27 Corsets:On Writing a Jane Austen Rom Com~Guest Post from Katie Oliver

corset

Jane Austen’s shoes are impossible to fill. 

Let me just state that up front. As a published author of six romantic comedies, I’m no stranger to the writing game – or to the debt that authors and readers alike owe Miss Austen for the literary and romantic trail she blazed. Just today I studied the photo of her small, round writing table and chair at Chawton cottage and was amazed by the novels she penned there…Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility, Emma, Mansfield Park, Persuasion…effortlessly capturing the foibles of society and the pursuit of love with her singular precision and wit.

So when my publisher, Carina UK/Harper Collins, suggested I ‘reimagine’ three of Austen’s beloved novels – Pride and Prejudice, Emma, and Sense and Sensibility, I admit it…

…I balked. 

No way, I thought, panicked. I couldn’t possibly. How could I – how could anyone? – reimagine perfection? I might as well try and reconstruct War and Peace, or the Bible. It was audacious. It was crazy. It simply wasn’t going to happen. Oh…and did I mention I had only six months to produce three finished books? Gulp. 

But eventually (about ten minutes later) I decided to give it a try. It was a challenge that I couldn’t resist.

Luckily, modernizing Austen didn’t prove quite as daunting as I’d initially feared. Because one thing remains constant – people still have the same vices, failings, and idiosyncrasies they had during the Regency (snobbery, jealousy, avariciousness, envy, to name but a few), and human nature is nothing if not consistent. The tendency to behave either (a) badly or (b) stupidly is inherent in all of us and is pretty much a given, and that will never change. 

So, with that in mind, I pondered the characters and plots of each of Austen’s three beloved novels. How to capture the essence of those stories and yet give them my own spin? How to create something “fun and flirty” (editor speak) and still stay true to Austen’s examples of deeply felt love and loss, of steadfastness, of integrity and honor?

I started with three sisters…Emma, Elizabeth, and Charlotte Bennet. I combined Austen’s Kitty and Lydia into Charlotte, the youngest (and most boy-crazy) Bennet sister, and dispensed with Mary altogether. The first book would tell Lizzy’s story, with the second belonging to her older (and meddlesome) sister, Emma. The third book left the Bennet family altogether to focus on the Holland sisters, Marianne and Elinor. (Since I already had a Dashwood in my first book, Prada and Prejudice, I had to ditch the Dashwood surname. Needs must.)

Each story would feature love found, lost, and found again.

With three plots in place and characters in mind, I began to write. The biggest problem? My characters stubbornly refused to speak in modern vernacular. “Let’s go for a walk” became “Shall we go for a stroll?” and “nice” became “very pleasant indeed.” It was difficult to keep my characters from lapsing into Austen-ese whenever they conversed; so difficult, in fact, that I went back to tweak the manuscript to reword overly formal bits of dialogue. 

Next, I had to update the books. A popular trope for any modern romantic comedy is the ‘meet cute,’ wherein two love interests collide (sometimes literally) in an embarrassing and amusing way. They might back into each other in a parking lot; get their dogs’ leashes hopelessly tangled up on a crowded city street; or engage in an undignified tug of war over an old lamp sitting on the curb that they both want, for equally compelling reasons. 

In What Would Lizzy Bennet Do? (my alterna-version of Pride and Prejudice), Lizzy knows Hugh Darcy most of her life, so the first-meet trope didn’t really work. But I managed a ‘meet cute’ for Darcy’s younger brother Harry, when Holly – his brother’s fiancée – falls for him, literally and figuratively. Emma and Marianne also have, shall we say…unique introductions to their respective love interests, as well.

It proved to be a fun and rewarding – if challenging – exercise. I’ve gained new respect for the authors of any book based on Austen – from Bridget Jones’s Diary to The Lizzie Bennet Diaries – because it isn’t an easy task.

After all, it’s nearly impossible to follow in the footsteps of perfection…

Do you like Jane Austen? Love a good Rom-Com? You’ll love The Jane Austen Factor!

56 comments

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    • Ginna on February 29, 2016 at 12:38 am
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    Well, I am eagerly looking forward to reading these books. Winning a copy would be awesome.

    • Carol on February 29, 2016 at 12:38 am
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    I believe that you are correct in making the stories transition from Recency to Modern language and keep it there. But with your writing talent, the outcome is worth the price of the book for many to read.

    • Cindy Thompson on February 29, 2016 at 1:02 am
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    These books sound like great fun! I can hardly wait to read them!

  1. Lovely to have you here on JA Variations, Katie. Looking forward to reading your novels!

    1. Many thanks, Monica! I’m thrilled to be here on your wonderful site. x

    • EvelynTost on February 29, 2016 at 4:09 am
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    Sounds like you accepted and completed the challenge very well. Very intriguing. I am certainly interested in your results! Thank you for sharing with us.

    • Sarah on February 29, 2016 at 5:28 am
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    The Jane Austen Factor stories sound like fun and I’d love to read them (adding all three to my reading list right now). I admit I also have a penchant for bookmarks, so I’d be extra pleased if I was lucky enough to win this giveaway 🙂

    • Sana on February 29, 2016 at 5:54 am
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    Great books, and lovely illustrations! 🙂

    • Glynis on February 29, 2016 at 6:15 am
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    Congratulations on completing your task. I have read quite a few modern variations of P&P and really enjoyed them so look forward to reading these. Thanks for the chance of winning one and the lovely bookmarks 😊

  2. Love the post, Katie! Thanks for sharing with us.:)

    • michelle hackett on February 29, 2016 at 7:11 am
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    Brilliant, Love to read your novels as havent yet…..but heard great things! Thanks for a great giveaway xx

    • Lyn Freeman on February 29, 2016 at 7:17 am
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    I will look out for them! They sound interesting!

  3. Thank you all for the very kind comments! I really hope you enjoy the books…they’re no comparison to Ms Austen (of course!) but I had fun writing them and I hope they provide an enjoyable way to pass a couple of hours.

    Best of luck to all who enter the contest!

    Katie xx

    • Martha Claycomb on February 29, 2016 at 9:15 am
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    How wonderful to hear your thought processes behind these. It makes reading them even more interesting. Looking forward to reading these.

    • Linda A. on February 29, 2016 at 10:01 am
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    Congratulations on meeting the challenge! Thank you for sharing — looking forward to reading them.

    • Anji on February 29, 2016 at 10:51 am
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    Fascinating post, Katie. Reading about different authors’ writing processes is a very interesting subject. I know what you mean about making the language sound less formal as I have a tendency to use Regency-speak whenever I write things and sometimes when I speak, too! I’ve had one or two strange looks when using words like “approbation” which tends to happen if I’ve just arrived at work after listening to a Regency set audiobook on my commute!

    Thanks for the giveaway and congratulations on meeting that deadline of three books in six months!

    1. Thank you, Anji. It’s hard to return to the real (modern) world after reading a Regency, isn’t it? Lol

      Best wishes and felicitations. Erm…I mean to say, thank you very much! 🙂

    • Sheila L. M. on February 29, 2016 at 11:01 am
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    It’s ironic but in reading some much JAFF in my retirement I find myself using many of the Regency phrases in my conversations or written posts…but I leave them there for fun. I always love a good rom-com so count me in the drawing here and good luck with those demands from your publisher.

  4. Best of luck in the drawing, Sheila! It’s incredibly difficult not to “Jane-speak” sometimes, isn’t it?? 😄 I’m so appreciative of all the comments and for you for taking the time to post. Thank you!

    • Susan S on February 29, 2016 at 11:52 am
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    Really like the descriptions of the books
    and the illustrations. Hope I win the giveaway
    for the eBook and cute bookmarks.

    1. I seriously wish EVERYONE could win! Thank you so much Susan, and good luck to you. 🙂

  5. I love Austen and all courageous writers. I would be honored to receive and read your book. Roberta

    1. Aw, thank you, Roberta! I’m very grateful for your kind words.

  6. Fascinating!! I don’t usually like the modern versions of Austen because my heart is firmly planted in the soil of the English Rengency period, but these sound amazing! 🙂

    And since you wrote them, Maria, I have no doubt that they’ll be spectacular!!

    I feel a bit like an Austen heroine myself as we face the loss of our home and the beginning of a new life somewhere else. My situation sounds a lot like the plot lines of Persuasion or S&S or “The Stanhopes,” the novel within a novel in Syrie James’ The Missing Manuscript of Jane Austen.

    Take care and write on, Maria!

    Warmly,
    Susanne 🙂

    1. Susanne,
      these are Katie Oliver’s books, I just posted this for her! Thanks for the vote of confidence though.

      1. Oopsie. Thanks for the correction! I missed that bit of info, somehow. 🙂

        ~Susanne 🙂

  7. Thanks, Susanne, for the kind words. And thanks to the lovely Maria Grace and Jane Austen Variations for having me on their website. It’s a huge honor. 😉

    1. You are very welcome, indeed, Katie. 🙂

      (See? Definitely grounded in the Regency Era…)

      Warmly,
      Susanne 🙂

      1. And there’s nothing wrong with that! 🙂 My most gracious thanks, Susanne. *curtseys*

    • JanisB on February 29, 2016 at 4:14 pm
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    So glad you rose to the challenge. Looks like fun!!

    1. They were fun to write…but I think I must’ve been slightly crazy to write three books in six months! Thanks for taking time to comment. 🙂

  8. So glad you could stop by Jane Austen Variations! Your books sound delightful. 🙂

    1. Thank you, Abigail! I really enjoyed my visit.

    • Lynn Bischoff on February 29, 2016 at 5:37 pm
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    I don’t read many modern JAFF, but these sound really good. I look forward to reading them.

    1. Ooh, thank you, Lynn. Miss Austen is a tough act to follow… I hope you like them. x

  9. Congratulations on a mighty feat and conquering it. Looking forward to reading them. Thanks for the ability to win bookmarks.

    1. *blushes* Many thanks Patty. I hope you enjoy them and I wish you luck in the contest!

    • Deborah on March 1, 2016 at 6:40 am
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    What a daunting challenge you were given by your publisher. They knew you could accomplish it. These stories sound interesting and are on my wish list Thank you for your generous give away.

    1. Thank you, Deborah. 🙂 I love doing giveaways – it’s always fun. Best of luck to you and thanks for leaving a comment!

      Katie x

    • Maggie on March 1, 2016 at 7:11 am
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    What a task but I know the end result will be wonderful. Congratulations

    1. Well, let us but hope. Lol. Thank you for taking the time to comment. Much appreciated!

      Katie

  10. Love your post, Katie! Your books sound wonderful–a perfect “fun & flirty” read for a lazy summer day! I cracked up at your line, “The tendency to behave either (a) badly or (b) stupidly is inherent in all of us and is pretty much a given.” Ha! That is so true and something I believe Austen did a great job showing. Looking forward to seeing how you recreate Austen’s characters in your stories! And thanks for the giveaway, too!

    1. Thank you for the lovely comment, Jakki! I really had fun writing these books. It’s a very good thing for us writers that human nature hasn’t changed much in 250 years. I hope you like the books and I hope to write another in the very near future.

      Again, many thanks!

      Katie

    • Rosa on March 2, 2016 at 5:26 pm
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    I usually prefer Regency novels but your story sounds intrigating (is that a Jane-speak word or just my native French taking over?). I put it on my to read list in case I don’t win 😉

    1. Thank you for adding my book to your to be read list – much appreciated! No, it’s not set during the Regency, but I tried to stay true to the spirit of Sense and Sensibilty despite the modern setting. Best of luck…I hope you win!

      Katie

    • Maclaney on March 3, 2016 at 10:26 pm
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    Enjoy the creation of these stories. The results should be fun to read.
    Betty

    1. Thanks for commenting, Betty. 🙂 I sure had fun writing these books! I really hope readers enjoy them, too.

    • Ann on March 4, 2016 at 3:46 pm
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    Golly three books in such a short time frame. It may have been difficult Katie to do anything else but write and think about the books? Thank you for doing that and I look forward to reading them.

    1. It was crazy, Ann! Lol. I had to hit 10k words a week for eight weeks for each book, times three. Luckily I had lots of quiet time to do it, and I enjoyed the challenge. Mostly. ;-D

      Thanks so much for commenting and I do hope you read them…they were lots of fun to write. x

      Katie

    • Wendy on March 5, 2016 at 12:23 pm
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    These sounds quite interesting, and I’d love to give them a try. I can easily see how changing Ms. Austen’s characters to modern would be difficult when it comes to language. I have had close friends say, “Who uses that word?” when I talk. Oops! But why not use that word when it perfectly embodies what is meant? Oh, well.

    1. Exactly, Wendy. It’s difficult to dispense with the more formal Regency language from Austen’s books, because it’s so intrinsic to her characters and stories. It was a real challenge to me as I wrote! But updating the language – especially the characters’ conversation – was necessary to make my editor and readers happy. However, I’d love to try my hand at writing a Regency; in fact, I’m discussing that possibility with my agent.

      I thank you for your comment and I do hope you give my books a read. 🙂

      Katie

    • Ginna on March 15, 2016 at 2:20 pm
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    Has a winner been announced for this one, yet? I didn’t know when it would be over, nor where it would be posted.

    1. Hi Ginna,

      No, a winner hasn’t been chosen yet. Watch this space…I’m sure it’ll be announced soon!

      My Who Needs Mr Willoughby? giveaway takes place on 24 March. If you’d like to enter that as well, here’s the Rafflecopter link. I’m giving away lots of great stuff including a Jane Austen address book, L’Occitane hand and lip creams, a copy of Sense & Sensibility, I Heart Darcy magnets and tote bag, and much more. Enter here: https://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/20b92fdb8/

        • Ginna on March 15, 2016 at 7:31 pm
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        Cool! Thanks, Katie. But… does it include any of your books?

        1. Hi Ginna,

          Yes, the winner can choose either of my Jane Austen Factor ebooks, What Would Lizzy Bennet Do?, The Trouble with Emma, or Who Needs Mr Willoughby? 🙂

            • Ginna on March 15, 2016 at 8:20 pm
            • Reply

            🙂

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