In which Jane causes insomnia

[katiefoolery]

Things are going well, on both the writing and layout conversion fronts.

After realising I hadn’t posted anything in jane_of_letters since January (and after several very restrained and polite requests from the good elfie_chan), I decided it was about time I wrote another letter from Jane.  Well, I say I decided, but it was Jane who decided, really.  She has an unfortunate habit of deciding these things around midnight, too, completely ignoring the fact that I’m actually trying to get some sleep.

It goes a little like this.

Me: *shuffle, sprawl, breathe, fail to fall asleep*
Jane: *poke*
Me: I’m trying to get to sleep here!
Jane: Pah!  I need to write to Lizzie and tell her what has transpired in my most amazing life of late.  Have you seen my lovely dressing table chair?  I must tell someone about it!
Me: Yes, I’ve seen the damn thing.  I’m the one who found it for you on Antiques Roadshow.  Go away.  Trying.  To.  Sleep.
Jane: You’re not doing a very good job of it.
Me: Because an imaginary character keeps poking me and talking to me!
…
Me: *roll over, grit teeth, fail to sleep*
Jane: And remember how Elfie asked you ever so nicely...
Me: Gah!
Jane: You even read your notes last night.  So I’m almost certain it’s your fault I’m here.
Me: Double gah!
Jane: I need to share my concern over the state of my chest of drawers.  It’s truly horrendous!  I shall never move again.  *places hand against forehead in a gesture of mock-faintness, before giving me a mischievous look*
Me: *heroically resisting the urge to grin at such a gesture*  I’ll shut you in your damn precious chest of drawers if you don’t go away.
Jane: I have some phrases I’d like to use in this letter.
Me: I have some phrases I’d like to use RIGHT NOW and they all have FOUR LETTER WORDS IN THEM!

Thankfully, she just sort of inserted those phrases in my memory and snuck out, finally allowing me to sleep.  I was very grateful for that.  Usually she hangs around and doesn’t leave until I get up in the middle of the night, stumble through the darkness to my laptop and write all of these things down.  She was very restrained last night.  And she was very good about coming back when I sat down at recess to start the letter.  I do love Jane.  She manages to be humble and outrageous all in the one sentence.  I’m a bit alarmed about her rabid attraction to pieces of furniture, but I think that just makes her more Jane than ever.

And the S2ing goes well.  Last night, I successfully managed to get my header and info box to look exactly the same in my S2 version as they do in this one.  I’m not quite sure how to work on the entries and I feel I may have to make some compromises about things there, but I’m keen to get back to it tonight.  I shall take my small victories and be happy.

Jane: *poke*

Comments

[the-kaytinator.livejournal.com]

Hehe.

I love the way Jane obsesses about furniture. It's a great character trait!

[elfie-chan.livejournal.com]

*nearly dies giggling* I think that Jane and Cassandra have been sharing notes. I particularly sympathize with "I have some phrases I'd like to use in this letter." Unfortunately for me, the only phrase that Cassandra has managed to keep in my head for the amount of time that it took for me to get it into the story was "Time. That was the problem." Still, it is a good phrase.

Do you find yourself negotiating with your characters? "Look, let me sleep and I'll write you a whole chapter tomorrow." "Write NOW!" "No, go away and I'll give you a cookie." "But I want...ooh, cookie. Okay."

Jane is such a dear. I look forward to hearing from her again. (See how restrained I am? ^_~)

[katiefoolery.livejournal.com]

It all started with the chest of drawers. For some reason, that was always important when it came to Jane's character. Then I saw the dressing table chair on Antiques Roadshow and suddenly Jane was there, squeeing about it. She's an odd girl but I love her dearly.

[katiefoolery.livejournal.com]

It is a good phrase. Did she just sort of toss it at you like a breadcrumb and say, "There you go. Make something of that," before vanishing back to wherever she came from?

I haven't tried bargaining with Jane but I might have to give it a shot in the future. I don't know why she insists on turning up so late at night (or early in the morning). Usually, there's no bargaining with her. I have to get up and write this stuff down and that's final. I don't really know how I got off so lightly last night.

[flippyfrog.livejournal.com]

Ever tried poking her back? How about landmines? You should use threats. "If you don't shut up now i'll never write another entry for you ever again."

Of course, having tried all of these tactics before and failing each and every time, i don't know if they would work for you. but still, you never know.

If all fails, you can use a 2x4 on yourself and see how she deals with that :P

[katiefoolery.livejournal.com]

Well, the problem is that she's not actually there so I can't really hurt her. And I couldn't anyway. It'd be like bashing a puppy to death. She might like to wake me up at one o' clock in the morning but she can't make me hate her.

A 2x4 on myself? Hmm... To be honest, I think I'd prefer the midnight stumbles to the computer over that. :P

[rigel-7.livejournal.com]

How funny!

I too had a late night visitor who poked me about getting on and writing something. It was something about... a baby and killing of half my characters...

:P

[alankria.livejournal.com]

My characters have the annoying habit of demanding attention smack bang in the middle of exam season. Just as I'm getting mindlessly bored with revision, one of them will pop up and go, "Hey, I've got a fun idea! Writewritewritewrite!" And it's so bloody difficult to resist because revision is soooo boring. The same thing happens when I've got essay deadlines approaching. Basically, my characters want love most when I have the least time to spare.

Jane: I have some phrases I’d like to use in this letter.
Me: I have some phrases I’d like to use RIGHT NOW and they all have FOUR LETTER WORDS IN THEM!

roffles

[naelany.livejournal.com]

*pokes too* Go Jane! Lizzie's not the only one enticipating your letters ^_~

[naelany.livejournal.com]

No, go away and I'll give you a cookie." "But I want...ooh, cookie. Okay." *chuckles* How, precisely, do you give a fictional character a cookie, if you as a real person is doing the offering in order to get some real sleep ^_~

[elfie-chan.livejournal.com]

You write them a cookie. Like this:

"Cassandra munched a cookie as she turned her fertile brain to the problem at hand."

Thus, I keep my half of the bargain. Cassandra, however, has yet to be put off by a mere literary cookie.

[elfie-chan.livejournal.com]

Something like that. It was more like being tossed a puzzle piece--a corner, or an edge. It helps, somehow, to orient the rest.

I wonder what you would use to bribe Jane? More furniture? "Look, I'll give you an embroidered footstool!"

Cassandra likes to try to talk to me just before I fall asleep. It sounds to me like Jane was feeling merciful.

[naelany.livejournal.com]

I didn't think that'd work too well lol

[katiefoolery.livejournal.com]

You know, I missed the crucial "and" in that sentence and read it as "a baby killing half of my characters" which sounded rather delightfully creepy. Why do these people visit us so late at night, though? Are we at our most vulnerable then perhaps?

[katiefoolery.livejournal.com]

That's so true about being cursed by characters when it's least convenient! In the last half of last year, I decided to finally finish off my Arts degree and this meant studying for one full-time semester off-campus whilst still working (for four weeks, I was working full-time as well). So I was a wee bit busy, especially when the exams were coming up. And when did I suddenly experience this overwhelming desire to write? Oh yes - right about then, when I had essays to finish and exams to panic about. Gah!

I feel your pain there, without a doubt.

[katiefoolery.livejournal.com]

Awww, thank-you, good Naelany!

*hugs*

I've made a definite start on the letter, so it should be posted soon.

[katiefoolery.livejournal.com]

I just have to tell you... Jane wants that embroidered footstool now. Oh, how she wants it. Where on earth did she get this furniture obsession from?

On the other hand, at least I know how to bribe her now. :)

[naelany.livejournal.com]

*chuckles and hugs back* You're welcome. I can't wait to read it ^_^