One of the interesting challenges for JAFF writers is the ever-evolving nature of the English language. All languages change over time, leaving modern French speakers trying to read Old French, like the Eulalia text: Buona pulcella fut eulalia./ Bel auret corps bellezour anima/ Voldrent la veintre li deo Inimi. almost as lost as your average …
Tag: writing
Making Her Mark: When Ink was Made at Home, pt 1
In Austen’s day, pen and ink were separate entities, both of which needed to be available in order for writing to be possible.
The Luxury of Paper
Today, paper is quite literally something that grows on trees. It is abundant, disposable, and cheap, quite the opposite of the situation during Jane Austen’s day when paper was something of a luxury good This, and the cost of postage, explains why letters of Austen’s era were cross-written, sometimes three different times. A writer would …
Written in herown hand–Pennamanship in Austen’s Day
Today, when pennmanship is rapidly becoming a thing of the past, and we type notes into our phones rather than write them by hand, we give little thought to handwriting, much less the different ways in which letters might be formed. That was not the case during the days of writing with quill and ink.
Writing like Jane Austen Wrote
How did one use a quill pen and what was it like to write with one?
The Cranky Cajun Cheesehead Vents
The CRANKY Cajun Cheesehead Vents, by Jack Caldwell Greetings, everyone. Jack Caldwell here. I have, for most of my life, been what Miss Bingley would call a “great reader.” I’ve enjoyed classic literature, popular fiction, and historical tomes. Thus, I have become a lover of words, particularly English words. According to WorldAtlas, it has been …
Writing Routines (or How to Pull Yourself Out of a Writing Rut)
Well, it’s that time of year again—new year, new decade, clean slate. And for many people, that means goal-setting and resolutions. If you’re a writer (or if you’ve been thinking about starting a writing project), your goals might be something along the lines of: make more time for writing, finish that manuscript, write every day. …
Advice for New Writers
Recently, a friend and I were having a conversation about what it takes to write and publish a novel. After many years of having a story idea floating around in her head, she had decided to give writing a shot, and wanted to know if I had any advice for a first-time author. And while …
On Writing
Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about writing and what it means to be a writer. I’m in the process of drafting my second Pride and Prejudice variation, and to be honest, it’s been a challenge. Unlike many authors, I didn’t always want to write. I never dreamed about seeing my name on the New …
Confronting the Blank Page
Jane Austen is now so acclaimed an author that it’s difficult to imagine she might have suffered, as many in the writing profession do, blank page paralysis. Did she charge into a new book without a single qualm, confident of her story and her ability to tell it effectively? Or did she suffer a fresh …
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