Writelike Jane Austen: Mr Darcy at the dance

The character who fits

In our first snippet, we describe the character who fits the social norms and standards of the group:

Mr. Bingley had soon made himself acquainted with all the principle people in the room; he was lively and unreserved, danced every dance, was angry that the ball closed so early, and talked of giving one himself at Netherfield. Such amiable qualities must speak for themselves.

Pride and Prejudice(1813)

The structure is pretty simple:

  • Introduction: summarise the character's initial engagement with the group
  • Features 1-4: provide some examples of behaviour, attitudes, interactions etc that show how the character fits in
  • Conclusion: summarise the overall impression.

The concluding statement in this snippet is artfully vague: it makes a point without directly making it.

We're not going to worry about capturing that quality at this stage—it's more a voice thing. 

If you want to be artfully vague, go ahead, but also feel free to be direct.

Here are worked examples for our knitting club and assassins' gang ideas:

Betsy quickly became part of the gang; she was bright and bubbly, had a lovely collection of tasteful patterns, always brought snacks, and listened more than she talked. She was a new favourite among the girls.

Enzo slipped into the crew as easily as he slipped into an open window; he was measured and confident, nimble with a knife, could sit still for hours in the cold, and was content to mind his own business. He brought a lot of value at little cost.

Now write a description for you character who fits in.

  • Refer back to your brainstorming notes—go to the earlier page and copy them to another doc if you haven't already.
  • Experiment with both specific actions and summary descriptions, but don't get bogged down in any one detail.
Write your variation here.
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