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English novelist Jane Austen, who explored romance and society in her timeless works, centuries ago, continues to command millions of fans even today.
Each month, we ask our readers to get inspired by an iconic woman writer and get their own thinking caps on. We hope that this inspires you to read more of these writers, and also get your own writing hat on. The 5 best entries on the writing cue get published here.
Step 1. Read the writing cue (mentioned down below) and get inspired.
Step 2. Write your own story/narrative/piece based on the cue. You could use it as the opening line, the closing sentence, or somewhere in between! You could even choose not to use it anywhere in your story – just write a story using the cue as a prompt. (And ‘story’ can be fictional – or not – as you wish).
Step 3. Send your work to us. Please email it to [email protected] with ‘Muse of the month – Nov’ in the subject line, and your story as a word/txt attachment. Do include the name we should use if we publish it, and a brief introduction to yourself (2-3 lines) in the mail.
Please note: Given the number of entries received, we won’t be able to respond to each, but every single entry is being read through very carefully and is much appreciated.
Here are the 5 shortlisted entries, added as we publish them, one each day, starting November 26th.
Flighty thoughts, by Bhavani: How does a Princess go about getting the man of her dreams? And is she really asking for too much if she needs gentleness and some goodness?
HERstory, by Pooja Sharma Rao: Through the ages, women have served as a looking glass, a companion, a mirror; is it surprising that Jane Austen’s intelligent women had trouble finding men they could love?
Love through the ages, by Tejal Karmalkar: Everything changes. Yet, nothing does. Here’s a story to explain this paradox beautifully.
Looking For Mr. Darcy, by Vrushali J: The journey of finding a suitor teaches one a lesson or two. Here’s a story of rebellion for a cause – to find Mr. Darcy!
Canvas, by Anwesha Ray: Love is a blank canvas, and you’re free to paint it with whatever colour you want, says this post.
Please send in your stories by November 25th 2014, Tuesday, 3 p.m IST. The 5 best stories will be published on Women’s Web the next day on, i.e. one each from November 26th to 30th.
Keep it between 250 and 800 words. (Please keep this in mind; in past editions, we have had to disqualify some good entries purely due to word count issues).
Please avoid typing the story as inline text. Send it as an attachment only.
The 5 best entries will each win a Flipkart voucher worth Rs. 250.
Born in 1775, Ms. Jane Austen led a life that mirrored her own novels. Starting out with short stories and poems at age 11, Ms. Austen made the conscious decision to become a professional writer at age 14. She firmly believed that matrimony should not be pursued without the presence of love, and remained unmarried. Austen’s works saw most of their phenomenal success only after her passing, at the early age of 41.
Jane Austen’s timeless works – numbering only six completed novels – today command a massive influence worldwide, thanks to translations into several languages, and adaptations into multiple mediums. Her work, exploring romance with realism, bitter irony, and social commentary, has transcended cultural boundaries, and continues to serve as the formula for romantic stories even today.
“The more I know of the world, the more I am convinced that I shall never see a man whom I can really love. I require so much!” – the writing cue for November, from Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility. Make sure to get your entry in on or before November 25th 2014, Tuesday, 3 p.m IST
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