How to Write a Novel like Jane

In case you were ever wondering how to write like Jane Austen, her recipe for greatness, the following is a Highly Scientific analysis of her methods.

                                         
1. Your Heroine should live in poverty or come from the middle class. (Emma was the exception.) This makes her (or them) easy to relate to and adds conflict to the story. Especially if the man they will eventually fall in love with is rich.

                                          
2. Your Heroine should receive an unwanted proposal, from a member of the clergy or otherwise. The proposer should either be A) extremely idiotic and comical in nature or B) a bad guy in disguise (See 8). It could even be from the Hero but there are rules about that, like it can’t work out the first time.

                                      
3. There should be a misunderstanding between your Hero and Heroine, either they don’t agree on something or they can’t tell each other how they feel. Or your Heroine might think that the Hero’s dad is a murderer. Whatever it is, non-communication and hurt feelings are key.

4. If you really want to make things juicy add a Secret Scandal to the mix. Unwanted pregnancies, unwarranted marriages, a history of imprudent behavior, a secret that will keep your Heroine away from the man she loves.
                                          

(Lucy Steele is both the cause of Elinor’s unhappiness as well as a very annoying minor character. Score: 2)

5. If you really want to write like Jane, aggravating characters are a must. Loud mouthed, dim-witted, pompous, vain minor characters will make your Heroine shine by comparison and add comedy (and angst) for your readers.

                                     
6. Be sure to make a lot of sarcastic observations of your characters. Tongue in cheek is always a safe bet. Just try to keep the comments coming from you, in third person and not your Heroine, otherwise she might end up spoiling everyone else’s picnic.

                                 
7. Broken Hearts are a key ingredient. This may be procured by any number of means including: falling in love with a Cad (See 8), realizing you made a mistake, or watching the object of your affection fall under the power of another. Every girl likes to be jilted in love now and then.

                                      
8. When in doubt, add a Cad, a rogue, a man of questionable intentions. Someone to distract your Heroine from her true love.

                                         
9. Now that you’ve messed up everyone’s lives, make sure you fix it before the end. Remember, a comedy has to end with a wedding. Except for the annoying characters, they deserve what they get.

For those who need a visual, I’ve included this Highly Scientific Chart:

	poverty/reduced circumstances	Unwanted Proposal	Misunder-standing	Secret Scandal	Annoying Minor Characters	Sarcasm	Broken Heart	Cad
Pride & Prejudice	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X
Sense & Sensibility	X		X	X	X	X	X	X
Emma		X	X	X	X	X	ish	X
Northanger Abbey	X	ish	X	ish	X	X	ish	ish
Mansfield Park	X	X		X	X	X	X	X
Persuasion	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X

Spoiler Alert: They all have happy endings.

As far as character names go, you can just recycle your favorite names again and again. And for the book titles try to stick with proper or abstract nouns (the names of people, places, or qualities/ideas).
Now you’ve got it. All you need to know.

Happy Writing!