the writing routine of Jane Austen

 

Jane Austen died aged 41 but, before her 1817 death, she wrote and published some of the most celebrated western novels of all time. These great novels, including Pride & Prejudice and Sense & Sensibility, have been frequently adapted into films and television series. The author's wit shines through her writing and is one of the reasons that people still enjoy her work to this day. It is almost impossible to tell from her literature alone that she wrote in secrecy and between busy moments in the day. 

So, how and why did Jane Austen write in secret?

In Austen's day, it was almost completely unacceptable for women to become authors. This was especially difficult for Austen who had almost no privacy to do her work in the family's large household. The writer was forced to hide her unfinished novels amongst other papers and slip them out to write just a few words before someone else entered the family sitting room where she wrote. She even went to the lengths of refusing to have the hinges of the door to the room oiled so that she could hear when someone entered. She was also required to help run her household, a task that further limited her writing time.

She had no strict writing schedule. Her situation made it necessary for her to have many shorter length sessions than fewer, long ones. Her family members did know of her writing but there were still the servants and other staff members to consider. The six novels that Austen wrote in her lifetime were published anonymously or under aliases. 

What can be learned from Jane Austen and her secretive writing routine?

Brillance and intellect are not situation dependent. These traits and the products of them, whether they are novels, songs, or anything else, can see the light of day. They can see the light of day even when someone has limited time and even when someone lacks society's blessing.