ReviewsThe ‘Reviews’ page has been updated should you care to peruse what has been written about my first novel. Included are comments from those who did not appreciate an excess of the ‘lowest form of humour‘. Although the back of the book clearly states “This ‘PUN-filled‘ tale will certainly not be a PUN-ishment to read”, a few detractors certainly did consider the story a maltreatment. Perhaps a more appropriate title would have been Pride and Prejudice and Puns rather than Mr. Darcy Takes the Plunge.
My MuseI’m currently doing research for new stories (some JA inspired and one not) as well as tweaking several old ones. Oh, and I did manage to write another short story. If you haven’t read A Little Whimsical in His Civilities, please visit either The Writer’s Block or the Derbyshire Writers’ Guild. The puns in that tale may be few and far between, but they’ve been replaced by Elizabethan/Shakespearean-era insults. I’d love to get your feedback on the story. You can leave a comment at the site, here, or simply email me (jmariecroft@gmail.com).
Old NewsIf you’re interested in reading my blogs at Austen Authors, following are links to a number of posts I’ve written since that site began.
Muses, Museums, and Day Trippers - July 2011
Rules are meant to be broken. - June 2011
At Mr. Darcy’s Expense - May 2011
A Fool’s Errand - April 2011
When Life Gives You Lemons - March 2011
Bosky, Bounder, Bit o’ Muslin, and Bombazine – February 2011
An Un-heated Topic – January 2011
Mummers, and Jannies, and Mimes, oh my! – December 2010
Words and Whirls in the Regency World – November 2010
Scroll down to second blog post on the page to find J. Marie Croft celebrates Mr. Darcy Takes the Plunge – November 2011
Tragedy & Comedy – October 2010
Scroll down to about the middle of the page to find J. Marie Croft – September 2010
One of my 'pride and joy' daughters wrote a post for my publisher's blog. Here's the link to: 'J. Marie Croft - blown away by biggest fan'
In a previous blog post (‘Paper Scraps & Hen Scratch’), I mentioned little pieces of paper on which I had jotted notes for work-in-progress stories or ideas for future ones. “Then, when you’re ready, stitch them seamlessly together, embroider upon them, and weave those words into the tapestry of your story.” Right. Easier said than done.
Recently I was asked whether I’m disciplined in plotting a story, work with outlines, or just start typing. My flippant answer was about mapping out In a Perfect World only to have the map stolen by its characters. The truth is I went to pieces while writing that story.
Before I go any further, I need to tell you I’ve always enjoyed solving puzzles ... jigsaws, crosswords, mazes, logic, etc. You may ask what that particular pastime has to do with writing. According to Wikipedia: “A puzzle is a problem or enigma that tests the ingenuity of the solver. In a basic puzzle, one is intended to put together pieces in a logical way in order to come up with the desired solution.”
Mr. Darcy Takes the Plunge was very similar to a jigsaw puzzle. Numerous hen-scratched paper scraps had to be assembled properly to reveal the complete picture. Some pieces snapped into place quickly and easily. It was futile to force ones that didn’t fit; those were put aside for potential use in another story. Piece by piece, paragraph by paragraph, page by page, the picture began to take shape and make sense. Similar to the satisfaction of snapping into place the final piece of a jigsaw puzzle, typing the words ‘The End‘ came with a feeling of accomplishment.
I now realize other kinds of puzzles might be involved:
MAZES - It amazes people how many puns there are in Mr. Darcy Takes the Plunge.
CROSSWORDS - Yes, I had a few cross words when the characters hijacked my story; but there is another similarity. In a crossword puzzle, you fill white squares with words. Writing a story requires filling blank pages with words.
ANAGRAM - There’s an Anna Darcy in my book; and it’s possible one of the grandmothers, later in the story, might be called 'Gram'.
CIPHER - You may sigh for several reasons while reading Mr. Darcy Takes the Plunge.
SPOT THE DIFFERENCE - It’s easy to spot the differences between Pride and Prejudice and Mr. Darcy Takes the Plunge.
RIDDLE - My story is riddled with wordplay.
Quote from Mr. Darcy Takes the Plunge:
“... Mama and Papa have never permitted us to have animals in our residence. Hmm, I wonder whether they are concerned about household pets taking over the world. Why the puzzled look, Mr. Darcy? Have you never heard of reigning cats and dogs?”
I have a habit of carrying alliteration to a ridiculous degree. It probably started many years ago when a work colleague and I bought a baby shower gift together. We composed an alliterative verse for the card and had fun thinking of ‘P’ words ... pregnant, prolific, progeny, parent, pretty pastel package, etc.
I’ve gone overboard in narratives for geocaching logs and in sentiments on greeting cards. So, of course, my initial foray into storytelling had a character spouting alliterations; and this trend continues in Mr. Darcy Takes the Plunge. Here’s an example:
“Egad! You, my esteemed esquire, are the very epitome and embodiment of enriched and enhanced erudite encyclopaedic enlightenment. Equality in education is not encouraged; and while you are emboldened, equipped, and empowered, my English is embryonic and effete. It encumbers me in this entertaining exercise and entirely enables you to effectively emerge from this extemporization in exclusive eminence.”
Excessive? Exactly! And ... um ... it’s actually just one of five consecutive paragraphs composed of mostly ‘E’ words. Nevertheless, readers got into the spirit of things and responded with comments such as:
“Although an admirer of alliteration, alas, all adjectives are already assigned.”
“I adore an alliterative Adonis ...”
“You are a clever and cunning creature with your delightful, delectable, durable, dazzling story, and you haven’t dawdled with your display of debonair men ... to say nothing of those beautiful, bouncy, and beguiling ladies.”
“It has been delightful, delicious, and de-lovely ...”
“...Your elating e-story was especially entertaining, enthralling, and enticing, making me entirely excited and empty-headed over the English excess of essential e-words. This was emphatically the embodiment of exuberant entertainment that one can expect from such exclusive reading...”
So, perhaps now would be an appropriate time to remind everyone that Mr. Darcy Takes the Plunge will also be available as an (ahem) ... eBook.
 Who am I to give advice about the writing process? I have only a handful of stories to my credit and one book about to be published. This tip may be as useful as a two-cent tip; but for what it’s worth (approximately two cents), here’s an obvious word of advice about words. They’re elusive … in more than one way.
If you’re like me, you process words most effectively in front of a computer. However, old-fashioned pen and paper come in handy, especially when an idea pops into your head in the middle of the night, in the middle of a meeting, or in the middle of the forest. It may be difficult to later decipher those hen-scratched words that were written in the dark, under the table, or while swatting mosquitoes. Nevertheless, capture them before those elusive words escape! I once had an entire scene, complete with dialogue, play itself out in my head while showering. By the time I attempted to recapture my thoughts at the keyboard, I realized more than just soapy water had disappeared down the drain. Blood, sweat, and tears failed to recreate the scene exactly. Perhaps I should have showered again after all those bodily effusions. Oh, yes, I really worked myself into a lather in that instance.
Your hen-scratched scraps of paper may only contain a keyword, a line of dialogue, a storyline inconsistency that suddenly occurred to you, or a particularly evil twist in the plot.
Keep them in a safe place.
Then, when you’re ready, stitch them seamlessly together, embroider upon them, and weave those words into the tapestry of your story.
By the way … If you’re showering, turn off the spray before jotting down your ideas. On second thought, paper scraps can dry out later; capture the thoughts before they dry up. But who am I to give tips about the writing process? I’m a novice at writing novels, so my advice may not hold water.
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