Making Sense of Jane Austen

Last night I watched the movie "Jane Austen Book Club".  It was a great chick flick (although there were intriguing male characters as well).  It really appealed to all my senses including but not limited to:  books, girlfriends, relationships, and of course a happy ending. As the title would suggest it was based around a world immersed in the words of Ms. Jane Austen.

One thing this movie made me want to do was to pick up a Jane Austen novel and finish it.  Yes, I am guilty of not being able to get through her books.  Why?  I don't understand!  I love the movies about  her books, and I think she's totally fascinating.  Just as with many of you, I do consider her one of my heroes.  I totally love Jane Austen, I just can't seem to get through her writing.

This is an absolute tragedy, I know.  But please, don't be appalled at my confession.  I want to turn my life around!  I am absolutely determined to get through her books.  All of them.  I own Pride and Prejudice so I will make that one my first priority.  As soon as I finish my current reading choice (Emma Smith:  Mormon Enigma) my plan is to immerse myself into Jane Austen's creations.  One word at a time.

I would love to know what has stirred some of you into reading her novels.  What is it about Jane Austen that makes so many people tick?  After SO MANY LONG LIFE CHANGING YEARS, why oh why is she as popular as ever?  How can a writer stand that test of time?  She is incredible.  It's undeniable.  I am looking forward to finally clicking with the Jane Austen world!

Religion

Religion of all sorts has always fascinated me.  It's incredibly intriguing to watch a person wrapped up in faith.  It's beautiful, really.  The beliefs in and of themselves are so uniquely different and special, but each one of us is the same.  We all have a special yearning for something bigger, something higher.  It's interesting to witness that most of the time we reach up, away from our own selves to find it.  What I think is incredibly powerful is when we find what we are reaching for deeply within ourselves.

We are creatures of habit and comfort.  Finding a ritual which keeps us grounded is the basis of our peace.  One thing I believe that all religious leaders try teaching is that the peace we seek is inside.  Our guidance is what gives us the beliefs in the first place, and it can take us all the way home.

As I grow older my beliefs and faith mold into the things I see, learn, and come to understand.  One thing I feel completely certain of (for now anyway:o) is the common denominator in all I reach for is LOVE.  Not just giddy I-love-my-new-outfit kind of love, but deep, real, unending love that can take you through many dimensions if you let it.  That's who God is to me.  He is love.  His veins pump love throughout his divinity and it reaches to each one of us, because after all we're not separate beings.  We're all connected.

NaNoWriMo

One thing that lays on every writer's heart is to eventually actually write a book.  Many a people call themselves writers, yet feel the task of book writing to be incredibly daunting.  Well, I'm here to tell you that writing a book is no big deal.  That's "write" (wink wink) it's easy!  I can confidently say that because I, my friends, have written my first novel.

Here's the catch.  Writing a novel is easy, revising and editing is the challenge.  How do you get through the initial task of putting your story down on paper?  The most important item you would need is accountability.  You read that right.  It's not a good plot, not a computer, not even research or ideas.  Although each of those are important and can make your process much smoother.  You need someone, something, some place that will keep you going even when you don't feel like it.  Once you get your story down on paper, the editing can begin. 

I wrote my first novel thanks mainly to accountability.  Who was I accountable to?  Well, not really a person, per se, but an event.  Every November it officially becomes NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month).  It's an even where you as a writer log in and create a novel, from scratch, between the days of November 1st through November 30th.  You can friend people, sort of like you can on facebook or twitter, and you can see their progress and compare it to where you're supposed to be.

This was an amazing tool in finishing my novel because I always wanted to keep pace with everyone.  Since I'm competitive it was nice to have a benchmark to work against.  I am the type of person who figures that if one person can do it, then so can I.  My dream of writing can only begin if I put pen to paper. 

So, even though we're a few months away from NaNoWriMo, start getting in gear for it.  The challenge is incredible and the rush is amazing.  Then, once you're done, once you have your entire story on paper without worrying about editing it until every word spits out of you, then you can begin to revise and start planning on what you'll wear to your first book signing.  Hmmm, what will I wear???