"There is something delicious about writing the first few words of a story..."

"....you can never quite tell where they'll take you."

     (Naomi is pink/mauve, Emma is green. Like the last time. We are back. To haunt you all. Mwuhahahahahaha. And by the way, this post will contain spoilers to some degree. We don't care about hiding spoilers.)

     Naomi and I had made a mental "list" of all the movies we wanted to watch during our time together, and since Miss Potter is one we both love DEARLY it was one of the first we thought of. We watched it the other night, and ohhhhhhhh my. *wipes tears*

     We must start with getting it from the library. Because the dvd forgets allll about the beautiful mustache (practically the only cinema mustache I like) and Norman Warne stands there completely bare-faced, and it is so WEIRD. It's like they thought it would attract more viewers or something. We however, love our Norman Warne best with his mustache. *Mustache rant over*

     (I think you're getting a little off-track, Naomi.)

    Let's get this started properly. WE LOVE THIS MOVIE. Terribly much. When the music began and the credits started sweeping across the screen, with Beatrix's hands fingering her paintbrushes and the watercolors and everything, we both simultaneously caught our breath and sighed (yes, it is possible to do at the same time) over this beautiful film that we both love so dearly. In Naomi's words, "It's like a piece of my heart."

    
     I KNOW. IT IS SO GOOD. And when the paintbrush dips into the water, and there's this puff of bluey cloudiness - YOU KNOW - and it just makes you want to jump up and devote your life to drawing and fulfilling the dreams of your creative heart. (I'm sounding terribly poetical today.) (But really. This movie does particular things to me. There's literally nothing I dislike about it.)

     It's true -- it does things to you. It's not entirely a happy movie -- goodness knows, there are some teary parts and if you have any heart at all you'll more than likely find yourself weeping -- but yet, it's so hopeful and optimistic and quirky and happy and you can't come away from watching it without feeling some spark of creative inspiration. At least, to us as Creative People (we flatter ourselves) it made us want to write, and draw, and paint.....which we did actually try, by the way, yesterday, but you're not allowed to see what we painted so don't even ask.

     The main character of the movie is, obviously, Beatrix Potter, so we're going to go ahead and tell you just what we think of her.

     
     The one word for our dear Beatrix ("that's to be the last of Miss Potter, I'm afraid") is quirky. And I mean that in the best way possible. She's different, she's cheerful, she's super kind as well as adorably stubborn in certain situations - and plus, she's insanely talented. (And she makes drawing life-like bunnies at the age of what, ten, look super easy. Believe me, it is not.)

     What I love about Beatrix is that she knows what she wants for herself, but she's not overly pushy about it. She's an unmarried woman, thirty-two years old, still living with her mother and father and doesn't have too many prospects in the way of marriage, which makes her something of a social outcast (or at least on her way in that direction.) So when she takes her little "bunny book" to the publisher's and *gasp* they decide to publish it, it opens a whole new world for her. Suddenly she's got something going for herself -- something entirely unique and entirely her own. Beatrix says about the book, "It's changed me," and it has -- she was always a lovely person, but I think after the book she had a new zest for life. It makes her even more enthusiastic about everything, which is lovely to see.

     (And then there's that bald lady in the corner observing everyone of her new adventures. Lets make her fall asleep so we can dance and get engaged in private. *ahem* Getting ahead here.) Anyway, so yes, Beatrix Potter is a darling - and she has the cutest little smile ever. I love how she gets so excited and enthusiastic about her books and her characters and her drawings - how she creates this whole imaginary world of her own, and completely blossoms as it becomes more and more popular.

Enter Norman Warne. (We like him too.)

    He's so awkward in the beginning, and it is super cute. (I hate to use the word cute to describe such a good fellow as Mr Warne, but sometimes words seem to fail.) Emma, back to you. I can't really explain why I like Norman Warne so much - he's not exactly a swoony type of hero, and neither would he be on my top ten hero list - but STILL. He's such a good sport and I reallyreallyreally like him.

     (If she loved him less, she might be able to talk about it more.) I agree, Norman is not the swoony type, but that's why I like him. He's not your typical hero; he's just a normal guy with a kind heart. I love how he and Beatrix start out as business partners, then friends, before anything like romance is introduced to the story (but then, I'm always the one for friendships before romance).

    (Saaaame.) And, if I might add, in comparison to his older brothers, he is DEFINITELY a swoony type.

     Are you ready to talk about his death? I'm not sure I am. IT IS SO SAD. Especially the second time watching, because you know the railway scene is their last scene together... and that their kiss in the steam is their last touch ever, because Beatrix doesn't even come back on time for the funeral. It's like he just disappears. First he writes her letters that she reads by beautiful lakes and rollicking hills; then she rushes to his house where she finds his sister dressed in black, and his brothers dressed in black, and that's it. BLEEHHH IT IS SO SAAAD.

   It is terribly sad. It's REALLY REALLY SAD. I didn't cry this time (probably because I've seen this movie about three times prior and I'd already gotten my tears out) but trust me, it's definitely tear-worthy. This is mostly due to the fact that Renee Zellweger is a fantabulous actress as well as one of the best on-screen "cryers" in Hollywood, in my opinion. She has such a sensitivity about her that makes you want to give her arm a squeeze and say, "It's going to be alright, you'll see." And then she'll go and do something amazing and you'll want to shake your fist in triumph and shout, "YEAH BEATRIX!" Her portrayal is very human, very sympathetic, and very strong.

     Wait, we were supposed to be talking about Norman, not Beatrix. (I've gotten slightly off-track. Whoopsie.) Ewan McGregor is a great actor too, no doubt about it. Also I love how his name is McGregor -- it fits, don't you think? One of those ironic little details that makes me smile. ;-)

     I love Millie. Aside from her wretched mop of hair, that is, and her ties, (I don't like ties on women. It just seems so out of place.) (For the record, Emma doesn't think Millie's hair is that bad. My own hair looks worse than that most days.)

     Millie Warne is a brick. (Which, by the way, is one of the two highest compliments that can be given a person. See me or my sister for the other one.) She's a true-blue friend, exactly the kind of companion Beatrix needs. I find it amusing how Millie has got their whole friendship plotted out and practically established before she even meets Beatrix. ;-P She's that kind of person -- if she likes you, she'll let you know, and everybody wants a friend who loves to spend time with them, right? I love Millie. I never found her "anti-man" speeches really offensive (as I've heard some do), because she's not overly pushy about it but rather endearing. What I LOVE, though, is when she confides to Beatrix that everything she's said about not getting married is "hogwash. What else is a woman on her own supposed to say?" Because that is so. so. true. Even today. Unmarried women so often tend to scorn men when it appears they're not wanted....but deep down, that's not usually how they genuinely feel. (Listen to my wise words. I know. I was one of them. At age twelve. Don't laugh.)

     Yes, I love that this movie empowers single women (none of that waiting for Prince Charming nonsense in these clever girls!!!), but also embraces the wonderful gift of marriage and romantic love. Millie and Beatrix (*cough* especially Millie) at first seem to reject any idea of husbands; they bond together and talk like they will be spinsters for the rest of her life. And then, when Beatrix tells Millie, as if embarrassed, that her brother proposed to her, Millie urges her to accept rather than the contrary. I love that scene so much. Beatrix is like, 'So you don't MIND?' And she says, 'You have a chance for love! Take it!' 

     IT'S JUST SO SWEET. I love their friendship.

     FIRST. LET ME TALK ABOUT HIS GHASTLY SIDEBURNS. This needs a proper rant right here. I was commenting on their atrocity throughout the movie (Emma and Sadie can vouchsafe to that) and before we started the review was like, 'I AM WRITING ABOUT HIS SIDEBURNS.' They are Ghaaaastly. How is he even accepted into society? How did people even come to the Christmas party at his house?

     (Sorry. I know. Looks ain't everything.) (But his looks really AREN'T everything.)

     Beatrix's parents are a study. As usual, her father is nice and her mother is not. (Were there any famous authors whose parents, both of them, approved of their work, I wonder?) I'm fond of Mr. Potter, despite his rather horrid mutton chops. I am not as fond of Mrs. Potter, who is a first-class snob and also happens to be played by Barbara Flynn whom I have a vendetta against left over from childhood and begun by the fact that she plays the mother of Horatio's undeserving wife in the last two Hornblower movies. (It's not Barbara Flynn's fault. I just hold on to my unreasonably prejudices anyway because I'm pigheaded and unreasonable.)

     Miss Potter's parents are an interesting couple. Mrs Potter is pretty nasty and does NOT take her daughter's art and talent seriously- (I mean really woman, just look at the way your eleven-year-old daughter draws a rabbit. BE IMPRESSED. NOW.) and Mr Potter also does not fully realise the extent of Beatrix' talent until she is a popular and published author. He is way nicer than Mrs Potter, though, and I just love it when he buys her book and gives her a proud daddy-hug.  

     Willie Heelis is Awesome with a capital A. I love the scene with little Beatrix and young Willie where she shows him her drawing of Jemima Puddleduck and they talk about life and what they think about it.....*ahem* (private joke). When I was younger and I watched this movie I thought young Willie Heelis was the biggest dreamboat ever. 

     (I still think he's cute.) 

     Older Willie Heelis is a fine, sturdy, dependable, kind person, and I love how he and Beatrix's friendship is rekindled when she comes back to the lake district. Oftentimes I don't like it when a character's spouse/fiance dies and then they go on to marry someone else...but in this case, I do. I wouldn't have wanted Beatrix to be lonely, and "Mr. Heelis" is a pretty great guy. They'd be happy together.

     Willie Heelis... ahhh. YES I LOVEEEE the scene when they are little kids; and they talk about Beatrix's characters in the rain. It's soooo cute and he's soo cute and she's sooo cute and they're sooo cute. It's at that moment that you start to fear that perhaps Norman Warne might not make it to the end anyway. I know, I know; I know what you're thinking: Beatrix and Norman are priceless together. (Because hey, Let Me Teach You How To Dance and All That.) But also, let's be honest here, I'm enormously glad that Beatrix found love again, and it feels so good that it's Willie.

     I love that Miss Potter is not a typical love story. It doesn't end with Lady and Man no. 1 ending up together. Yes, Lady loves Man no. 1., but she doesn't end up with him. This movie portrays real life in a way that other movies often don't. The movie spans a wide amount of years, obviously, but it shows us that one can get over sad times in our lives. That's what life is, you know - Ups and Downs - and Miss Potter shows all this in a beautiful and aching way. I'm glad she ended with Willie Heelis.

     WOW. That got deep.

     

     (I actually told her to say that. :-P)

     

     We love little Beatrix because she's perfectly adorable. Also because she's dreadfully creative and imagines her parents driving off in a pumpkin coach pulled by six white rabbits. 

     That's enough about little Beatrix. (Although yes'm, she's an adorable creature with a pathetically amazing drawing talent) but how about us talking about the dance scene?

     BLAHHH I just love this romance so much; it's just basically the cutest thing ever. I love that they are older than most movie couples (Hello, those sixteen-year-old heroines!) and I love that they're doing something 'scandalous' in the eyes of Beatrix's picky mother, but that it really is so beautifully innocent and sweet. It's Beatrix's first taste of romance; in her bedroom, in the arms of her almost-fiance... and he's singing for her. (To her, whatever.) I love the song; it's really simple, but it's also so twinkly and gorgeous and sweepy and swoopy AND ME LOVES.

     

     

     I love it too. Especially how Beatrix is so adorably awkward and won't look directly into his eyes...but I digress. I remember watching this movie when I was just a wee thing and sighing dreamily over this scene even then. :-)

     Everything about Miss Potter is timelessly lovely -- the music, the Victorian English setting, the darling characters, the lush green grasses of the lake district (and the MUSIC)....it's a movie that will always makes my heart sing, no matter how many times I watch it. It's a classic, in my book. It's something any period drama fan should watch, or any person who loves a good movie for that matter. (I'm overthinking this, clearly.) Point made: I love Miss Potter. It's one of my favorite movies of all time, and it was absolutely wonderful to watch it with my best friend for the first time. 

     Basically, there is nothing I dislike about this movie. Not a thing. And I'll leave you with that, after the following question: 

     Isn't this movie darling?!!!

     Yes. The correct answer is "yes".

Things I need to do before I visit Emma:

Someone on Pinterest said in the caption on this picture: "Just watch this show for the hairstyles." She is right.
(Not that I didn't want to watch The Paradise before this, though.)

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One more week and then the craziest three weeks ever will commence. (I will refrain myself from talking in capital letters because I remember two years ago I wanted to make a classy sort of blog and I must do my fifteen-year-old self proud.)

Before next week though, I have a number of things to do, and, because I actually DO them when people know I need to do them, I will paste them on zee blog. (Also, I need a blog post excuse, and also, it will add to the general excitment. Also it gives me a jolly good excuse to talk about Downton Abbey because I am currently watching said show.)

THINGS I NEED TO DO BEFORE I LEAVE EUROPE:

1. Pack my suitcase and weigh it. It's almost packed, but the general finishing touches must be done this week. (This will be a jolly lovely task, for obvious reasons.)

2. Write a short story for my sister's birthday. One of my sisters had her sixteenth birthday yesterday (Scrumptious chocolate cake alert!) and my lame excuse as a present was 'order a story.' I do this sometimes, and basically I let them choose a story idea and I write down a short story for them. (Hashtag the life of a writer, right?) She said it must be a surprise, so I'm writing down a story about pink princesses and - kidding, kidding. (The said sister is not that kind of girl.) I'm not telling you what the story is about because said sister is just about the only family member who follows my blog posts devotedly. Anyways, happy birthday dear sister! (I wrote 'happy birthday dead sister' first. This is awkward.)

3. Load the batteries of the camera. (About cameras - some of you may expect pictures of Emma and me. I'm afraid I ain't ready yet to demonstrate my face to the internet. Buuuut we will try to show, in other ways, what our stay was like. We promise to make it vivid despite the lake of facial pictures.)

4. Make sure Beau Dermott wins Britain's got Talent.

5. Finish Downton Abbey Season Six!!!!! YES, we're watching it!! It's sooo good. Watching Downton Abbey hits so close to home; and I'd missed it so much. Of course, I know all the spoilers (but fret ye not, my lips are sealed... unless you ask.) but personally I think that makes it even MORE fun to watch. We're on episode six tonight.
Some spoiler-free thoughts so far: 1. Andy is so cute. 2. Daisy is quite stupid. 3. I actually like Thomas Barrow. 4. Tom is TOO NICE. And he looks old. Where's my old (as in, young) Tom? 5. The way Cora says 'ghastly' is hilarious. 6. I love Edith and Mary's new suitors. Especially Edith's. (She's fiiiiinally found the right one, haha.)

6. Do my last exam for the year on Tuesday! (Sociology.)

7. GET EXCITED. (Also, do French and study Sociology, bleh.)

8. Finally; I want to read some books this week. I haven't done proper "free time" reading in a dramatically long time, and I'm SHOCKINGLY behind on my Goodreads reading challenge, which is a news of distressing nature. I need to read the "Refiner's Fire Trilogy" and then some short books that are quick to read till I'm ahead of my Goodreads schedule.

As much as I'm enjoying Season six, MATTHEW IS NOT FORGOTTEN. I MISS HIM AND I MISS MARY WITH HIM.

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What are your plans for this week?

Some blog posts to read if you're lacking writer's inspiration.

I'm often in a writer's dump. It's never excruciatingly bad, but it's often on my doorstep. What helps me get out of it, and what helps me want to write rather than spoiling time on the elusive interwebs, are 1) a very good book 2) a very good movie and, finally, 3) a very good blog post.

Today I'm linking to some blog posts that inspire me to write. If you're suffering from inspiration, or suffering from motivation, I'm here. (And no, I'm not linking to a single blog post which says that you have to follow this and that rule. Writing = creating your own style and story. Writing is not following a rule book.) (Although getting ones grammar right is disastrously important and a vital key, but we're not talking about grammar on a nice birds-singing April day like this, for Pete's sake hello.)

Amy is 'famous' for her blog 'Yet another Period Drama Blog.' I love it a lot, but I also really love her old writing blog, 'The Quest for Stories.' She hasn't (sadly) posted on it for year(s), but whenever I visit it and read through the posts, the sidebar with all the quotes and pennish pictures... I always get a rush of inspiration.

~ Beautiful People: Frances Katharine Rochester // As I said, the entire blog in general has this inspiration-giving-scent to me, but particularly this post about one of her characters, makes me give a new wind of inspiration. And I LOOOVE the quote, "The words beard and goodlooking should never appear in the same sentence unless the word 'not' is between them." I kind of want to steal this character, but I won't. 

Emma, aka-the-girl-I'm-meeting-in-a-bit-more-than-only-a-month, has recently finished a novel. Aside from being stinkin' proud of her accomplishment and telling her to pleeease send it to me, and yes, it's allowed to be unedited, I have been very inspired by her two recent blog posts:

~ Meet my girl, this is June. // Emma wrote this post to celebrate the finish of her book, 'June Darling' (give me thy book title finding skills) but her diary entries and excitement made my blood scream, 'NAOMI WRITE NOW.'

~ Happy Writer. // This blog post gave me such a RUSH and a YEARNING to spend a whole day writing. (No time for that, I'm afraid.) Emma's way with words; the way she describes a writer's thoughts, and the way she describes a writer's yearning to write down stranger's stories and to follow the gust of one's imagination - gah, it really caught me. Read it.

Finally, my favourite one - a post I often return to, in fact - is zee following, written by Alexandra, who used to have the most charming blog, 'Of Trims and Frims and Furbelows' (I think that's the title). To my utter dismay, the blog has now be privated for several years, but I still miss it. Alexandra's way of writing and enthusiasm always gave me inspiration. But, thank goodness, her guest posts are still lying around! Here's one she wrote on 'Yet another Period Drama Blog.'

~ Random Writing Tips and Tidbits: Guest Post by Alexandra. // This post is filled with excellent tips (not rules; tips) and just blahh, it really inspires me. (And she tells me not to be afraid of the writer's block, which is awfully comforting.)

Now, shoo. Go and write. (Unless you have unlimited amounts of schoolwork to do, as is my sorry case.) (I hope you enjoyed these little links, anyhow!)

Jane Austen Musicals // A Guest Post by Emma Jane!

I'm very honoured indeed to grace my blog with a well-written post by my very best of friends, Emma. She's has a name to be jealous of. Emma. And Jane. I mean. It doesn't get more Jane Austen-like than THAT. :-) You can find Emma's blog here. (It's my favourite. Just saying.)

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 Hello, friends! *waves*  It’s me, your local musical theatre expert, a.k.a Naomi’s nutty best friend, a.k.a. Emma Jane. Big thank-you to Naomi for letting me guest post! You’re a darling. :-)

    

    Jane Austen’s legacy has lived on for over two hundred years, invading modern pop culture even now. Her books are still as popular as ever (among intelligent people, that is) and they still crank out movie adaptations of her works about every five years (which continue to spark controversy, sarcasm and snarky debate among her rabid fans, of which there are many). You can buy Jane Austen’s face on everything from tote bags and refrigerator magnets to Christmas tree ornaments, coffee mugs, pretty much anything you can think of. Point made -- Jane Austen is out there, everywhere. That’s why it’s hardly surprising that Jane Austen’s timeless stories have made their way into the glittering world of Musical Theatre.

    (You know what I always say -- if you look hard enough, you can find a musical version of anything. This theory was made law upon the discovery that there’s a musical of Secondhand Lions. JUST NO. Sometimes people are a little too creative for their own good.)

     

    When I decided to write about JA musicals for a guest post, the only one I really knew anything about was the Pride and Prejudice written by Lindsay Warren Baker and Amanda Jacobs, and that’s because Laura Osnes starred as Lizzy in the opening production. ;-) (I’m a very devoted Laura fan, by the way.) When I started looking into the show more, I found that there are actually about four or five P&P musicals! Whew. And believe it or not, there have been musicals written for every one of Jane Austen’s six major novels. None of them have made a very big splash on Broadway -- most of them never made it to Broadway -- but they’re out there, just the same!

        Pride and Prejudice remains the most widely-known of Jane Austen’s novels, and so it’s fitting that the musical is the most popular as well. A general Google search revealed that there are about five different musical versions, but who knows how many there really are. There aren’t many videos of any version to be found on Youtube, but it looks like the most famous is the concert version from 2008 with Laura Osnes, and since I’m not about to pay any attention to any version that doesn’t have Laura Osnes in it, that’s the one I’m going to focus on. ;-P

    Pride and Prejudice: A Musical Play opened October 21, 2008 in Rochester, NY. (Fun fact: Rochester is only about three hours from where I live. I COULD HAVE GONE TO SEE IT. Although I doubt my nine-year-old self would have particularly enjoyed it…) It was a concert, and not a fully-staged production, which I take to mean from the less than abundant photographic evidence existing that it was basically just a bunch of people in costume singing on the stage while an orchestra played in the background. (Picture the Les Miz anniversary concerts.) Laura Osnes played Elizabeth Bennet, and Colin Donnell played Mr. Darcy.

    From what I’ve gathered, the character of Jane Austen narrates a lot of the show, with the other characters voicing their thoughts to themselves (Tevye-from-Fiddler-on-the-Roof-style). On the recordings I’ve listened to, I reaaaaally do not like the Jane Austen lady -- she seems much too abbrasive and her voice is lower than I would imagine Jane Austen’s. Laura Osnes and Colin Donnell are both excellent singers and while they’re not ideal  as Lizzy and Darcy, they seem to play the parts well.

     Most of the music is so-so -- nothing extremely brilliant. I could make the remark that a lot of the songs follow the same general tune. ;-P  There are a few very beautiful melodies throughout, though, including my favorite -- “Had I Been In Love”, which Lizzy sings after realizing  how blind she’s been about Darcy all this time.

   As far as an adaptation of the book, I can’t really say how close the musical sticks because I have the disadvantage of not having seen the whole show. ;-/ For the most part the music seems to reflect fittingly the different aspects of the story, the characters’ perspectives and feelings, though I think they could have taken better advantage of Jane Austen’s classic wit. Parts of the music are a little too silly, if you ask me. There are some songs in the show I can’t even listen to because they’re so -- how shall I say it? -- gaggy, if you will. (Like the one Mrs. Bennet sings about her nerves, and Lydia’s swooning over redcoats. That’s just too much for me.) However, there’s a very romantic feel to the music, which I like. It makes you sigh and go, “Ahhh….isn’t that pretty?”

    As a musical, it’s not particularly epic, and it’s not musically stunning, but it’s a sweet little show with some pretty tunes that would be enjoyable to watch. You can find the whole soundtrack here. ‘The Portrait Song’, ‘He Thinks/She Thinks’, and ‘Had I Been In Love’ are my favorites. :-)

The other Jane Austen musicals are very little-known, and not many videos of them exist. But here are some pictures, to give you a little idea…

Sense and Sensibility

    The proposal…..awwwwwww. :-)

   
 Emma

    

I don’t know about you, but that looks pretty weird to me!

I think a musical of a Jane Austen book could be a good idea, but I’d rather just stick to the movies. 

What do you think? 

Did you know Jane Austen’s books have been made into musicals? 

Have you seen any?

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Thank you, Emma, for a lovely post!

Writing Interview ~ Emma, Heidi, Hamlette, Natalie and Naomi // Part two!

 Here we are for part two of the big writing Interview! If you haven't read part one yet, click here!
 

 

Do your stories have villains?

Emma: My stories have people who, for some reason or another, have been driven to do bad things and cause trouble for other people in their paths. Sometimes they have evil intentions; sometimes they’re just distraught. I wouldn’t say villains, exactly. Just folks who’ve taken a wrong turn.

Heidi: On David’s Shoulders certainly does, but a lot of the tension in my finished work has come more from certain plot elements, (i.e. a shipwreck, etc).

Hamlette: Not always.  But they almost always have an antagonist.  Hard to write a compelling story without conflict, though if course there can be inner conflict within a character, causing them to struggle with themselves.  My current novel does have a villain, one I'm very fond of.

Natalie: Yes, at least my most recent stories. :) Villains are fun to write, but difficult. If they aren't done just right they seem laughable. At least, that's what I find.

Naomi: Well, I definitely have the less-wanted characters, haha. But villains like Blandois in Little Dorrit, nope. I more have Mr-Wickham-type villains.

 

Talk about the meanest character you ever created.

Emma: Ooooh. *rubs hands together*
   *thinks hard* You’re not going to believe this, but I can’t think of any really mean characters in any of my stories! I know, it’s staggering. What have I been doing all this time, if not creating deliciously evil characters. Well, in Curtains of Lace there’s Wolf Schneider, who can be really mean when he wants to be. But he’s not mean at heart, he’s just rude and irritable. Then there’s a banker man in one of my other current projects whose name is Harvey Clement, and he’s not too warm and fuzzy either. Seriously, though, I don’t write many villains.

Heidi: Thus far probably Jack, one of the sailors in Ellen. He’s fairly mild…but rude, quarrelsome and resentful of authority.

Hamlette: I hate writing mean characters.  I don't like them, and I don't want to be in their heads.  I did write a really mean, horrible character for one of my Combat! stories, "Walk a Crooked Mile." Sergeant Platt, a squad leader who bullies a young soldier under his command. Blech.

Natalie: Ummm...I really liked the evil uncle in my Winter Wonderland Blog party story “Mirror” that I posted to my blog. He wasn’t very original or anything, but he was fun to write. I also really like the overbearing grandmother I have in a little story I’m writing for fun....to her granddaughter she seems unreasonable, selfish, and narrow-minded. While although she IS those things, she also has deep hurts and memories underneath her surface that her granddaughter knows nothing about.

Naomi: Haha. Oh dear. I have created quite a few flirts, including some mean men - you know, Mr Wickham type men. Those are quite mean. I can pin a 'meanest' one, though. (Yeah, how pathetic. I can't even answer my own question!)

 

Are most of your female protagonists tomboys or girly girls?

Emma: I would say there’s a majority of girly girls, but only slight. Most of the girls I write about have a little of both.

Heidi: They’re definitely not tomboys, but they’re not feminine in an extremely fluffy sense either (though they do love beautiful things).

Hamlette: They lean toward the tomboy side.  I don't understand girly girls very well, and think I write them badly.

Natalie: A mix of both. :)

Naomi: Girly girls. Relate better to them.

 

Do you have a soundtrack or piece of music that you’d want on the background if your book ever turned into a movie?

Emma: DO I EVER. I don’t really have anything specific for Curtains of Lace, but for one of my other current projects-- A Sliver of Sunlight-- it would definitely be the soundtrack from the movie A River Runs Through It. Particularly the track “In the Half Light of the Canyon.” It’s nothing less than heavenly.

Heidi: I love putting together music! I have a lot of selections, but one particular track is Camelot Music/Narada’s “Celebration.” You can almost see the land running out wide and hear the horse hooves pounding in its mounting exhultation.

Hamlette: I wrote most of my current novel while listening to the Lone Ranger soundtrack, so a score by Hans Zimmer would be amazing!  I also listened to the Thor soundtrack a lot for the ending, and I'd be very happy to have a movie version scored by Patrick Doyle as well.

Natalie: I LOVE this question!!! Well, for my Princess and the Pea story, I put together a playlist of music that inspires my story.  I don't actually have a particular song in mind for if it was made into a movie, but I'd love the soundtrack to be something like these: Marian's Theme // Narnia Battle Song // Darcy's Letter // From the Rich to the Poor // Rescue //

Naomi: I don't do this as much as some other writers do, but I do have one for my current work, which is a WW2 story. I'd love an orchestral version of Vera Lynn's famous war song, 'We'll Meet again.' It would be perfect.

But oh GIRLS. How AMAZING would it be to have a movie of your book?!!!

 

Most books have either pattern A or B. A would be with the book starting out all normal and happy, then something bad happening, and finally ending happily again. B is the kind of book that starts sad – the hero/heroine has always had an unhappy life – and then it ends with him/her finally finding happiness. Which pattern do you tend to use more? Or do you have a different one? Tell us!

Emma: I don’t really think about patterns much-- probably not as much as I should! But out of those two, I usually tend towards A.

Heidi: *Spoilers* My first novel was definitely pattern A, but my current WIP is B.

Hamlette: I prefer pattern A.  It's kind of the classic myth structure -- hero starts out at home, we see what he has to lose or wants to escape from, and then everything gets turned upside down.  I use that a LOT, but I do use pattern B sometimes.

Natalie: Hmmm.....I think I may tend to use A more, but usually I have SOME sort of problem for my protagonist, little or small, right from the start.

Naomi: I have used A and B, but I use A much more.

 

Sad or Happy endings? (The latter, hmm?)

Emma: In my opinion, a good story resolves itself with a happy ending, but it’s much more resonant when the characters have lost something or regret something or have some kind of sorrow about something, which doesn’t make a happily-ever-after, Barbie-movie-ending kind of deal. Because there’s always a little sadness, even when things are good. Those are the kind of stories I want to write.

Heidi: Happy endings most definitely! I love heart-wrenching scenes, but I can’t leave them that way… Or rather, it all fits together and I love heart-wrenchingly happy endings.

Hamlette: I much prefer happy endings.  But some stories can't have them.

Natalie: Yes, definitely happy endings, but sometime a bittersweet one. You know...something sad DOES happen, but mostly everything is happy.

Naomi: HAPPY. Although there can be the gooey sadness in the background, it has to be a happy kind of ending.

 

Do you normally write historical or present-time stories?

Emma: I’m a bona-fide, dyed-in-the-wool history lover. I’m definitely a historical-fiction writer. That is not to say I would never consider writing a contemporary novel-- in fact, I have considered it, and I’m totally up for it-- but historical fiction will always be my first and true love.

Heidi: Historical. I’ve done a little (but very little and not for a long time) with present day settings.

Hamlette: Historical.  Both of my WIPs are westerns, and I've kind of decided I'm going to write nothing but westerns now because I enjoy that setting so much.  I wrote a couple of western stories in high school and college, but my first five novels are set in modern day, and the vast majority of my short stories take place during World War II because they're fanfic for the 1960s TV show Combat!  But when I was writing this novel, I felt like I had come home -- I enjoyed all of the creative process much more than I had with any other novel, and so… westerns it is.

Natalie: I prefer historical, although I have tried writing some modern day stories before.

Naomi: Normaly, historical. Just, it's SO much for inspirational and story-like, if you get that. But I also like writing present-time stories, because I don't have to worry about accuracy.

 

Describe the prettiest character you have ever created – feel free to paste a story snippet as an answer.

Emma: Can it be a man? ;-) He looked completely different than the first time I’d met him. Then he had been suave and charming, immaculately groomed, every inch of his attire in perfect arrangement. Now his tie was hanging loose and he was in his shirtsleeves, his shirt unbuttoned, and it looked as though his outfit was falling apart little by little. And even so, he was stunning.

   To say Wolf Schneider was handsome would have been the understatement of the twentieth century. The word seemed entirely unworthy of describing him to his full extent. He was the most august male I had ever laid eyes on, and it took me several moments to react to such astonishing good looks. It was plainly ridiculous, I thought, for a man to be so good-looking. It wasn’t hardly fair. A man who is so appealing is much harder to conduct one’s self intelligently around.  

Heidi: This comes from one of my short stories: Her dusky hair hung below her waist in smooth braids like bound silk, while her large dark eyes were fixed on him with serious, steady attention. Green embroidery, that just matched the trees rustling outside the window, trimmed her sweeping, deep purple gown, while the pure white of her undersleeves created a spot of light amid the leaf shadows.

Hamlette: Hmm.  I'm not sure who the absolute prettiest would be.  My heroines tend to be averagely attractive, though my heroes are sometimes handsome.  But here's Grace Reed, a character from a previous novel: She was a few inches taller than Amy, with shaggy, chin-length, pale blonde hair and a pixie face, all pointed chin and wide blue eyes.  She grinned, her mouth a stretch of joy that looked perpetually glad.

Natalie: Hmmmm. I’m not sure which I’d call “the prettiest” so I’ll just describe my female protagonist in my current WIP. She has reddish gold wavy hair that is usually loose or in a braid that reaches her waist. She has large blue eyes, and a cute, slightly turned up nose that gives her an innocent, child-like look. She’s slim and of medium height.

Naomi: This is the mother of the heroine in her young years. She's like a blonde version of Olivia de Havilliand. I was beautiful. I had big blue-y grey mirrored eyes, that shone like a white goddess, and they were fringed by curly butterfly lashes. My thin heart-shaped face looked serene and cooing and gently girlish under my curly bobbed blonde hair.

 

Will you ever stop writing?

(I admit it. I only asked this to see your reactions.)

Emma: Not until the ‘role is called up yonder’, and hopefully not even then. :-) Writing is my jam, my passion, one of my greatest pleasures in life, and I don’t ever want to stop

Heidi: Lord willing, I pray I'll never have to—it’s practically synonymous with thinking, breathing, and sleeping!

Hamlette: I don't plan to.

Natalie: No, I certainly will not! I may not have quite the passion and talent for it as some do, but I love it and can’t imagine not writing in SOME way-whether through journaling, stories, or blogging!

Naomi: DON'T EVEN ASK.

 

Thank you for all your delightful answers, girls! This was so much fun! There definitely is talent in the world. :-)