No, I didn’t say that, but the great crime writer, PD James did and she was talking about Jane Austen. Apparently it’s a famous literary quote but I wasn’t aware of it until I heard it from PD James herself at a completely inspiring talk she gave at the Oxford & Cambridge Club in London.
My friend, Sue invited me to one of the club’s Writers’ Lunches. Now, Sue is, I hasten to add, a lovely, down-to-earth person who I met at my college many years ago. Anyway, we had a rather nice lunch and then listened to a fascinating talk by PD James, about Death Comes to Pemberley, detective fiction, Jane Austen and writing in general.
Afterwards I approached Baroness James’ lectern to have my copy of the book, signed. I felt like I was meeting The Queen and Jane Austen herself rolled into one – PD James was lovely, it’s just I was in total fangirly awe! She also shared that the novel is going to be made into a TV series. I can’t wait for that one.
Her comment about Mills & Boon, was, I think, talking about how you can write a really great novel within the confines of a tight genre or format – whether that be a detective novel, a romance or a sonnet.
Much of what she said, you can find here in her book Talking About Detective Fiction – most surprisingly, she finds Emma to be the most interesting example of a mainstream novel which is also a detective story.
She talked about her writing process and how she thinks creativity is about empathising totally with your characters and getting inside their minds – while remaining detached enough to craft a story that engages all the readers’ emotions. So much of what she said about writing fiction chimed with me, that I found myself almost believing I’m a proper novelist.
But her best quote was something like this: To say that one cannot produce a good novel within the discipline of a formal structure is as foolish as to say that no sonnet can be great poetry since a sonnet is restricted to fourteen lines—an octave and a sestet—and a strict rhyming sequence. And detective stories are not the only novels which conform to a recognised convention and structure. All Jane Austen’s novels have a common storyline: an attractive and virtuous young woman surmounts difficulties to achieve marriage to the man of her choice. This is the age-long convention of the romantic novel, but with Jane Austen what we have is Mills & Boon written by a genius.
I’m now inspired and please, watch this space for I’m planning to share some rather exciting news in the not-too-distant future.
On Monday, for inspiration and research, the Coffee Crew hit the bright lights of Wightwick Manor – a Victorian house in the care of the National Trust. It’s crammed with Arts and Crafts treasures and furnishings by artists such as Dante Gabriel Rossetti, Millais and William Morris.
However, it was a tiny drawing in the dining room that really captured our attention and made us laugh. It’s a cartoon by Dante Gabriel Rossetti of his sister Christina Rossetti, having a tantrum, after receiving a rejection for her poems.
It’s copyright of the National Trust but you can see it HERE.
We laughed and nodded in agreement as all three of us have received Rs for our work at some point, like almost every single writer I know.
So think of some ways of dealing with Rejections. Everyone’s different – and some rejections are more painful than others.
Knowing how much of the advice to take on board and what to ignore, is an art in itself. You have to try to develop your knowledge of the business and trust your instincts.
I asked a few writer friends for their advice on deailing with the knockbacks without going insane or giving up.
“My tip on rejections is every time I get one back I find two more places to send it.”
Nell Dixon
“My tip would be simple: Eat chocolate, lots of it. Chat to a friend, preferably a fellow writer who understands your pain. Then get back to writing/editing/sending out!”
Elizabeth Hanbury
“Coping with rejection? Take it to readers directly by self-publishing. If you’ve got a solid, well-edited story, you’ll find a market.”
Talli Roland
Here’s mine: “Weep and wail for a short time then get mad – and then move on. It gets easier if you try and think of this business as a Business and not take R’s personally.”
Yikes – is it Friday again – and spring already? So where did January and February go?
I’ve managed to get some work done despite the ahem, ‘social networking’ over the past month and let’s just say, it’s been a rollercoaster ride at times since Christmas.
The next few weeks are certainly going to be very interesting…
I’ve also got quite a bit planned, both work and pleasure. The Coffee Crew – Nell Dixon, Elizabeth Hanbury and me – are meeting on Monday ina new location and the air will be humming with our gossip, sorry, writing news.
I’m off to London the week after next to a special lunch and talk from the great crime writer, PD James, I will be a fangirl, clutching my hardback of Death at Pemberley, to be signed by Baroness James.
After that, we’ll be visiting Ms Bennet for Mother’s Day and soon after that, it’s the Big Anniversary for Mr B and me. I’ve got something planned for The Day that he doesn’t know about. As he rarely ever has time to read my blog (thank goodness) he won’t find out.
Other than that, who knows what might happen? Have you ever wished you had a crystal ball – or is it better not to know what’s in store?
But things can also go horribly, horribly wrong. I feel too sorry for those involved to post the classic YouTube video of a disastrous public proposal but I have written a novel about one!
Having the courage to say ‘No’ was the premise of Just Say Yes which you can get on Kindle now.
