Weekly Update

Another week has passed since I posted my writing progress. I've added another ten thousand words this week and Amelia Rider now stands at 30, 645 words.

A few thoughts:

1) I woke up on October first and decided to write this story on a whim. I suppose I wanted to see if I could do it. And the only way to discover that would be to try. So I am attempting to write a modern adaptation of an (often) dated classic on a whim....I may die trying...

2) I have never, ever written this much story this fast. It took me about six years to complete my first novel and I learned a lot of writing rules the hard way. If I keep on pace (which I don't expect to) but if I did then the project from start to a basic first draft will take approximately 8-12 weeks.

3) Most of my stories are man v. self. This adaptation is man v. man and I am loving it! I've worked on Cristabelle and Finley this week and I love writing such selfish, vapid, twisted, confusing characters. Cristabelle is mostly one-note but Finley is nuanced and layered and simply a dream to write. Absolutely delightful.

4) Truth be told, I've only ever read the story I am adapting once and it was a while ago. So, after I write a section, I've read the original to see if I am hitting the right feel. I am happy to say that I feel like I am and there are many things to love about the original but I am really digging my adaptation as well. It is fresh enough to be a story on its own while paying homage to the twists that Ann Radcliffe originally invented. I mentioned this before but I am not attempting to recreate the story completely - I am trying to do more of a Emma to Clueless adaptation, even going so far as to name my own characters and paint them with a slightly different stroke.

5) Only time will tell I am can pull this off with something remotely readable but I am enjoying the journey of writing and I wouldn't exchange the experience for anything. Well...almost...

Amelia Rider in 23 Songs or Less

Music. It's a beautiful thing. I use it constantly when I write. I think creativity begets creativity. I often listen to certain songs when I am writing scenes that require emotion that I may not be feeling at that time. I may be deliriously happy and yet I need to write a tremendously sad scene. Or vice versa. The point is that we can create an emotional summary of a story through music.

Duke Special has been my special duke friend this time around. His songs are so beautiful and so layered that they add a lot to my writing experience. Other favorites are Chris Isaak, Kate Rusby, Travis, Johnny Boyd (Indigo Swing), Muse, and She & Him.

In the original version of this story (The Mysteries of Udolpho) the heroine, would-be hero, and the heroine's father all break out in prose, reciting poetry at every leaf, flower, and sunrise. It's...unusual. So if I were to update that theory in my adaptation, the following songs would be what the character's inner thoughts would reveal if they were just to break out into song the way Radcliffe's characters recite prose with abandon. However I don't plan to have them sing in my story so they can do it here and I won't mock them for it.

I usually do this in my head or I utilize my sidebars but I was feeling ambitious today. So here is a cliff notes version of Amelia Rider in 23 songs or less.

Edward sees Amelia sitting on the plane. They meet on the way to Italy where Amelia and her father are traveling and Edward is doing a study abroad. They make plans to meet up again but forget to exchange contact information.

Duke Special
Slip of a Girl


A short response from innocent Amelia.

Johnny Boyd
I Like the Likes of You



Edward is smitten.

Muse
Can't Take My Eyes Off You



Amelia's father, Adrian, dies while on vacation and only six months after Amelia's mother. Her grief is acute and overwhelming.

Kate Rusby
Bold Riley



Since Amelia is now parentless and still legally a minor, her Aunt Cristabelle comes to take possession of the girl. Cristabelle's adventurer friend turned husband, Victor, takes Cristabelle and Amelia to Botswana for a business opportunity. Amelia will be eighteen in two weeks and plans to return to the U.S. the first flight back after her birthday. Edward and Amelia miss each other but plan to see each other soon.

Jason Mraz and Colbie Calliat
Lucky



Edward hears nothing from Amelia but he still plans to see her just after her eighteenth birthday.

Kate Rusby
You Belong to Me



Her birthday comes and goes and there is still no word from Amelia. Edward is starting to feel the distance. Confusion from lack of communication sets in.

BJ (Your Call Cover)
Secondhand Serenade



Edward has come to the conclusion that Amelia has found new adventures in Botswana and that she has left him behind. He is mostly convinced but not entirely.

My favorite line:
To keep her caged would just delay the spring.

Travis
Cage



In truth, Amelia is no longer in Botswana. They were only there for a few days before Victor hires a guide, Donovan Grey, to take them to the lawless country of Zimbabwe. Victor confiscates Amelia's passport and cell phone and imprisons her and Cristabelle at a compound where he sets up a business plundering the natural resources of the country.

I don't have any songs to describe Victor's motivations toward Amelia. Essentially he wants Cristabelle's money. After six months she dies, never having changed her will, so Amelia is still her heiress, which makes her very desirable to Victor...in all ways.

If Amelia experienced an awakening of the world around her on her trip to Italy, she is now being clubbed over the head with it.

This next song is twisted. It almost starts out like a lullaby and then descends to such depths of depravity that it is hard to believe it is all in one song. This describes Finley's feelings toward Amelia. He is Victor's nephew and much closer in age to our heroine. However, his tastes are not what they ought to be. Unfortunately for our heroine she has a very complicated relationship with Finley as he spares her from injury almost as many times as he tries to inflict it himself.

Elvis Costello
I Want You



This is Finley's admission of who he is himself. He knows he is on a collision course but he enjoys it enough to keep going.

Duke Special
Diggin' an Early Grave



Amelia knows he is not good but she has no one else to rely on to keep Victor at bay. Thus Finley is a devil in disguise.

Chris Isaak and LeAnn Rimes
Devil in Disguise



After Amelia fends off the advances of Victor one too many times he throws in her a cell at the compound. Her neighbor is singing and she and he make a friendship. Eventually she discovers that it is Donovan Grey. He's been there for a year and half since they first came to Zimbabwe. They spend three months in confinement where Finley can no longer protect her and Victor can do what he wants with Amelia - which Donovan can hear but not stop.

The compound comes under attack again and a cell wall is blown away.

After Amelia and Donovan escape, Finely catches up to them. Hijinks ensue. Amelia attacks him, Donovan knocks him out and they escape. Goodbye is for Finley. (I guess I could have used their other song about I don't want to be your friend again but I just love goodbye.)

Goodbye
Save Ferris



Amelia and Donovan eventually cross back into Botswana and go to the consulate. It's April 1st but it's not a joke.

Donovan, who is Australian, and Amelia are sent back to their respective countries.

When Amelia returns home she hears that Edward has been around looking for her. She spent so much time over the last year and a half trying to survive the assaults of two villians that she never thought about Edward's heartbreak. She just thought about her own. This is Amelia's thoughts toward Edward. This video is a story in and of itself but I couldn't resist.

Duke Special
Portrait



Early in the original story St. Aubert (Adrian) remarks that Valancourt (Edward) is a nice young man but he has never seen Paris. It's like saying Edward has never seen the temptations of Vegas. Well, while Amelia is gone Edward takes some of her last words to care for Grace (who is like her grandmother) literally which leads him into financial straits. He falls into a gambling ring and runs up debts which cause him to quit school and get two jobs. Here is Edward's take on himself and what that choice cost him.

Sanford Clark
The Fool



Amelia is broken-hearted to hear that he has turned out so bad. Are there no good, worthy, honorable men, she wonders. This next song is a great representation of a broken heart.

She & Him
Sentimental Heart



At home, she sees things from her travels to Italy that reminds her of Edward and how innocent their first connection was. The reminders are painful. Take it away Ben!

Ben E. King
Don't Play That Song



Adrian was a botanist who had greenhouses on his property which have since fallen into a mass of weeds and dead plants. Amelia is distressed as she looks at yet another thing that was robbed from her by her imprisonment. This next song comes as Amelia takes out her anger and frustration in one of the green houses. Amidst the destruction she finds a bulb that has survived two years of neglect and nature. Amelia's hope is reflected here and she is able to turn a corner.

Travis
Safe



This is the beginning of Edward's path to repentance toward Amelia.

EdVedd (Hoobastank Cover)
The Reason



Edward leaves the issue to Amelia.

Travis
Only Molly Knows



He comes back to Caledonia (which is the town where Amelia lives and both opens and closes the book) to reassert his repentance.

Paolo Nutini
Caledonia



Amelia's response mirrors that of the woman in Duke Special's next song. "No, our love goes deeper than this."

Duke Special
Our Love Goes Deeper Than This



I love the beauty of this song and it highlights the scene where Edward and Amelia can lay it all out.

Duke Special
Love is a Series of Scars



Kate's song, Radio Sweethearts, sums the story up nicely. It takes the vantage point of several years later. (Technically in the song they are dead but...)

Kate Rusby
Radio Sweethearts



One of the main points of the original story is that Amelia's sensibility gets away from her and she envisions all kinds of crazy spectral extras. As you may have noticed from the songs, taking out all of the mysteries in my adaptation allows me to interpret the story in a more literal way. I'm off to write.

Feeling the itch? Create your own story through music and then send me the link.

Time and Writing

My mother-in-law, and fellow writer, just sent me a link to an article about writing while mothering (and "working" - but really what do you think being a stay-at-home-mother entails? I guarantee I'm not eating bonbons all day.)

Anyway, so I felt that the woman's advice applied to me, made a ton of sense, and was very familiar. So familiar, in fact, that I had been thinking about writing on this very topic myself in the near future. I suppose the future is now.

Over the past few months I have had several women say:

"Oh, I just would never be able to find the time to write."

"Oh, I am trying to enjoy my children's childhood while it is still here." (As if to inflict guilt upon me. My children are already growing up too fast but ignoring my basic need to have a hobby doesn't slow that process down.)

"I'm far too busy to do anything like that for myself." (As if having a beloved hobby is selfish.)

"What does your husband think about the time you spend writing?" (This is usually after I tell them that I write for enjoyment and not for revenue. Most people are shocked at the sheer time waste of such a hobby.)

I've made my snarky comments about the last few so I will address the first point which is the main point of the article. Time. Where do you get it? How do you use it?

First off, contrary to popular belief, time and writing are not like oil and water. They really can go together.

I can honestly say that I frequently follow the advice in the article about writing on the go. I have written paragraphs while waiting for my child after school. I have edited in the dentist's office while waiting for my Novocaine to hit. I work through character issues and plot lines in my head while I wash the dishes or make dinner.

It is very rare that I can just sit down for several hours at a time and write. Life usually needs me elsewhere and that is okay. However, I have learned to take advantage of the quiet times, or the cleaning times, or the driving times to work on my book in my head and then I can sit down and let it all gush out to the computer in about a half hour spurt.

And occasionally my spouse does surprise me with an afternoon or a night off to write (especially lately - thanks dear!). Having a supportive spouse is great. Just like I support him on his five hour bike rides - which make him a happier person.

So I do write almost everyday. And I don't feel guilty about it. I am less cranky when I get to feed the creative side of myself. I sleep better when I don't have characters running through my head shouting at me to remember to write this or that scene for them. Writing, or a personal, fulfilling hobby, can be a wonderful addition to any woman.

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.

Five Weeks

It's been five weeks since I last checked in.

I thought I would note my latest writing activities.

1) I finished the editing project I was working on for someone else.

2) Every year, my boys and I celebrate fall by writing short children's stories. This year I wrote Naughty Neville with my boys for Halloween. It is based on Jane Austen's Cassandra, a short story that Jane wrote and dedicated to her sister Cassandra about a little girl who is naughty all day long and at the end of the day she is perfectly pleased with her exploits.

3) I updated A Novel Existence as a young adult Halloweeen story about ghost love.

4) I got a first draft of Fenton and Belina written. Fenton and Belina is a short story inspired by the folk song by Kate Rusby called Radio Sweethearts. It needs work but I like where the story is right now in the first draft stage.

5) On October first I decided to write a new story. Since then I wrote an outline, made character cards, did research, planned two Italian vacations, and wrote the first 10,000 words of Amelia Rider.

I can't wait to see what I do in the next five weeks.

Oh wait...I just remembered...I have to do all the things I put off and delayed over the last five weeks while I focused on my writing projects. Dang it....