New ending to an old classic. Little Women

 

          New extended ending to a favorite novel, Little Women.

                                                                               Little Women extended version

     Did you ever wonder what would've happened if Jo March hadn't been able to catch up to her beloved Professor Baer? I always have so I went ahead and rewrote the ending.

      I reread the beloved book since it's right on the bookshelf. It's an older copy from when I was young, but we won't get into how young I was at the time of the first read. Now, I'm seventy-two and still absolutely in love with the book.

       About ten years ago, my husband and I traveled out to Boston and one of the first places we visited was The Orchard House. It's just as grand as suspected. Louisa Mae Alcott's writing desk was right where it was left. The dolls were lined up on the beds. The furniture was the same and I pictured the girls piling on them for the evening and curling up with a blanket. A few of Amy's pictures are displayed. 

     We walked the grounds and left for a nearby site to tour. I pictured the walkway where Jo hurried to her Professor. At that moment, it occurred to me that Jo had many more adventures to explore and journey's to conquer. It was a wonderful experience. 

     Finally, a time to rewrite the ending. My imagination brought me to the moment when Jo was told that someone left the manuscript at her sister Meg's house. She flew over there as if on angel's wings, only to rush to meet up with her beloved, but he'd already escaped from her clasp. Her heart was broken but did it stop her from publication or promoting her book? You'll have to read the new ending and don't forget to leave a review!

      Thank you!  Barb Schlichting

Little Women extended version.      website

Characters and senses. Their likes and dislikes.

Have you ever thought writing about rooms in your house as worthwhile?  I didn’t either until I tried it.  Describe what you see in the kitchen or do you want to begin with the family room?  It doesn’t really matter.  We’ll get to know your characters likes and dislikes.  Are you the main character or most of you, I should say?  I am in an awful lot of my books.  Mostly it’s me.  In The Broken Circle, most of me was in it. I had been a teacher and knew the classroom scenes plus had a boyfriend who went to Vietnam while serving in the Marines.  In my White House Dollhouse series, I always loved dolls and am a history buff. Who are you in your books?  Let’s find out your likes and dislikes.

     Choose a room and it really doesn’t have to be from your home, but it must evoke strong memories. Set your timer for five minutes, then write about the room. Put down any details that you remember about the room. When the timer goes off, then stop.

      Circle all visual words.  How many did you use? Write down the number.

      Circle all words that make sounds—verbs. How many? Enter the number.

      Continue with smell, taste and touch. 

     How many words for each of the senses?  Now you know where your strength and weaknesses are.  

     Now go ahead and add your character in the room and see what happens.  If you don’t care for the character you added then try another one.  You’ll see how each character responds to different settings.

     I hope this helps you in your writing.

     Please leave a comment and follow me.  Happy writing!

     Barb 

   Twitter   Facebook  Goodreads  Barb's Books