sunfright | live writing session.

11.03
Just got home from town where I went to pick up a copy of Jane Eyre. Have never read it (or anything by the Brontë sisters, actually), but I decided I’d give it a go. One) because it’s a contemporary of The Lady of the Camellias, published the same year that Marguerite’s story takes place in canon and one year before the book itself was published in France and two) because whereas The Lady of the Camellias is a romance focused on a woman’s character as told by a man, Jane Eyre is a romance focused on a woman’s character as told by a woman and I thought, in my depiction of Julie, I’d really like to combine those two very different narratives. I want to keep the language and the style of Dumas, but I would love to get the feminine perspective from Brontë and not let my depiction of Julie Duprat drown in male objectification, fetishism and inherent sexism.

Next step is to reread the scene of the exhuming of Marguerite’s body, because I need to figure out if it was ever mentioned where exactly Armand wanted her moved to. My first scene in this fic, as I have planned it at least, will be taking place at the new cemetery, so if it’s a particular one? Well, hello research. As far as I remember having discovered during earlier research on Paris, there are a lot of cemeteries in that city, so. Good luck to me, I guess.

11.38
Twenty minutes later, I’ve written the first scene of the fic (first draft). I had originally considered making this one of those extensively planned projects I do sometimes, where every scene is keyworded and described, so I know what direction I’m going in, but I think it would bore me with this particular one, to be honest. Julie already has a pretty flat voice (in a good way, I personally don’t find her boring, just very practical and a little bit melancholy), so I think I need to keep surprising myself while writing, so it isn’t all to be expected and anticipated. Besides, I do enjoy very organically evolving writing, the kind that just follows its own flow. It isn’t my go-to approach, because I suck at it, but I do love when it happens – and I think it’s what’s happening with this one. Joy!

12.30
Managed to write the introduction scene of Marguerite and am actually very satisfied with it – it mirrors the scene where she meets Armand the first time and I love the way her character flourishes before her entire tragical endeavour with him began. Although I know the entire point of the book is that her relationship with him should “transform” her, I always felt a bit bitter about it, because I honestly liked her better when she was just her free, lively self. There was nothing noble about that development, it just made her sadder and more miserable.

Next we’re moving into novel timeline with the whole “Julie watches over me” scenery and I’m really looking forward to something tragic, but tender. I think I feel Marguerite’s relation with Armand lacked tenderness, plenty of passion, but no softness. I feel that’s something she got from Julie instead and that’s why it’s so unfair that the story will always go: she died alone. She didn’t! Julie was with her! Julie mattered!

14.16
Got the cemetery scene’s next instalment done and got started on what’s probably going to be the main core of the fic, the relationship between Julie and Marguerite before Armand came into the picture. I already really love the relationship between them. Very tender. I need tender. I love tender.

Also, so I lied. I tried approaching this the unusual (for me) way of not planning anything and it worked for… maybe five scenes? Now I’ve come this far and I just had to sit down and make some notes as to where I really want this story to go, how I want to build it up and develop from scene to scene, how they need to be interconnected. Back to my usual ways, I guess. Doing anything in a different way makes me super anxious. Boo.

You can get the subtitles for the remaining 11 scenes of this fic: deathbed, fleurs (du mal), first visit, “afterlife”, deathbed, first time, armand, fleurs (du mal), deathbed, watching over, cemetery.

They don’t tell you that much, do they? But they’re a good guideline in my head for how to proceed from here.

19.13
I managed to finish the core scene of Julie at Marguerite’s deathbed in one go after dinner. I never have anything but vague ideas for what I actually want from these scenes – for this one particularly, it was a piece of dialogue – but sometimes the details work themselves out without much interference and this scene was one of those where it just flowed naturally and had a natural starting point as well as a natural finish.

We’re going to go make jigsaw puzzles in a moment, my gf and I, but before going to bed tonight, I might try and write the next scene which is the interaction between Julie and her post-novel lover. A gentle, understanding man who gets why she mourns Marguerite so much, but still can’t quite take it seriously, because… two girls, right? And two kept women at that!

I’ve seen Tipping the Velvet, thank you. I’ve read Baudelaire. I’ve studied the paintings of Toulouse-Lautrec.

It’s very interesting writing into the Lady of the Camellias fandom from Julie’s perspective. I have roleplayed Marguerite for many years and know her character in and out, pretty much, but seeing her through Julie’s eyes and in Julie’s experience reignites my love for her completely. She is not a different character, and yet she is? She is herself, but as seen through another. It’s totally fascinating! I’m digging it.

And I think that’s going to be the final word of the day. Might write another scene tonight before going to bed, but here ends the live writing session. Hope you enjoyed!