What If Elizabeth Bennett Had Met Her Match?

Welcome to the weekend, Baby!  What a week and not a bit of writing for the whole month of March. It's too deep for words how a writer's good writing depends on a clear and healthy unstretched mind which I could not yield the entire month.  This is to hoping by May 1 to have a clean, out-of-this world final draft.  Yes, that is my goal.  To have a romantic comedy with spitfire rhetoric, snide remarks, jokes and an actual funny story.  All I have now is the basic foundation to a house.

We all remember Mr. Darcy's wildly arrogant aunt who boldly let's it be known that Elizabeth was not worthy of Mr. Darcy's hand for many accounts, plus he was betrothed to her niece since birth.  She has everything on paper that says she belongs to Mr. Darcy forever why would he possibly want Elizabeth who doesn't even have the ability to trace her family lineage and the ones who do show up are not worthy of the fine caliber Mr. Darcy.

I think this is the second appeal that draws the masses of swooning women to this tale.  The chance that someone out-of-their caliber per se would actually be able to look at the truth, the heart and forsake everything to unite their heart despite circumstances to be with them.

This is what drew me to Pride and Prejudice because it was similar to my situation, only the out-of-the league in the original guy who rejected me was only in his head as he was an unemployed and only thought his class and extreme beauty was in his head. He was like Mr. Darcy in the fact he looked his nose down at me because of my color even though he is black but doesn't know it, when I was more educated, nicer than his uncouth meanness and had hidden class. But this book resignated with me because I felt the essence of Elizabeth's pain after experiencing such an offensive person.

Remember how sickly they made Mr. Darcy's betrothed?  All of the movie versions have her looking weakly, ill, wearing glasses and not holding her head up and some characters are mousy and unattractive.  She seemed very docile and unchallenging to Mr. Darcy as if she would jump at his very command. This I did not like about the book.  It made it all too easy for Mr. Darcy to leave his position than if he really had affections for his fiancee.

What if he was actually in love and they have a nice history together and THEN here comes this charlatan who waltzes in and he has to make an even tougher decision to leave his position.  His friend's sister definitely tried to bring in this challenge in every way to undercut his attention from Elizabeth only to cut the very feet from underneath herself.

In my version I do not even bring any challenges either as it does seem it would interrupt the flow.  There is plenty of challenges just between Elizabeth, my Giselle and Mr. Darcy, my Mr. Washington's pride and prejudices of class and men/women relations.  BUT, I do plan to bring in certain other women challenge in part 2.

Well, that's enough jabbering for today, until next time see you next Saturday.

XOXO,
Denise Rochelle

Pride and Prejudice: My Real-Life Mr. Darcy

Well, every Saturday is a different forecast, warm, cold, winter, spring. Hope you are having a great first of the year. Let's get started.


I believe in the influence of those who have passed on or the aid of angels. I was at the Wal-mart sometime this week and I know a lot of you were as well, ha, ha. So, you will know what I mean when I talk about those huge circular bins they now have placed in the front near the registers with the movies, video games and candy.



Do not be ashamed - those 5 dollar signs are like an energy beam drawing a brave many of us to it. Anyway. I was drawn to one this Monday.

For those of you who never (cough, cough) been to Wal-mart, there are these plastic about four-foot bins with hundreds of products in them for 5 dollars. Well, out of the millions of movies. I walked right to Pride and Prejudice 2005 sitting on top. I was with my Pastor's wife this day. She wanted to see if they already had the movie or if they should get it.

Well, their teenage daughter just received the movie this Christmas. So, what did all the teens end up watching? The boys had to be coerced and guess what, right at the five minute mark guess whose heads were bobbing and some until the next day.

Come on, what is so boring about the 2005 version? It is funny and the most tolerable rendition of the frantic mother. I am shocked. Anyway, it touched my heart to find out how much the girls have watched that movie and when they found out that I had watched every version and read and listened to the book they were asking so many questions what was different than what was in the book. I didn't tell them I rewrote it when they asked why I watched so many versions, but when I told them the 1990s British version was the closest they want to watch it now.

Long story short, it was the first time in weeks I was able to write again. Why my writer's block? Embarrassed to say, but from the start of My Black Pride I was already living it.

So much that months after I wrote it, my version had become a self-fulfilling prophecy. So much that when people hear my true story in the future will think I fashioned my story to the events in Black Pride.


If you have ever heard of "The Secret" or about the Law of Attraction, then you know that what you write, say or think can become a self-fulfilling prophecy. We can see it evident in many actors lives once they play a villain and see how far down their lives go when they get stuck in the villain role.




The law of attraction. If you are new to this blog, I was able to write this story nearly a hundred pages within a 24-hour period because I saw a real Mr. Darcy after a dream. By imagining this actor as Mr. Darcy, it was very clear the re-imagining of this character. Doesn't sound like a lot of pages, but you're talking about a woman who struggled 30 years taking months to finish any first draft of any creation.




My Mr. Darcy is exactly like the Pride and Prejudice in the beginning, rough, cold, not nice etc.But somehow changed just like the character in the book. I wasn't very nice either, just like Elizabeth, even though I was just being honest with my words. The real life Mr. Darcy can be vocal in everything, but when it comes to the matter of the heart there is a complete shut down. So, it seems. And we find out that he liked her from the beginning yet her harsh words wounded those chances.




And then almost too late she has the same feelings rush to her when she finds out how great of a person he really despite all of his faults and has to humble herself to let him try once more.

Only, in real life there is something crazy about this ego thing. You can't have Pride anywhere when it comes to true love. Who knew? The lesson learned by Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth could very well a subliminal message from an age of Pride of what needs to be done between two prideful people.


My Mr. Darcy is not only like the real one in status and stature but also in looks while like Elizabeth I have the wild hair and style and fore go trying to fit into society's qualms.  Like Mr. Darcy who does not give a second chance to those who have a fallacy and kicks them out of his life with his cold demeanor ... yep. Check, check and check.  How else could I have written this story so quickly?

With all of that said, if you just stick it out with me as I bring Pride to the self-publishing world and hopefully share it with even more later. You can say you were at the beginning of a fun and great ride along with me as we try to get this baby out of my mind completely and into the world. 

Maybe one day, I can get over my shyness and get some conversations going on the blog. They never teach us how to relate when we are learning writing skills, so, it is touch and go here. What is this pain I feel? 

It is my ego dying its final death, ha, ha.

 Have a good weekend and see you next Saturday.

Love ya,

Denise Rochelle

Entertainment: Where Are the High-Standard Women?

Sounds like an insult, but coming from a woman it might sound like a challenge or a wake up call.  Yes, women still wear dresses and are cordial when need be, but it has become acceptable for even people in high positions to speak laid back, broken English in real life.  Where's the class?

We can instantly debate that the state of women today wanting so much equality even in the way we dress is more evident when we compare ourselves to the women of the 1800s.

No better way to delve into that world than through the books of Jane Austen and her womenfolk in relation to writing about that time. With the advent of reality television, the screaming, loud most vocal woman gets all of the attention.

You know who I'm talking about.  The woman who is wildly dressed, has no manners, is singled out by the rest of the cast of characters as the 'B' title she wears like the Scarlet Letter.  Women don't have to wear dresses to be considered the Yin type of woman, but the whole equality thing since the 70s has degraded our woman-likeness to some degree.

This trend of the female 'strong' woman who can handle everything under the sun like a man has dominated our culture so much, the 'B' word is showing up in books and movies as the average woman now.  Something we should aim to be and dress like to obtain the man or the job at the end of the story.  As a writer, I can place my complaint in the complaint box with any female leads that I write.

Where did the Yin-type woman in the media go?

Pretty Woman took half the movie to transition the smart-talking harlot into a fantabulous lady, but still, that was 20 years ago!  This movie was derived from an even older movie -My Fair Lady - about a street culturally reckless woman trained to match the savvy talk of the rich and famous in England.

Is it old fashion to want to be praised for being womanlike again - to want to stop seeing the 'B' get praised for her wild mouth and ways?

Do we all want to be walking around in a thousands years with our knuckles to the ground saying at least we are equal?

There is nothing like a woman on earth.  God mad the mountains, the stars, the creation based on His idea FIRST of a man and woman.  Mountains look like breasts!  The woman should celebrate her body with clothing that flows around every corner in recognition that we were not meant to be equal in every way.

Why is the movie "Breakfast at Tiffany's" such a classic?

I believe because first Holly Golightly had built the facade of a sophisticated woman who had a heart and secondly, she wore classy clothes that can be envied to this day.  No one can out do Audrey Hepburn as that character who still can take people's hearts.  People who knew her off screen said she was not acting, she was a true lady in style and in speak.

Is it wrong to celebrate equality and yet still possibly celebrate every curve and classy ways only a woman on earth can possess?
I'm not too fond of the clothing line Michelle Obama wears, a little too plain, but she is the example of a modern POWERFUL person owning her womanhood.  She gives an example that she can be strong to her nation, ladylike and support her husband and be a mother at the same time.  She won the golden ticket at the end of the movie with class.

Pride and Prejudice is the ultimate book of Yin women except Elizabeth.  All of the adaptions, except the 1970s television version which I think made Elizabeth a little too soft, portray Elizabeth as strong and leveled headed.

She was the type that didn't care if she had messy hair or whether mud was on the end of her elegant dress.  To her, all of the necessary things to be a woman in that day she wore as requirement, and let her rough personality overshine.  Yet, she had the eyes of many Alpha-type men in love with her.  Who is more Alpha than Mr. Darcy?!

Why?

By observing the spirit of the character, I can see that Elizabeth's tough exterior and speak coupled with sincerity made her a beautiful woman.

Remember how Mr. Darcy went from 'she's plain' to defending her to his friends after she left the mansion with her messy hair and the girls were making fun of her?  He said he thought her plain before, but was wrong, she was the most beautiful creature he had ever seen.

I think integrity is missing in not only women in the movies who are stealing boyfriends, making fun of people behind the back, but also in life as we try to keep up with our male counterparts in the race for life.

A woman is truly the bedrock of the family.

What true man is going to make all of the decisions in the house without consulting his wife first.  A successful man can make all the plans and decisions he wants, but I bet Michelle will give the final word when it comes to the personal affairs of the Obama household.

Have you heard of the story where Michelle and Barrack went to a restaurant and she found out that she used to date the owner?

Barrack said that she could have been the wife of a restaurant owner and she said, no, she would have been the wife of the President that used to own a restaurant.

This is so poignant.

Women run the country through the way they raise their children and their husbands!  We not only carry all of humanity for 9 months, we raise them as well.  I don't have to see the Leave It To Beaver mother-type washing clothes, cooking and taking care of the house all day, but I want to see women who actually stand for something again.

Get rid of these wimpy characters, drama, sleep with many people no center or guidance just step over anyone say anything just to get what you want kind of girl.  Maybe once women in films, books and movies find their center, then the media can start entertaining us with quality movies once again.

Oh, well, I suppose the rant is over.  Now, let's go watch an 80's romantic comedy or better yet, the 2005 version of Pride and Prejudice.  See you next Saturday...have a great weekend, everybody!

Denise Rochelle M.

Pride and Prejudice Update: Ending Change

Wow, the holidays was less about gifts and 90% about the people in my life all across the world.  I actually might be growing up.  I was able to do a little writing.  I believe the literature is a living entity once it is placed on paper or in object outside of our minds, and there is so much I would like to have accomplished with my comedy rewrite by now, but ...  I was able to add and tweak only two scenes since Saturday.

My routine is I think of the story visually as scenes and feel which ones need it the most that day.  This time, I thought that the ending to Pride and Prejudice, yes, the lovely scene after Mr. Darcy's aunt comes and chews the heck out of Elizabeth and then Mr. Darcy comes to apologize to her.  That one.  The other scene is not in the original book, but is my Elizabeth character Giselle's epilogue which I posted, and is only the first layer and will go through two layers before the final release.

Let's first start with the ending.  I found strongly, that the way P and P ends for Jane Austen is beautiful and I ended it that way ... but the spirit of my book and the fact that my Giselle character is a strong black woman with strong prejudice against black men and strong pride to let love in, the story screamed to change it.  I won't reveal more, but the flow of this version, I guarantee that there will be some gripes with the change, but it is ingrained into my character's world.

That's another thing I found out recently that hundreds of screenwriting books and few classes and my screenwriting group never could drill in my head.

Every story creates a living reality, a spirit world of its own that as you read that story, you become part of that world.  If the writer is able to tap into their character's spirit and world it becomes a classic, because their world lives infinitely.  Jane Austen was able to do this.  Luckily, her character's spirit are easy to grasp like no characters ever before.

Secondly, I saw that my epilogue needs to set up a lot of changes that you P and P lovers will encounter.  First of all my character has a past, but she has let go of her baggage.  Secondly, she has dated before, where Elizabeth never dated or had a boyfriend.  I added references to how she became strong and too prideful to show her feelings toward men or let her heart be open so when Mr. Washington does all these things by being exactly opposite of her prejudices, it has more meaning.

So, I still have a lot more tweaks to do by Saturday concerning these same aspects.  I will let the comedy flow through from now one wherever as I don't see where else to put it for now.  So, as a writer, I am very satisfied where my story is right now. VERY.

Plus, I no longer feel guilty about my story not allowing me near it until my heart is straight.  Now, after a week off, I have a fresher understand of Giselle and her world when I started to read the story pieces after staying away from it.  Writers should be at peace with not always working for THAT particular project every single day.  Rest the eyes, stay silent and it will come, and like love you will have a higher appreciation for it once you resume.  I have rested a total of three weeks on Black Pride whereas other stories I worked on for years everyday trying to hammer out the problems.  I have never been this far along and unworried about my story world before after only two months of it coming to me.

Watch out world, another Pride and Prejudice redux is coming.

I love you sincerely across the globe,

Have sanctity in your words,

Love,
Denise Rochelle M.

Update: Can't Force A Good Thing

Merry Messiah celebration and Merry Christmas, everyone!  As I said, I didn't write.  It was a natural week off to let the story rest and settle and come to me.  You can't force a good thing.  I do realize that by surviving this tough year, I need to be tough with my character Elizabeth character, Giselle.  If you have studied screenwriting, you know they tell you to throw your character up a tree and be mean to them and throw rocks at them when they try to get down.  Well, I never was mean to my characters, hence boring story.  As a writer, sorry to say, but you are God to your story world and its universe.  I wouldn't accept this. 

I always let my story tell itself and not DIRECT or guide their journey which, hell, I have to admit leads to no focus or direction.  It just becomes an elaborate journal that I wish others would like.  That is selfishness and I realize this 35 years later of writing, that I need to give my character a rough time and to make come out of it a better person in such a way that the audience can go, oh, they survived this, maybe I can too.  Because essentially, my character is me who has gone through something that an audience or reader is going through and it shows that they can conquer this problem as well.

 

There are many issues in Black Pride, but the main one if you look at my about page, is the issue that Giselle deals with her black prejudice and it holds her back from the ONE.  The forum has not gotten to my question asking men to voice their opinion on their grievances with black men.  I'm waiting on this website because they are very truthful and honest.  

 

So, now I will write this week focusing on the comedy when it comes to me and figuring out how to make Giselle's life harder than just people and men problems.

 

Until then, smooches, enjoy the family and see you Wednesday!

 

Love and Hope,
Denise Rochelle M.

What Are Your Prejudices?

Warning,  May Be Offensive Not Intended, Honesty Is:

This book and blog is not going to be for people who think these thoughts on their own, but are afraid of looking like racists for saying it out loud.  If so, maybe another blog is more suited.  Who knows, I may be the only one who thinks this way, but that's why it's called "My" not "Black Women's Prejudice". 

If you look at the about page you will see that the biggest offense that started it all was that I was seen as lower and less by a black man just because he had strong black mama issues.  He saw every black woman in a negative light and wanted to do anything possible to be distanced from any woman who said anything about him when it came to romance, no matter how truthful it was.  "The sky is blue".  "You think, you know everything.  The sky is not blue." Along these lines.  If this is news to you, then maybe you are lucky to not experience such injustice.

My prejudice was that black men that were like this were kind of a sissy who do not want to be around 'real' women who have an opinion. They like their women to be exactly what society thinks is beautiful and outstanding before they decide she is worthy.  This type of guy is similar to Mr. Darcy, the co-character of the original 1800's Pride and Prejudice, and he who sparked my rewriting the tale in modern day, black society.

It will offend, but I am tired of keeping quiet; if only I am the one who views this blog, or reads my book upon its release it will be enough.  I will be fine with just me, God and the angels knowing of its existence because it has been a very, very befitting healing process to heal my heart of people who have shown prejudice and never seen me as equal, and I came close to believing them.  Anyway.  That is all for now.

What are your grievances about black men or black women, or men or women in general if you hate to use color as a reference to a person?

Love you,
Denise Rochelle:)