that praise, because I enjoy that aspect of writing (and reading) so much myself.

I will end with this little bit on nonsense – an example of an entirely different way I enjoy playing with words.

Since I got my smart phone, I’ve become slightly obsessed with playing Scrabble online using the Wordfeud ap – mostly with random opponents, but also my husband and sons. I only allow myself one game addiction at a time, by the way, so Spider Solitaire and Sudoku have had to take a back seat for now. Anyway, as you may know, there are hundreds “words” in a Scrabble dictionary that most of us have never heard of. When my husband, by trial and error, comes up with one of these that actually plays, I’m fond of challenging him by saying something like, “Yea, right. If that’s a real word, then use it in a sentence.”

This happened again the other day, when he played enoki (e-no-kee) on a triple word score for big points. (You may just be able to make it out in the upper left corner of the screen).IMGP2643 When I asked him to use it in a sentence, he thought for a moment and then came up with this:

“I need to open the door, but I got-e-no-ki.”

I thought it was brilliant, and I still chuckle when I think of it. His witticism earned him his second quote on my blog. (For the first, see the classic Summer: it’s all washed away except the mouse fur.)

In case you’re wondering, enoki is a legitimate word. I looked it up. It’s a white edible mushroom with a small cap and a long stem, native to Eastern Asia and North America. Latin name: Flammulina velutipes. Did I tell you that I love Latin too? I don’t speak it (except for the science-based terms I picked up in college); I just love the sound of the words tripping off my tongue. By now, I guess that shouldn’t surprise you.

Posted in art, fun & games, Jane Austen, Jane Austen Quotes, my books, Shannon Winslow, Uncategorized, writing | Tagged , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Jane and Wonder Woman

Posted on December 13, 2013 by Shannon Winslow

Maui Sunset

What does Wonder Woman have to do with Jane Austen? Nothing, as far as I am aware, but that was kind of the point when I wrote the following short story for Bad Austen a couple of years ago. Published by Adams Media, the book is an eclectic anthology of stories (some tasteful, some not so much) written in parody of Jane Austen’s style, themes, language, and characters. (My other contribution is Miss Dashwood Gets Down and Dirty here.)

I used the opening pages of Northanger Abbey as my inspiration for Woman of Wonder, specifically Austen’s explanation of how the unlikely Catherine Morland had no choice but to become the heroine destiny had decreed. Then I let the silly side of my imagination go from there.

Upon further reflection, however, I’m inclined to believe this is exactly the sort of silliness Jane would have enjoyed. It makes me think of her adroit use of humor in her juvenile works, or the kind of thing she might have written to entertain her nieces and nephews in later years. So, all seriousness aside, here is…

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WOMAN OF WONDER

No one who had ever seen Wonder Woman in her infancy would have supposed her born to be an heroine. Her character, situation, and temper were all equally against such an eventuality. And fate seemed at first wholly disinclined to lend a hand.

A glimpse of little Diana – for so she was then called – surely conjured up no image of future greatness in the beholder’s eye. Indeed, as amazons go, her looks did not exceed the average by a single jot. A graceless figure, an awkward fashion sense, and a total want of complexion combined to ill effect. The resulting picture all but shouted that this was a child destined for mediocrity.

Equally unpropitious for heroism seemed the turn of little Diana’s mind. She greatly preferred reading to the more standard juvenile pursuits – swordplay, mastering the lasso, fending off lightning bolts – and rarely attended to the insinuations of her well-intentioned relations that she would be wise to cultivate whatsoever latent super powers she might possess.

Such were Diana’s youthful propensities. But when a young lady is to be a heroine, the perverseness of every disobliging circumstance imaginable cannot prevent her. Something must and will happen to throw a call to heroism in her way.

By and by, her looks improved tolerably, and her other abilities developed apace, to the point that her martial arts master went so far as to call her efforts “satisfactory.” Then on the day of her eighteen birthday, she cast a most auspicious gaze across the mystical veil that hung betwixt her home on the island of Themiscyra to the sphere of Man. Diana happened to spy there a handsome mortal of a more than usually interesting aspect, whom she thereafter made the subject of her constant study.

During a mandatory warrior training class one day, she confided her observations to her best friend Anita, who is also know as Power Girl. “He is just what a young man ought to be,” Diana said, deftly evading the saber thrust of her male sparing partner. “Tall – a singular virtue to which every young man must by all means aspire – and I never saw such an happy union of noble character and physical perfection. Certainly, I’ve not encountered his equal in this place,” she said with a disdainful glare at the feeble specimen cowering at the point of her sword.

“Then I give you leave to like him… from afar, that is,” replied Anita, registering a hit against her opponent as well. “No doubt this man of yours is possessed of a little more wit than the rest, but mortals are by nature stupid and helpless creatures.”

“What care I for such trifles? I simply must be near him; nothing else will do.”

“Consider carefully, Diana! As you well know, the only way for one of us to cross over to the human world is in the guise of a super hero.”

“Then my course is clear. A super hero I must become. I will do it for him.”

And thus, Wonder Woman came into being.

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What do you think? Would Jane have approved? Do you?

BTW, the featured image at the top of the post is a shot I took on Maui a few years back. We had driven up Haleakala, hoping to view the sunset from the top, only to find the mountain was wreathed in clouds. On the way back down, however, we came to a place where, right on cue, the clouds parted into layers – some above us and some below. So we watched the setting sun from there, suspended in the clouds. Magical! I thought of this view when I wrote that Diana “cast her gaze across the mystical veil” between her world and man’s.

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A Star is Born?

Posted on November 26, 2013 by Shannon Winslow

“It is a great while since we have had any star-gazing.” (Fanny Price, Mansfield Park)

A couple of weeks ago, I made my first appearance on the front page of a newspaper (see What’s New? post), and now I’ve already moved on to national television! But before you go gettin’ too excited, let me explain.

NightlineABC’s Nightline recently did a segment on “Jane Austen Super Fans.” In it, they compared Janeites to Trekkies, in that we likewise dress up in strange costumes, attend conventions, and practice rituals related to a world inhabited only by fictional beings. Some people took offense at this characterization; I did not. I think it just proves we know how to manufacture our own, harmless fun! 

265789_4595495122993_38699186_oAlthough much was made of the fact that we have turned Mr. Darcy into our personal sex symbol (and who could blame us?), the commentator did concede that we are more than simply crazed Colin Firth fans. He allowed that most Janeites are “intelligent career women,” even “modern-day Elizabeth Bennets.” This, quite naturally, is where I come in, for it is only fitting that as he says these very words I make my first appearance on screen, dancing at the JASNA AGM ball.

Sadly, this appearance (and another very fleeting one later in the piece) go uncredited, but then many famous TV and movie personalities were also uncredited in their early roles. So I feel certain it is only a matter of time before more prestigious parts come my way. What I most hope for, though, is a role in the film adaptation of one of my own books. I’d love to play Lady Catherine, but a more minor part would do. I’m expecting Hollywood, or better yet the BBC, to call any day now with a movie deal.

In the meantime, be sure to view my screen debut on the Nightline piece here. I’m the one in the soft green dress, as seen in the photo below (third from the left).AGM lineup

 PS – I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving. For my thoughts on that holiday, please revisit Take Time For Thanksgiving, my post from two years ago.

Posted in fun & games, Jane Austen, Jane Austen Quotes, Shannon Winslow, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

“Happy NaNoWriMo!”

Posted on November 14, 2013 by Shannon Winslow

 

I put this post up at Austen Authors last week. But in case you missed it there, I thought I’d share it here as well, along with a few of my fall color pictures from my yard!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ apple-treeNaNoWriMo! No, it’s not a national holiday, and you won’t find a Hallmark card for the occasion (at least I don’t think so).
 

November is “National Novel Writing Month.” What that means is that thousands of intrepid writers and aspiring novelists are taking up the challenge to write a whole book in one month, or at least to complete a 50,000-word rough draft in those thirty days. That’s a pace of at least a chapter a day, 7 days a week, every week. I applaud anybody who’s attempting it, and admire those who actually can accomplish it. Alas, I am NOT one of them. Let me explain why.

From what I’ve heard, a lot of advanced planning and preparation is key to succeeding in the NaNoWriMo challenge. The author may not technically start writing the novel beforehand, but you can bet they have been thinking about the book for months. And they undoubtedly have the whole thing plotted out on paper before the month of frantic writing begins. That’s where I would hit my first roadblock. Plotting: I stink at it.

fall-colorMost novelists fall into one of two distinct camps. There are plotters, and there are so-called “pants-ers” (i.e. fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants). I fall into the latter group. When I start a novel, I usually have only a vague notion where I’m going, and even less idea how I’m going to get there. I know it sounds like a crazy way to embark on a trip, but strangely enough it all works out in the end (so far, at least), and the journey is a lot of fun! This was especially true of my most recent novel, Return to Longbourn. My characters hijacked the story, kidnapped me, and carried us all off down a very unexpected path. (See the books debut post here on Austen Authors for more on that adventure!)

My other major issue with attempting the NaNoWriMo challenge is the concept of the rough draft – something else I’m no good at. The theory is that you just pour the story out from beginning to end without worrying about correcting flaws or fine tuning your prose. All that comes later, during rewrites. Make sure the story works first, then tidy it up. I don’t dispute the wisdom in this system, and I’ve tried to make it work… believe me.

In practice, however, I do just the opposite. I fret and fuss over every paragraph, every sentence within the paragraph, and every word of each line. I can’t seem to force myself to move on until I’m satisfied with the section I’ve just written. This means that when I sit down to work, I might spend the first hour or more rereading (and rewriting) whatever I wrote the last time, perhaps never getting to the next chapter at all! It makes for very slow going. The upside is that when it’s finally complete, my version of a rough draft is pretty polished.

apple-harvestOf course, the risk is that if I discover later on that the story doesn’t work (because… as you now know, I HAVEN’T PLOTTED IT OUT AHEAD!), it could turn out that I’ve wasted countless hours perfecting pages that have to be tossed out in the end. Fortunately, this hasn’t happened to me yet. Now that I think of it, that’s a minor miracle in itself.

So now you know why I’ve never attempted the NaNoWriMo challenge, and probably never will. If my crazy system of writing continues to work for me, though (fingers crossed!), I’ll have a new novel for you sometime next spring. It’s not going to be a P&P sequel this time, but a Persuasion tie-in with Jane Austen herself as narrator and heroine. (Visit my blog here for more about it and an early excerpt).

Stay tuned, and happy reading!

sunrisePS – Hope you enjoyed my seasonal pictures, even though they are only marginally related to the topic (November = Fall, right?)

Miss Bingley’s attention was quite as much engaged in watching Mr. Darcy’s progress through his book as in reading her own; and she was perpetually either making some inquiry or looking at his page.  (Pride and Prejudice, chapter 11)

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