Jane Austen Writing Lessons

Jane Austen Writing Lessons. With an image of the original cover page of Pride and Prejudice; a color image of Jane Austen; an image of tea and pastries with an open book, and an early cover of Sense and Sensiblity.

One of the best ways to learn to write well is to learn from the examples of great writers. Jane Austen Writing Lessons is a series of blog posts about creative writing principles from plot structure to character development to dialogue. This blog was selected by “The Write Life” as one of the 100 Best Websites for Writers in 2021.

New Posts 2x a Month

New Jane Austen Writing Lessons will be posted 2 times a month. Sign up for the newsletter to get a notification in your inbox anytime there’s a new lesson. Links to the previous lessons can be found below.

Examples from Jane Austen

Each lesson looks to Jane Austen’s novels and her other works for examples of excellent writing. Quotes from her six published novels and an analysis of her craft–and how we can apply it to our own writing–is included in each lesson.

Writing Exercises

Writing Exercises - Jane Austen Writing Lessons

Each lesson includes 2-3 writing exercises that will help you practice the creative writing principle and apply it to your own writing.

Most Recent Jane Austen Writing Lessons

Jane Austen Writing Lessons. #69: The Jane Austen Approach to Critiquing Writing
An intriguing snippet which has Jane Austen's portrait and a mysterious gray box with the words, "Cover Coming Soon"
Jane Austen Writing Lessons #68: Establishing Relationships and Character Connections in Fiction
Jane Austen Writing Lessons 67. Creating an Emotional Map: Making Interconnected Emotions
Jane Austen Writing Lessons. #66: Evoking Emotions through Objective Correlative (External Objects)
Mary Bennet and Mr. Collins. Why didn't they marry? Would they have made a good match?
Jane Austen Writing Lessons. #65: Different Character Approaches to Dealing with and Expressing Emotions
Jane Austen Writing Lessons. #64: The Size or Degree of Character Emotions
Jane Austen Writing Lessons. #63: Four More Internal Emotion Techniques

Jane Austen Writing Lessons by Category

Overarching Principles - Jane Austen Writing Lessons

#1: Make Your Character Want Something
#2: Combine Multiple Elements to Create an Engaging Premise
#3: Use an Inciting Incident to Set the Plot in Motion
#4: Create an External Journey for your Character
#5: Make Things Hard for Your Character
#6: Use a Character Arc to Make Your Character Change and Grow
#7: Create Multiple Relationship Arcs to Show Your Character’s Journey in Relation to Those Around Them
#8: Use Setting to Influence Plot and Character
#9: Use Dialogue to Create Dynamic Interactions Between Characters
#10: Use the Reader-Writer Contract to Create a Satisfying Resolution for Your Readers

Recognition for Jane Austen Writing Lessons

Jane Austen Writing Lessons: one of the

Jane Austen Writing Lessons was selected by The Write Life as one of the “100 Best Websites for Writers in 2021.” They wrote:

“[Jane Austen Writing Lessons] is filled with blog posts about creative writing that use Jane Austen’s novels and other related stories to share what good writing looks and sounds like. Whether you’re interested in plot structure or character development to dialogue, each Jane Austen writing lesson focuses on one principle of writing at a time.”

About the Author

In addition to writing Jane Austen Writing Lessons, Katherine Cowley is the author of the novels The Secret Life of Miss Mary Bennet, The True Confessions of a London Spy, and The Lady’s Guide to Death and Deception. She teaches writing classes at Western Michigan University.

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Jane Austen Writing Lessons. #61: How to Convey Emotion. Planting Clues to What Characters Feel

#61: How to Convey Emotion: Planting Clues to What Characters Feel

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Jane Austen Writing Lessons. #61: How to Convey Emotion. Planting Clues to What Characters Feel

It took me several years of writing fiction to really learn how to convey emotions. As a writer, you often know what your characters are feeling, but how do you convey that to the reader in a way that helps them to believe it, and sometimes even to feel it with the characters?

One of the ways I learned to write emotions was by studying writers who excel at it. Jane Austen is a master of emotion. Let’s look at a passage rife with emotion from her first published novel, Sense and Sensibility.

At this point in the novel, most characters assume that Marianne Dashwood and John Willoughby are engaged to each other. The other Dashwood family members leave the house, knowing it is likely that Willoughby will call upon Marianne.

They return to witness a flurry of unexpected emotions.

“They were no sooner in the passage than Marianne came hastily out of the parlour apparently in violent affliction, with her handkerchief at her eyes; and without noticing them ran up stairs.”

First, let’s consider the word apparently. Marianne is “apparently in violent affliction.” This word choice is important. Marianne is not a viewpoint character in this chapter—the point of view is from Elinor’s perspective. Elinor and her mother cannot actually, with any certainty, know how Marianne feels. They cannot peer into her mind. And even if she were to tell them, it would be filtered through both language and what she wants them to know.

As such, they are forced to interpret her behavior in order to understand her emotions. Readers must do the same thing, especially when reading about non-viewpoint characters. We look at clues that indicate how the characters feel, and, like Elinor and Mrs. Dashwood, we come to conclusions on someone’s emotional state.

What are the clues in this sentence?

  1. Marianne came hastily out of the parlour
  2. Apparently in violent affliction
  3. With her handkerchief at her eyes
  4. Without noticing them
  5. Ran up stairs

These clues can be categorized into different types of clues that you can use as a writer to convey emotions:

Emotional Clue Technique 1: Concrete actions and behavior

Emotional Clue Technique 1: Concrete actions and behavior

Marianne moves with speed; she has her handkerchief pressed to her eyes (and we can assume she is crying); she runs up the stairs.

Concrete actions and behavior are the results of choices made by a character, and choices are always influenced by a character’s emotions. Different characters react to different situations in very different ways—not everyone expresses strong emotions with strong outward displays. But even if a character is suppressing or hiding their emotions, it will impact their actions and behavior.

This is an important emotional clue to place, whether or not you are attempting to capture the viewpoint character’s emotions, or the emotions of another character.

Emotional Clue Technique 2: Awareness/lack of awareness

Marianne does not notice or acknowledge her family members, even as she rushes past them.

Certain types of emotions will point a character outward—charitable emotions, or concern for others. Other emotions will point a character inward or narrow their focus to a smaller awareness.

This emotional clue is one that Austen uses less frequently, but to great effect. In terms of viewpoint characters, a viewpoint character may not realize what they are aware or not aware of, but it will impact the sort of description that is used in a scene.

Emotional Clue Technique 3: General impressions

Marianne is apparently in violent affliction.

Here, Elinor and her mother are interpreting their general impressions—their feel of the situation. This is likely influenced by dozens of tiny details that Austen does not describe. Maybe Marianne’s face is pale; maybe her arms hang a little limply; maybe she’s sniffling. All of the time, we interpret dozens of tiny details—sometimes subconsciously—and come to conclusion. Rather than including every possible detail, we are given Elinor’s conclusion, which is useful in that it brings us back to the viewpoint character and how she is processing the events.

When a character interprets someone’s emotions, it’s often useful to have a qualifier that signifies that the point of view character is making an interpretation (so readers do not confuse it with the narrator proclaiming this emotion as fact, which can read as a point of view shift). Austen uses “apparently” but writers also use “likely,” “probably,” “it seemed that,” and a number of other signifiers.

More Types of Emotional Clues

Austen goes on to use more types of emotional clues in the passage (and she plants more emotional clues in the categories we’ve already established). Let’s read more of the scene and look for additional types of clues:

Surprised and alarmed they proceeded directly into the room she had just quitted, where they found only Willoughby, who was leaning against the mantel-piece with his back towards them. He turned round on their coming in, and his countenance showed that he strongly partook of the emotion which over-powered Marianne.

“Is anything the matter with her?” cried Mrs. Dashwood as she entered—“is she ill?”

“I hope not,” he replied, trying to look cheerful; and with a forced smile presently added, “It is I who may rather expect to be ill—for I am now suffering under a very heavy disappointment!”

“Disappointment?”

“Yes, for I am unable to keep my engagement with you. Mrs. Smith has this morning exercised the privilege of riches upon a poor dependent cousin, by sending me on business to London. I have just received my dispatches, and taken my farewell of Allenham; and by way of exhilaration I am now come to take my farewell of you.”

“To London!—and are you going this morning?”

“Almost this moment.”

“This is very unfortunate. But Mrs. Smith must be obliged;—and her business will not detain you from us long I hope.”

He coloured as he replied, “You are very kind, but I have no idea of returning into Devonshire immediately. My visits to Mrs. Smith are never repeated within the twelvemonth.”

“And is Mrs. Smith your only friend? Is Allenham the only house in the neighbourhood to which you will be welcome? For shame, Willoughby, can you wait for an invitation here?”

His colour increased; and with his eyes fixed on the ground he only replied, “You are too good.”

Emotional Clue Technique 4: Stating the Emotion

Emotional Clue Technique 4: Stating the Emotion

Elinor and her mother are surprised and alarmed.

The emotion of the viewpoint character can be stated, as Austen does here. This is not a technique she frequently uses—if used improperly, stating an emotion feels like cheating. If it feels unearned, we won’t necessarily believe it. When Austen states the emotion, it’s almost always in moments like this, where the situation and our past knowledge of the characters makes it obvious in and of itself that this would be the emotion felt by the viewpoint character. Of course Elinor and Mrs. Dashwood are going to be startled and alarmed by Marianne’s extreme emotional reaction. Stating it allows Austen to quickly solidify the reaction and move on to more important parts of the scene.

Most of the time, stating the emotion needs to be for the viewpoint character, unless it is the viewpoint character’s interpretation of another’s emotions (see clue technique 3).

Emotional Clue Technique 5: Body Language

Willoughby is leaning against the mantle-piece with his back towards them.

Body language is a powerful indicator of a character’s emotions. If a character is feeling confident, upset, flustered, or distracted, it will often have an impact on their body language. Some characters have little control or awareness of how their body language is conveying their emotional state; other characters will attempt to control their body language to mask emotions.

Emotional Clue Technique 6: Facial Expressions

Emotional Clue Technique 6: Facial Expressions

His countenance showed that he strongly partook of the emotion which over-powered Marianne.

Facial expressions often provide clues to a character’s emotions. Austen typically uses this type of emotional clue when capturing the emotions of a non-viewpoint character. Viewpoint characters, when experiencing emotions, are not always likely to think about what facial expressions they are using (though in some situations it can work).

Emotional Clue Technique 7: Verbs and Adjectives

Emotional Clue Technique 7: Verbs and Adjectives

Cried Mrs. Dashwood; with a forced smile; he coloured.

While this technique often overlaps with other techniques, it is such a powerful technique that it is useful to consider on its own. What verbs will best express someone’s emotion? What adjectives can enlighten the emotions of a scene?

Mrs. Dashwood does not just ask what is wrong with her daughter—she cries it. Calling a smile forced reveals that it does not feel genuine, and thus hints at the real emotion beneath. The fact that Willoughby’s face colours hints at shame or embarrassment in key parts of the conversation.

It’s important not to overindulge in this technique. Note that most of these lines of dialogue don’t include a verb that describe the characters, or how they’re saying their lines. Using verbs and adjectives that convey emotions can be most powerful when used sparingly, because we’re not inundated and it focuses the reader on the key, compelling details.

Emotional Clue Technique 8: Dialogue

Emotional Clue Technique 8: Dialogue

Mrs. Dashwood has asked Willoughby a question about Marianne, but then his dialogue focuses on himself and his troubles. Mrs. Dashwood’s continuing questions indicate that her constant surprise and changing understanding of the situation. Willoughby keeps most of his statements very formal and factual. While at this point readers cannot be conclusive about Willoughby’s motivations or the deeper layers behind his dialogue, readers discover this later in the book.

What a character says can reveal or conceal their emotions. Ultimately, dialogue is an action taken by a character, and what they choose to say and how is influenced by their emotional state.

Emotional Clue Technique 9: Shifts of Emotion

Emotional Clue Technique 9: Shifts of Emotion

As the conversation continues, there is a shift in Willoughby’s emotions. Not only is he feeling whatever emotions were incited by his conversation with Marianne, but a new emotion arrives: a discomfort and a desire to escape the situation.

The conversation continues with Mrs. Dashwood emphasizing that Willoughby is always welcome at their cottage, and then we read:

“My engagements at present,” replied Willoughby, confusedly, “are of such a nature—that—I dare not flatter myself—”

He stopped. Mrs. Dashwood was too much astonished to speak, and another pause succeeded. This was broken by Willoughby, who said with a faint smile, “It is folly to linger in this manner. I will not torment myself any longer by remaining among friends whose society it is impossible for me now to enjoy.”

He then hastily took leave of them all and left the room. They saw him step into his carriage, and in a minute it was out of sight.

Emotions—whether large or small—are not static. They can change or shift within a sentence or scene, or they can be joined by other emotions. Conveying shifts of emotion is a useful technique that helps the reader understand characters and the situation.

Emotional Clue Technique 10: Silence/Pauses

Emotional Clue Technique 10: Silence/Pauses

Mrs. Dashwood was too astonished to speak. Another pause succeeded—neither Willoughby or Elinor speak either. In fact, Elinor has not spoken yet during this scene, perhaps because she feels it is not her place.

Silences and pauses can be powerful tools to reveal emotions. Sometimes emotions can be too strong for action or dialogue. Sometimes inaction reveals an inability to process an emotions. Sometimes pauses are because an emotion makes it difficult to see a way forward. Who breaks the pause and how can also be revelatory.

Recap/Conclusion

In this short scene, Austen uses ten techniques that provide emotional clues to the reader, to help the reader understand—and experience—the emotions of the characters.

Let’s look at them again, in list form:

  1. Concrete actions and behavior
  2. Awareness/lack of awareness
  3. General impressions
  4. Stating the Emotion
  5. Body language
  6. Facial expressions
  7. Well Chosen Verbs and Adjectives
  8. Dialogue
  9. Shifts of Emotion
  10. Silences/pauses

This scene is a key emotional scene—it’s a turning point in the novel, where everything changes for Marianne and the other characters. So it makes sense that it uses ten different techniques that provide clues to the reader.

These aren’t the only techniques that Austen uses as emotional clues. In a previous Jane Austen writing lesson, I discussed how setting can be used to complement or contrast emotions. In the coming weeks, I’ll discuss other techniques for emotions that work particularly well for viewpoint characters (like free indirect speech, repetition, and punctuation). We’ll also talk more about differences between conveying small, medium, and large emotions, and ways that different characters express or deal with their emotions.

Writing Exercises - Jane Austen Writing Lessons

Exercise 1: Incorporating emotional clues

Part 1: From the list of ten emotional clues, choose the three that you are most comfortable using to convey emotions. Now write a paragraph or brief scene that uses these three emotional clues.

Part 2: Now return to the list of ten emotional clues, and choose the three that you are least comfortable using to convey emotions. Rewrite the paragraph or brief scene using these three emotional clues instead.

Exercise 2: Random number generator story

Step 1: Choose an everyday task (going to the grocery store; attending school; working out; etc.)

Step 2: Choose a predominant emotion (happiness; anger; frustration; fatigue; etc.)

Step 3: Use a random number generator to select 5 numbers between 1 and 10 (there can be duplicates). Write them down in the random order generated by the widget.

Step 4: Write a scene that has a character complete the everyday task and incorporates the predominant emotion. Each type of emotional clue should be used in the storytelling. These emotional clues can be grouped together in the scene, or spread throughout the scene, but they must be included in the order dictated by the random number generator.

Exercise 3: Analyze the writing of an author you love (who is not Jane Austen). What emotional clues do they use to hint at or convey the characters’ emotions? Do they use the same emotional clues as Austen uses, or different ones? How are they incorporated into scenes?

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Jane Austen Writing Lessons. #60: Getting in the Mood for Writing

#60: Getting in the Mood for Writing

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Jane Austen Writing Lessons. #60: Getting in the Mood for Writing

There are days when writing comes easily for me: when I’m excited to get started, when I feel a spark, an unstoppable drive to write.

But then there are plenty of times when I have the time to write, when I’ve scheduled and planned out writing time, and I get to the computer and have a difficult time getting started.

Jane Austen had her difficult writing days as well. In a previous post, I discussed how distractions (like visitors and thoughts of mutton) made writing more difficult for her. There were also other days when she found difficulty writing because she was fatigued or because her pen was too hard.

On October 26, 1813, Jane Austen wrote a letter to her sister Cassandra and in her very first paragraph noted: “I am at all in a humour for writing.”

It’s comforting that Jane also had days where she was not in the mood to write. But what’s interesting is that her sentence doesn’t end there: she uses a semicolon. Here’s the full statement:

I am not at all in a humour for writing; I must write on till I am.

For Austen, the solution to not being in the mood for writing is simple: to write.

I’ve found that 95% of the time, this works for me too. If I can sit down and truly write (without getting distracted by twitter or anything else), then I start to feel like writing. A lot of times I set a timer for 30 minutes. I make a commitment to myself: I don’t feel like writing, but I have to do at least 30 minutes. And then I can walk away. But by the end of the 30 minutes, most of the time I am in the mood for writing and keep on going.

The 5% of the time when this doesn’t work for me, there’s something else going on. Mary Robinette Kowal has an excellent blog post titled “Sometimes Writers Block is Really Depression” where she talks about some of these other reasons we get stuck and don’t feel like writing, whether it’s plot problems or depression. Recognizing what the plot problem is can often help me get in the mood for writing. In the case of depression, taking steps like Mary Robinette did can help me improve my mental well being and make realistic goals for myself, which, in turn, can help me be in the mood for writing.

How do you get in the mood for writing? How do you get past the difficulty of starting? It doesn’t have to be Jane Austen’s method, but if you can figure out what works for you, it will help you make more of your writing sessions feel worthwhile. I know some writers who have a song they always listen to before writing, or who meditate for five minutes. I know some writers who think about their story while taking a shower, and then sit down at the page. I know some writers who turn off the internet or hide their phone. Regardless, whether it’s deciding to write until you feel like writing, or using another method, there truly are things you can do to put yourself more in the mood for writing.

If you have other methods that help get you in the mood for writing, please share in the comments!

Writing Exercises - Jane Austen Writing Lessons

Exercise 1: Plan out a few writing sessions for the next week. These don’t have to be long. And then when it is time for these sessions, write even if you don’t feel like writing.

Exercise 2: Spend fifteen minutes writing in a form that you don’t normally use to write. This might be in a notebook, in cursive, through dictation, on notecards, etc. Then reflect on the experience: how did this change your writing process and your thoughts about writing?

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Jane Austen Writing Lessons. #59: Internal Dialogue (Dialogue for One Person/Character)

#59: Internal Dialogue (Dialogue for One Person/Character)

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Jane Austen Writing Lessons. #59: Internal Dialogue (Dialogue for One Person/Character)

The very roots of the term dialogue imply that it requires more than one person for there to be a dialogue. According to the Online Etymology Dictionary, dialogue comes from the word dia, meaning “across, between,” and legien, meaning “to speak.” In other words, speech is occurring between people.

Yet there are times in fiction when we use dialogue for only one person—when we type something as dialogue, despite there being only one character, or the speech being entirely internal.

In this post I’ll talk about different forms of internal dialogue, including:

  • Soliloquys
  • Monologues (the cousin of a soliloquy–but not truly internal)
  • Other types of dialogue with oneself
Soliloquys and Monologues (Jane Austen Writing Lessons)

The Theatre Tradition of Speech for One Person

In theater, there are two terms that stand in contrast to dialogue, that represent speech for only one person: soliloquy and monologue.

Soliloquys (One person, with themselves)

A soliloquy is when a character speaks their thoughts aloud. In other words, they are talking to themselves. In a novel, a character can also speak their thoughts aloud—or, if the narrator is providing a close point of view, then a character can talk to themselves entirely in their heads. (In theatre, these thoughts must be spoken aloud, or the audience has no access to them.)

In the novel Persuasion, Jane Austen employs soliloquy when Anne enters her family’s rented house in Bath for the first time:

Anne entered it with a sinking heart, anticipating an imprisonment of many months, and anxiously saying to herself, “Oh! When shall I leave you again!”

Many of the most famous theatre soliloquys are longer passages which reveal much about the characters, their emotions, and their thought processes. Jane Austen incorporates this sort of soliloquy in her novel as well, though most of the time it is not set apart in quotation marks. Instead, she uses an extended passage of free indirect speech (slipping into the character’s thoughts while still using third person) to create longer character soliloquys.

An example of this can be found in the novel Emma, immediately after Emma has found out the truth about the affections of Frank Churchill, Jane Fairfax, and Harriet. This passage would be very easy to rewrite as a spoken Shakespearean soliloquy in a play:

Emma’s eyes were instantly withdrawn; and she sat silently meditating, in a fixed attitude, for a few minutes. A few minutes were sufficient for making her acquainted with her own heart. A mind like hers, once opening to suspicion, made rapid progress. She touched—she admitted—she acknowledged the whole truth. Why was it so much worse that Harriet should be in love with Mr. Knightley, than with Frank Churchill? Why was the evil so dreadfully increased by Harriet’s having some hope of a return? It darted through her, with the speed of an arrow, that Mr. Knightley must marry no one but herself!

Her own conduct, as well as her own heart, was before her in the same few minutes. She saw it all with a clearness which had never blessed her before. How improperly had she been acting by Harriet! How inconsiderate, how indelicate, how irrational, how unfeeling had been her conduct! What blindness, what madness, had led her on! It struck her with dreadful force, and she was ready to give it every bad name in the world. Some portion of respect for herself, however, in spite of all these demerits—some concern for her own appearance, and a strong sense of justice by Harriet—(there would be no need of compassion to the girl who believed herself loved by Mr. Knightley—but justice required that she should not be made unhappy by any coldness now,) gave Emma the resolution to sit and endure farther with calmness, with even apparent kindness.—For her own advantage indeed, it was fit that the utmost extent of Harriet’s hopes should be enquired into; and Harriet had done nothing to forfeit the regard and interest which had been so voluntarily formed and maintained—or to deserve to be slighted by the person, whose counsels had never led her right.

In you are writing a novel or short story in third person, a short soliloquy can be incorporated through either quotation marks around the thought, or by putting the thought in italics. A longer soliloquy will often be through indirect speech. If you are writing in first person, a soliloquy can be marked by quotes or italics, but often is just incorporated naturally into the narrative.

Monologues (One person, with an audience)

A monologue is when a character gives a longer speech aloud to other characters or with a perceived audience. Sometimes this is an entire scene. In Jane Austen’s novels, many characters give monologues intended for an audience to hear (think Mr. Collins).

In many ways, these monologues act like dialogue–there is an audience that is perceived by the character. Yet unlike in dialogue, the character is less likely to be interrupted. As a result, the speech is less of an active conversation with the characters around them.

Monologues take into account persuasive dialogue techniques, and are often meant to stir, change, or impress an audience.

Monologues reflect a character’s internal dialogue, but because they are performative, because they are for in audience, internal thoughts, emotions, and reasoning are filtered through a public, outside intent.

dialogue for one person / dialogue with oneself (Jane Austen Writing Lessons)

Dialogue for One Person/Dialogue With Oneself

At other times, Jane Austen uses dialogue with only one person, and with no audience, that is not a true soliloquy.

At times, this is because the character is having a sort of conversation with herself. These lines of dialogue can serve a similar role as if someone besides herself had spoken them. Just as in a conversation between two or more people, this internal dialogue with oneself can help the character consider or change her perspective.

In Persuasion, Anne reflects on the fact that her family no longer lives in their ancestral home, Kellynch-hall, and that it is now occupied by the Crofts:

She could not but in conscience feel that they were gone who deserved not to stay, and that Kellynch-hall had passed into better hands than its owners….

In such moments Anne had no power of saying to herself, “These rooms ought to belong only to us. Oh, how fallen in their destination! How unworthily occupied! An ancient family to be so driven away! Strangers filling their place!” No, except when she thought of her mother, and remembered where she had been used to sit and preside, she had no sigh of that description to heave.

In this passage, Anne does not say this dialogue to herself—or at least not unless she is thinking of her mother. But by considering that she could say this to herself, she is presenting a counterargument to her actual views, a perspective that is she is consciously setting aside and not incorporating into her being.

Austen uses many other innovative approaches to internal dialogue, but we are just going to consider one more. In some passages, dialogue that was spoken is then internally repeated as the character attempts to process it or deal with the words.

In Persuasion, after the first time in which Anne and Captain Wentworth meet in the present day, Mary informs Anne what Captain Wentworth thought of her:

“Captain Wentworth…said, ‘You were so altered he should not have known you again.’”

This leads to a flurry of emotions for Anne. She ends up repeating variations of this line of dialogue twice in her mind:

“Altered beyond his knowledge!” Anne fully submitted, in silent, deep mortification. Doubtless it was so; and she could take no revenge, for he was not altered, or not for the worse. She had already acknowledge it to herself, and she could not think differently, let him think of her as he would. No; the years which had destroyed her youth and bloom had only given him a more glowing, manly, open look, in no respect lessening his personal advantages. She had seen the same Frederick Wentworth.

“So altered he should not have known her again!” These were words which could not but dwell with her. Yet she soon began to rejoice that she had heard them. They were of sobering tendency; they allayed agitation; they composed, and consequently must make her happier.

While dialogue traditionally requires at least two people, soliloquys and other types of internal dialogue can be used to great effect, especially as a character looks deeply at themselves, reflects on their life, or decides to move in a new direction.

Writing Exercises - Jane Austen Writing Lessons

Exercise 1: Write a soliloquy for one of your characters at a key point in the story, as if they were performing this soliloquy on a stage.

What does this soliloquy teach you about your character? Should parts of it be incorporated into your story, either through internal dialogue or free indirect speech?

Exercise 2: The next time you read a novel, pay close attention to the dialogue. How often does the writer use two people in a scene of dialogue? Three people? Four people? A larger group? Are there any monologues? Are there any moments where the writer uses soliloquy or other sorts of internal dialogue? What is the effect of each different type of dialogue on the character and on the plot?

Exercise 3: Write a short scene which takes an innovative approach to internal dialogue or dialogue with only one character. A few ideas for the type of internal dialogue that you could use:

  • A conversation (or argument) with oneself
  • Theoretical dialogue that did not or could not occur
  • Imagining what another character might say
  • Repeated line of dialogue, with or without variation (either the character’s own dialogue, or something someone else said to them or about them)
  • Recollection of a series of different things that have been said to the character (by an individual or a group of people)

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Jane Austen Writing Lessons. #58: Ineffective Dialogue and Persuasion

#58: Ineffective Dialogue and Persuasion

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Jane Austen Writing Lessons. #58: Ineffective Dialogue and Persuasion

Mr. Collins’ failed proposal to Elizabeth is one of the core scenes of Pride and Prejudice. In turning down Mr. Collins, Elizabeth asserts her independence, and she actively makes a choice about what she does—and does not—want her future to look like.

But why does Mr. Collins’ proposal fail? After all, he makes many attempts to persuade her to marry him, and he uses the same rhetorical techniques—ethos, pathos, and logos—which are often used more effectively by many of Austen’s characters.

(Quick recap from the previous lesson. Three of the most common rhetorical appeals are ethos, the appeal to authority, pathos, the appeal to emotion, and logos, the appeal to logic/reason.)

Yet Mr. Collins is not alone in failing at persuasion. In Pride and Prejudice, endless characters fail to convince others at various points, including Elizabeth Bennet, Mr. Darcy, Charlotte Lucas, Mrs. Bennet, Lady Catherine de Bourgh, Mrs. Gardiner, Mr. Wickham, and Caroline Bingley.

If there is something that is universal, it is that we often don’t achieve our goals in dialogue. So let’s look specifically at why Mr. Collins does not achieve his persuasive goals, despite using appeals that can be effective.

1894 illustration of Mr. Collins’ proposal by Hugh Thompson, public domain

Let’s consider his first paragraph:

“Believe me, my dear Miss Elizabeth, that your modesty, so far from doing you any disservice, rather adds to your other perfections. You would have been less amiable in my eyes had there not been this little unwillingness.”

Pathos #1: Collins attempts to appeal to Elizabeth’s emotions by complimenting and flattering her. He does not recognize that she is not interested in flattery.

but allow me to assure you, that I have your respected mother’s permission for this address.

Ethos #1: he appeals to authority by explaining that he has her mother’s permission to address her. Yet her mother is not a true authority in her life: Elizabeth is much more likely to heed her father, and she also likes to go her own way.

You can hardly doubt the purport of my discourse, however your natural delicacy may lead you to dissemble; my attentions have been too marked to be mistaken. Almost as soon as I entered the house, I singled you out as the companion of my future life. But before I am run away with by my feelings on this subject, perhaps it would be advisable for me to state my reasons for marrying—and, moreover, for coming into Hertfordshire with the design of selecting a wife, as I certainly did.”

Pathos #2: “Run away with by my feelings.” This is an expression that points to emotions without actually conveying any, and further, it doesn’t match his persona. There is a lack of alignment between himself as a speaker and this rhetorical flourish, and in the following line, we learn that Elizabeth finds this lack of alignment amusing.

The idea of Mr. Collins, with all his solemn composure, being run away with by his feelings, made Elizabeth so near laughing, that she could not use the short pause he allowed in any attempt to stop him further, and he continued:

“My reasons for marrying are, first, that I think it a right thing for every clergyman in easy circumstances (like myself) to set the example of matrimony in his parish;

Logos #1: he makes a logical argument, on why, in general, clergymen should marry. Yet this sort of abstract argument presents a sort of fallacy—it does not follow that Elizabeth should marry him.

secondly, that I am convinced that it will add very greatly to my happiness;

Pathos #3: he, personally, wants happiness. Self-centered arguments are often less effective.

and thirdly—which perhaps I ought to have mentioned earlier, that it is the particular advice and recommendation of the very noble lady whom I have the honour of calling patroness. Twice has she condescended to give me her opinion (unasked too!) on this subject; and it was but the very Saturday night before I left Hunsford—between our pools at quadrille, while Mrs. Jenkinson was arranging Miss de Bourgh’s footstool, that she said, ‘Mr. Collins, you must marry. A clergyman like you must marry. Choose properly, choose a gentlewoman for my sake; and for your own, let her be an active, useful sort of person, not brought up high, but able to make a small income go a good way. This is my advice. Find such a woman as soon as you can, bring her to Hunsford, and I will visit her.’ Allow me, by the way, to observe, my fair cousin, that I do not reckon the notice and kindness of Lady Catherine de Bourgh as among the least of the advantages in my power to offer. You will find her manners beyond anything I can describe; and your wit and vivacity, I think, must be acceptable to her, especially when tempered with the silence and respect which her rank will inevitably excite.

Ethos #2: Mr. Collins pulls out what he believes is his strongest argument. To him, the ultimate authority on all matters is Lady Catherine de Bourgh.

In order for this argument to work, Elizabeth would need to share an implicit assumption—that Lady Catherine is an authority figure.

Yet Elizabeth has never even met Lady Catherine…and further, Elizabeth does not believe that those of a superior rank are innately superior to her.

Thus much for my general intention in favour of matrimony; it remains to be told why my views were directed towards Longbourn instead of my own neighbourhood, where I can assure you there are many amiable young women. But the fact is, that being, as I am, to inherit this estate after the death of your honoured father (who, however, may live many years longer), I could not satisfy myself without resolving to choose a wife from among his daughters, that the loss to them might be as little as possible, when the melancholy event takes place—which, however, as I have already said, may not be for several years. This has been my motive, my fair cousin, and I flatter myself it will not sink me in your esteem.

Logos #2 and Pathos #4: From a logical standpoint, wanting to save a family from financial ruin when you have no obligations to them is a charitable and kindly thing to do. “Look at my good motives!” he says.

And now nothing remains for me but to assure you in the most animated language of the violence of my affection.

Pathos #5: Ah, such violent emotions! Which just goes to show that the addition of adjectives doesn’t always help or prove your case.

To fortune I am perfectly indifferent, and shall make no demand of that nature on your father, since I am well aware that it could not be complied with; and that one thousand pounds in the four per cents, which will not be yours till after your mother’s decease, is all that you may ever be entitled to. On that head, therefore, I shall be uniformly silent; and you may assure yourself that no ungenerous reproach shall ever pass my lips when we are married.”

Apophasis: Here Mr. Collins pulls out a really fun rhetorical device, apophasis, which is talking about something by saying you’re not going to talk about it. In other words, he is denying that it matters to him—yet if it truly did not matter at all to him, would he mention it? And he clearly knows exactly how much Elizabeth is worth financially…

As the scene proceeds, Elizabeth turns down Mr. Collins. He attempts to make more arguments, and she becomes more forceful in his rejections.

Ultimately, Mr. Collins’ persuasion fails because he doesn’t understand his audience. It is almost impossible to persuade someone unless you can really understand them, and their perspective. It is almost impossible to persuade someone unless you share implicit assumptions.

It’s easy to assume that people are like us. That the arguments that would work on us would work on them.

It’s also easy to assume that adding more arguments, more proof, will better help us reach our goals. Yet these nine instances of ethos, pathos, and logos were not enough—in fact, some of them directly hurt his cause.

If Mr. Collins wanted Elizabeth to marry him, the heavy work of persuasion would’ve needed to be fulfilled before this. (And often, the most persuasive arguments are made a little at a time.)

Yet ultimately, I don’t think there is a single argument Mr. Collins could have made that would have convinced Elizabeth to marry him. Even the best persuasion won’t persuade someone if they aren’t open to change.

You may write the rare character who is generally persuasive. Yet most of our characters have moments where they fail at their goals—where tension and conflict are created by them trying to persuade others, but not doing so in effective ways.

Certainly our Collins-esque characters should struggle with persuasion, but so should our Elizabeths and Darcys and Wickhams.

Writing Exercises - Jane Austen Writing Lessons

Exercise 1: Ethos

In your personal life, consider what gives someone ethos, or authority and credibility. Who are you most willing to listen to? Who are you least willing to listen to? Are there certain attributes that give someone credibility to you? Are there certain attributes that immediately damage someone’s credibility? Are there certain authority figures you are more inclined to trust or distrust?

Exercise 2: Bad Arguments

Choose something simple that a character might want to persuade another character of. For example, persuading a friend to go to a movie, an acquaintance to make travel plans, or a child to eat their dinner.

Now set a timer for three minutes and make a list of as many bad arguments as possible for this persuasive tasks. These arguments can be mildly bad or extremely bad, preposterous or mostly reasonable, generally unpersuasive or unpersuasive specifically with these characters.

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Jane Austen Writing Lessons. #57: Character Dialogue as Persuasion

#57: Character Dialogue as Persuasion

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Jane Austen Writing Lessons. #57: Character Dialogue as Persuasion

Characters speak because they want to create change—and speech is one of the only ways to change other people.

In lesson 55, we discussed when characters use dialogue as manipulation. Manipulation is the unhealthy cousin of a much more useful, overarching principle: persuasion.

Persuasion is when a speaker creates change in an audience—whether an individual or a group—by considering what matters to that audience. Persuasion requires using what matters to the audience to show how a change in thought or behavior would be beneficial.

Over two thousand years ago, Aristotle analyzed different elements of effective persuasion. In a given situation, he wrote that one must find “the available means of persuasion.”

Some characters knowingly draw on the available means of persuasion, consciously considering what would be effective for an audience. Other characters do so unknowingly or intuitively. Some characters are good judges of what would be persuasive for a given audience; other characters are poor judges of their audience.

Regardless of whether a character uses persuasion consciously or unconsciously, effectively or ineffectively, they are drawing upon what Aristotle categorized as the three major appeals we use in persuasion: ethos, pathos, and logos.

Ethos Pathos and Logos in Dialogue (Jane Austen Writing Lessons)

Ethos: appeals to the authority of the speaker, or to others who the listener would find authoritative.

Pathos: appeals to emotion.

Logos: appeals to logic and reason.

In the novel Persuasion, Lady Russell draws upon ethos, pathos, and logos as she attempts to persuade Anne to consider Mr. Elliot as a possible marriage partner. She says:

“I only mean that if Mr. Elliot should some time hence pay his addresses to you, and if you should be disposed to accept him, I think there would be every possibility of your being happy together. A most suitable connection every body must consider it—but I think it might be a very happy one.”

Here, she draws upon pathos—appealing to emotion as she encourages Anne to consider her future happiness. She also draws upon ethos—everyone, including herself, would consider this a “most suitable connection.” It was Lady Russell who had originally encouraged Anne to break off her engagement with Captain Wentworth, and Lady Russell knows that she is an authority figure in Anne’s life, someone whose opinion and blessing matters to Anne.

Yet Anne is not convinced. She replies:

Mr. Elliot is an exceedingly agreeable man, and in many respects I think highly of him,” said Anne; “but we should not suit.”

Lady Russell is not persuasive because she assumes that Anne and Mr. Elliot are well suited, but Anne does not feel the same. In other words, they do not share an implicit assumption.

Implicit Assumptions in Dialogue (Jane Austen Writing Lessons)

Implicit assumptions are the underlying assumptions that undergird an argument and its appeals. These are things which must be accepted as true in order for the argument to work. Often, implicit assumptions tap into the way a character views the world, their philosophy towards life and people, and what matters to them. In order for an argument to be successful, the speaker and the listener must share at least one implicit assumption.

Lady Russell sees that her argument in not working, so she shifts her approach. Instead of making an argument about Mr. Elliot, which would be harder for her to win, she makes an argument which taps into Anne’s priorities for herself. She uses an implicit assumption that both she and Anne share: that Anne wants to be like her mother.

“I own that to be able to regard you as the future mistress of Kellynch, the future Lady Elliot—to look forward and see you occupying your dear mother’s place, succeeding to all her rights, and all her popularity, as well as to all her virtues, would be the highest possible gratification to me.—You are your mother’s self in countenance and disposition; and if I might be allowed to fancy you as she was, in situation, and name, and home, presiding and blessing in the same spot, and only superior to her in being more highly valued! My dearest Anne, it would give me more delight than is often felt at my time of life!”

Here, we have logos—logic and reasoning: Anne can have her lifelong home back if she marries Mr. Elliot. We have pathos—emotion—as memories of Anne’s mother are conjured. We have ethos—appeal to authority—as Lady Russell talks about the joy that this sort of decision would bring her. And because the implicit assumption underneath these appeals is shared, it’s quite an effective argument:

Anne was obliged to turn away, to rise, to walk to a distant table, and, leaning there to pretend employment, try to subdue the feelings this picture excited. For a few moments her imagination and her heart were bewitched. The idea of becoming what her mother had been; of having the precious name of “Lady Elliot” first revived in herself; of being restored to Kellynch, calling it her home again, her home for ever, was a charm which she could not immediately resist. Lady Russell said not another word, willing to leave the matter to its own operation.

Many characters are not nearly as persuasive as Lady Russell—in the next lesson, I’ll discuss how Mr. Collins ineffectively appeals to ethos, pathos, and logos when he proposes to Elizabeth. Yet whether or not these tools of persuasion are used effectively, they are an integral part of the way in which characters speak.

Writing Exercises - Jane Austen Writing Lessons

Exercise 1: Using Ethos, Pathos, and Logos in Your Life

The next time you need to persuade someone of something, big or small, consciously use either ethos, pathos, or logos, or a combination of these appeals. Consider which appeals will be most effective for the situation and the person to whom you are speaking. Afterwards, reflect. Was the appeal effective? Was this a departure from how you would have normally approached the conversation? Would another appeal or approach to the conversation have been more effective?

Exercise 2: Persuasive Scene

Write a short scene between two characters, in which one character is attempting to persuade the other. Make the initial persuasion be ineffective, and then have the character use appeals and an implicit assumption that are more effective.

Exercise 3: Analysis

Analyze scenes of dialogue which you have written in which one character is attempting to persuade another characters or a group of characters. Which appeals does the character use? (Ethos, pathos, logos.) What do the appeals used say about the character attempting to persuade? Does the speaker share an implicit assumption with their audience?

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