Ten Days

It's been about ten days since I last checked in here.

Since then I worked on another editing project for a friend. It was short and easy. Very enjoyable.

Then I worked on Amelia Rider.

In the comments, Elizabeth brought up nanowrimo, which is a writing exercise where writers attempt to write a novel in a month. I think it's insane. But, some people do it and they love it.

I neither have the time nor the inclination for that kind of dedication, however, I thought I would mark my writing progress on Amelia Rider as I go. Then I can look back and see when I was able to go full throttle and when the writing slowed a little.

I probably should explain Amelia Rider and then talk about where I've been and where I plan to go.

First, Amelia Rider is a work of fiction. It is a modern adaptation of The Mysteries of Udolpho, sans the mysteries. What's left you ask? Udolpho. Essentially, I am updating this classic as sort of Radcliffe-lite.

Why?

Well, several reasons. One is that the original has incredible twists and turns but the rampant sexism and ridiculous fainting every third page is distracting to read. I can only overlook so much craziness (and poor nutrition?). So I took about ten major plot points from the original and I am writing a new, modern story around them.

Another reason is that I simply want to do this. So there. Since I write for enjoyment I might as well immerse myself in something enjoyable.

The third reason is that Radcliffe's story is about 300,000 words long so if I don't have two months to dedicate to reading it then I can't enjoy it very often. My "lite" version will come in around 100,000 words give or take 20,000 words so it will be considerably shorter. (I know in your head it may make more sense to take two months to read the original rather than many months to write a modern adaptation but I promise you it makes sense in my mind.)

So where have I been and where am I going?

I started this project on October first on a whim and I banged out research, a summary, and 10,000 words in about a week. In the last ten days I've added another 10,000 words so right now I am at 20, 375 words. I have anywhere from 60,000 words to 100,000 words left to go so I have quite a way to travel yet. I just finished the seventh full chapter (there are a few partial chapters) and I just ended Amelia's vacation with her father. I don't think I will continue to work at this pace but marking it as I go will tell me how I progress.

What are some similarities and differences?

Similarities:

1) Well, first I am adapting the story (sans the mysteries) because I fell in love with the twists and turns that Radcliffe created. I like the original story. So I am keeping some of her creations, like her treatment of the would-be hero in the third volume. It is very unusual (almost as unusual as Charlotte Smith's treatment of her would-be hero in Emmeline - another story that is ripe for a modern adaptation).

2) I am keeping the basic path that Ann wrote. The first section is given to a father-daughter vacation, the second to the treatment of the heroine at the hands of the villain, Montoni, and the third will be a rebirth.

3) And I have managed to plot in three (only three!) plausible fainting episodes by the heroine. It is in honor to Radcliffe. However, any more than three and I might have to quit working on my own project.

Now for the differences:

1) My heroine has been recast from Emily St. Aubert, a shy, sheltered French girl to Amelia Rider, a shy, sheltered American girl.

2) Amelia and her father don't tour the countryside on their ramblings but instead I send Amelia to Italy for an awakening to the world around her that will affect how she deals with her trials in section two. (I loved writing these scenes. She sees the Rape of Proserpina, the Gardens of Ninfa, and Lake Bracciano - all of which are important to her understanding the world she is about to enter.)

3) Amelia is a little feistier than Emily. Emily just stands there and faints. I couldn't deal with that. Amelia learns to fight back.

4) When Amelia is kidnapped she is not taken to Italy and the castle of Udolpho like Emily but rather she taken to lawless Zimbabwe where her evil uncle plunders the natural resources of the nation rather than the neighboring kingdoms.

5) Speaking of her evil uncle, Montoni has been recast as Victor Lantini. In the original he is...uh...asexual in many ways toward Emily. It's strange. Especially considering the amount of time she is held captive. I change that in my story. This is the one section where my story will probably go darker than Radcliffe's. In this way, mine will be Radcliffe dark, but Montoni, and consequently Lantini, just don't make sense otherwise. They come out flat if this is not addressed.

6) A few other major recasts: Valancourt is Edward Tennelin. Amelia and her father meet him on a plane to Italy. Madame Cheron/Madame Montoni is recast as Aunt Cristabelle Montgomery/Lantini, and she is just as selfish as Radcliffe intended her to be. Monsieur Du Pont has been recast a Donovan Grey of Australia.

7) I also enhanced the role of Montoni's right hand man, Count Morano and others, in the form of Finley Abrielle, his much younger cousin on his mother's side. Finley will have a lot of contact with Amelia while she is imprisoned in Zimbabwe.

8) And, as I indicated above, I dropped all of the mysteries for various reasons, all of which, in my opinion, are very good reasons but I don't feel the need to spell them out here. Suffice it to say, my adaptation will be much shorter because of it and while a few of the mysteries will be missed they will always exist (and be unbelievable) in the original.

Other than some of the general time lines and a few major plot points that I lifted out, much of Amelia Rider is going to be invented just for her by me. So, it is an adaptation but not necessarily a dead-on faithful one. Think Clueless to Emma.

I'm off to write the next section in which Amelia returns to the United States and falls under the custody of her selfish Aunt Cristabelle.