A New Novel, Part 322 Princess Aksinya

22 August 2011, A New Novel, Part 322 Princess Aksinya

For those who haven’t been following this blog, let me introduce it a little. I am currently blogging my 21st novel that has the working title Daemon. The novel is about Aksinya, a sorceress, who, to save her family from the Bolsheviks, called and contracted the demon, Asmodeus. Her family was murdered anyway, and she fled with the demon from Russia to Austria.

Dobrushin and Aksinya married.  Aksinya and Dobrushin are in Boston, and Aksinya has come to an Orthodox girl's school looking for a job.  She is waiting for the headmistress to call on her, Stacy is called into the office first... 

After a few minutes, Stacy exited the office.  She held her features set in a look of contrition.  The moment the door closed, she gave a very American, thumbs up to Aksinya, and mouthed, “It worked.”  Then louder she said, “I hope you do teach here.”  She skipped back down the hall to her class.

The door opened a crack, “Mrs. Aksinya Andreiovna Lopuhin, please enter.” 

Aksinya stood and entered the office.  The headmistress had her back to Aksinya and walked back to her desk.  The woman seemed young.  Very young for a headmistress.  One shoulder drooped a little lower than the other, but her back was ramrod straight and her clothing was very fine, much finer than Aksinya’s. 

The desk was large and filled one end of the room.  The office was rather deep and had a fireplace on the left wall.  Some padded chairs and a simple tea table were arranged before the fireplace.  An unpadded chair sat before the desk.  Without turning, the headmistress pointed to that chair.  Aksinya stood beside it and waited for the headmistress to sit. 

The moment the headmistress turned, Aksinya dropped her briefcase.  Her mouth fell open.  She couldn’t speak.

The woman before her gave a cry, “Princess Aksinya.”  She rushed around the desk and embraced her. 

I wanted to show you how Aksinya has gone from a person who could not intentionally help anyone to a person who could not help but help.  She gives Stacy good advice.  The advice pleases Stacy and obviously made the headmistress happy.  The foreshadowing and the encouragement from Stacy is that she wants Aksinya to come teach at the school.  Can you imagine Aksinya as a teacher--not before, but perhaps now.

Then the headmistress calls Aksinya into her office.  The headmistress' back is to Aksinya--perhaps she has already written her off.  I give you some clues: the headmistress is young, one shoulder droops, but her back is straight.  Her clothing is finer than Aksinya's.  Then I set the scene and describe the room.  This is an advanced writing technique--I give you the info I want about the headmistress, then I move to the room description.  This gives you time to process the information.

Aksinya waits for the headmistress to sit.  Then I do give you a grand coincidence.  I will admit, this could be considered a Deus ex Machina.  I wanted to give a final punch to the novel and this is it.  Tomorrow, who is the headmistress.

A New Novel, Part 321 She is Quite Strict

21 August 2011, A New Novel, Part 321 She is Quite Strict

For those who haven’t been following this blog, let me introduce it a little. I am currently blogging my 21st novel that has the working title Daemon. The novel is about Aksinya, a sorceress, who, to save her family from the Bolsheviks, called and contracted the demon, Asmodeus. Her family was murdered anyway, and she fled with the demon from Russia to Austria.

Dobrushin and Aksinya married.  Aksinya and Dobrushin are in Boston, and Aksinya has come to an Orthodox girl's school looking for a job.  She is waiting for the headmistress to call on her, but she happens to be sitting next to a girl named Stacy... 

The girl, Stacy asked, “Are you going to go to school here?  Where are your mother and father?”

Aksinya laughed, “I’m applying to be a teacher here.”

The girl’s eyes widened, “You look so young.”

“I’m married,” Aksinya held out her right hand.

Stacy admired Aksinya’s plain golden ring, “Mother told me they married young in the old country.  Just how old are you?”

Aksinya laughed again, “I’m twenty-three.  I just graduated from Radcliffe.”

“Do you like school that much?”

“Yes, I like it very much.  I never was able to go when I was young.”

“You’d hate it if you were my age.”

“Why is that?”

Stacy held out her red hand, “Sister already used her ruler on my hand, and now I have to speak to the headmistress.  If she tells my mother, I’ll get the strap for sure.”

“Perhaps you should tell the headmistress you didn’t know what the words meant and beg her forgiveness.”

“I truly didn’t know what the words were, and I still don’t know what they mean.”

“Then tell her that.”

“Sister wouldn’t listen.”

“Sometimes they are like that.”

The door cracked open, and a call came from inside the office.  It was Russian accented English and sounded very pleasant, “Miss Anastasiya please come inside.”  To Aksinya, the voice seemed slightly familiar.

As Stacy passed Aksinya, she whispered in Russian, “Don’t let her voice fool you, she is quite strict.”

Aksinya nodded.

More advanced techniques.  At the beginning of this dialog, I describe Aksinya to you through the eyes of Stacy, but I don't use a single word of description.  Stacy asks if Aksinya is going to school there and where are her parents.  This indicates that Aksinya still looks like a teen to Stacy, plus there is just so much wrapped up in this comment.  It drives to the core of Aksinya's previous lack of confidence.  Look how she handles it now--she simply answers the girl as though nothing were amiss.  This indicates her maturity. 

Perhaps Aksinya gets this kind of reaction all the time, because she answers it in an interesting way.  She shows her ring and indicates she is married.  Note, the ring is on the right hand and not the left.  In general in Europe, the wedding ring goes on the right hand, in the US, it is the left hand.

Stacy attributes this to the old country, but notice the admiration--all women (and girls) in this era admired those who were married--it indicated a level of maturity, worth, and wealth.  This lets me move on to give Aksinya's age and again that she graduated from Radcliffe.  The reason for this is a setup to give the point about school.  Aksinya loves school--she never got to go except in Wien for a few short months, and then Radcliffe.  That idea is a lead in to Stacy's complaint about the Sister.  I show you Stacy's hand and Stacy tells you that the sister struck her with a ruler--this was a common punishment for girls at the time.  Poor Stacy knows that the headmistress will tell her mom and Stacy will get the strap.  Again, not an uncommon punishment at the time.

Aksinya's advice comes directly from her own experience.  This is supposed to be a small parallel.  This sets up the conversation for a couple of jokes, one about the sister not listening and the other about Stacy not knowing what the dreaded words meant.

Then, the headmistress calls for Stacy.  She speaks English.  The fact that the voice is familiar is a foreshadowing.  Stacy has accepted Aksinya as an intimate--she passes on some advice herself.  Tomorrow, the result of Stacy's interview.

A New Novel, Part 320 What were the Words?

20 August 2011, A New Novel, Part 320 What were the Words?

For those who haven’t been following this blog, let me introduce it a little. I am currently blogging my 21st novel that has the working title Daemon. The novel is about Aksinya, a sorceress, who, to save her family from the Bolsheviks, called and contracted the demon, Asmodeus. Her family was murdered anyway, and she fled with the demon from Russia to Austria.

Dobrushin and Aksinya married.  Aksinya and Dobrushin are in Boston, and Aksinya has come to an Orthodox girl's school looking for a job.  She is waiting for the headmistress to call on her, but she happens to be sitting next to a student... 

The maid turned a stern look at the girl then pointed to the seats.  Aksinya sat next to the girl.  The maid knocked at the office, entered and closed the door behind her.  She exited just a moment later, “The headmistress will call for you in a moment.”

Aksinya answered “Thank you.”

The girl beside her stared at Aksinya.

Aksinya stared back, “I’m Aksinya Andreiovna Lopuhin, and you are?”

The girl answered, “I’m Anastasiya, but everyone calls me Stacy.”  Her Russian was from Moscow, but the name Stacy was said purely in English.

Aksinya laughed, “Do you speak English?”

“Not well.  We’re supposed to learn it here.”

“Are you?”

“Too well.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“My brother taught me some words and the Sister didn’t like me to say them at all.”

“What were the words?”

Stacy motioned for Aksinya to lower her head a little and whispered into her ear.

Aksinya blushed, “Is that why you are here to speak to the headmistress?”

Stacy nodded woefully.

“You have a Nun teaching here?”

“Yes, she is Orthodox but not from Russia.”

“What does she teach?”

“English, German, and French, but mostly German.”

“I see.”

All right, here is an advanced method to show you about a character.  I set up a situation.  Here is a girl who is being punished for some misdeed.  I sit Aksinya next to her.  The ensuing conversation allows me to tell you something about the school, but even more about Aksinya.  This is a method to get across information to your readers without telling them anything.  Plus, you can use this type of conversational scene to get under the skin of your character a little. 

The first glance is interesting enough--the girl stares at Aksinya.  Aksinya looks odd enough for a child to stare at her.  We will discover why, but the point should be made that the girl feels comfortable about Aksinya--comfortable enough to stare.  Aksinya stares back--that's just Aksinya.  She introduces herself, and the girl, Stacy responds. 

The point I wanted you to get here is that the girl is from Moscow, but she is acclimating to America.  Stacy is certainly not a Russian diminutive for Anastasiya.  Stacy was pronounced so well in English, Aksinya asks about is, and we learn that part of this school's focus--English and assimilation.  Then we learn why Stacy is waiting to speak to the headmistress.  Notice, I never tell you the words--don't have to.  Your imagination provides them for me.  This also lets me bring up the point of a nun teaching at the school.  This is a foreshadowing, and one part of the reason I wanted to put in this scene.  We get a little information about this nun.  Tomorrow, more about Stacy.

A New Novel, Part 86 How was School?

I wanted to give you an idea of what Aksinya might look like.  The features of the woman on the left are not significantly unflattering, but they are typically Russian, and they aren't necessarily those of a beauty.  The clothing and hairstyle is very nearly typical of the 1918 period too.

We observed Freifrau Bockmann's appraisal of Aksinya and Natalya.  Now she begins with small talk and then gets to her point--the plans.

The Freifrau Bockmann waited until the carriage had cleared the archway of the convent and school before she asked, “How was your first week?”


Aksinya’s mouth turned into a frown before it raised into a partial smile, “It was pleasant.”

Lady Natalya’s face was set in a bright smile. She didn’t say anything.

“Did you make any friends?”

Aksinya stared out of the window, “We didn’t make any enemies.”

Freifrau Bockmann wasn’t certain what to say. She cleared her throat, “Do you like your teachers?”

Natalya nodded.

Aksinya took a deep breath, “They try hard. Perhaps we can learn here.”

Freifrau Bockmann continued as though she hadn’t heard Aksinya’s last response, “I have made plans for the next week.”

The young women turned their faces expectantly toward the lady. Natalya with her smile, and Aksinya with a crease between her brows.

“The Christmas season is almost upon us, and we usually host a party at this time for our friends and their families. I want to have a coming out and introductory party for you, Countess. That way we will kill two birds with one stone—we can have a wonderful Advent party and at the same time introduce you to the society of Wien.”

Aksinya put her hand under her chin, “But during Advent? When will you have it? Advent is a time of penance. You would have to celebrate it on Sunday for the feast.”

Freifrau Bockmann waved her hand, “Don’t worry about that. I intend to have the party on Saturday after next. We will invite the abbot of Sacré Coeur and the cardinal of Wien. That will make everything right. They won’t dare to miss the party, and everyone will come to meet you.”

Aksinya turned her face back to the window, “I see.”

“Yes, it will be a wonderful party. You both will meet many young and aristocratic men. I wouldn’t be surprised if you both didn’t find suitors during the event.”

“Suitors?” Natalya colored.

“Suitors.” Aksinya rested her chin more squarely on her hand.

Freifrau Bockmann gives them a little time to feel comfortable, then she launches her offensive.  The typical questions you hated from your mother.  Aksinya's answers are sooo proper.  Natalya allows her mistress to speak for her, of course.  Then Aksinya's true nature and aristocratic character comes out--we didn't make any enemies.  Freifrau Bockmann doesn't know what to say--the point of Aksinya was to drive her off the topic.  The Freifrau didn't get the point, so Aksinya gives it to her again--they try hard.  Perhaps we can learn here.  The Freifrau isn't listening.  She has made plans for Aksinya (Natalya is an afterthought to her, but not to Aksinya).  Note their responses--Natalya smiles, Aksinya is concerned.

So, the Freifrau wants a coming out party for them.  In this culture, the point is obvious, to introduce them to eligible men.  Advent is not the time to have such a party.  Aksinya is right on.  Technically, the party should be on a Sunday (a feast day) otherwise that would be wrong, according to the church calendar.  The Freifrau shall make that right by inviting the Abbot and the Cardinal.  That, of course, in her mind will absolve her.  The final point is for the reader.  The idea of attracting suitors is the point of such a party.  I wanted you to see the response of Aksinya and Natalya.  You might wonder about Natalya's blush.  By the way, the Abbot and the Cardinal aren't that important in the scheme of things, but I want you to have the opportunity of meeting them (at the party).  They will be important, though not observed much in the future.

A New Novel, Part 69 German Class and Sister Margarethe

Important person and important interaction, today we get to meet Sister Margarethe for the first time.  Also, here is Aksinya and Natalya's first class at the school.

The first class was German. The room was filled with ten younger and older students. The teacher was a middle aged nun with a very friendly and elfish face. She greeted Aksinya and Natalya at the door pleasantly in French, “Good morning Countess and Lady Natalya. I am Sister Margarethe Traugott. I teach German, both beginning and advanced. I understand the Lady Natalya doesn’t understand any German and that you, Countess, wish to improve your understanding of the language.”


Aksinya smiled, “The Reverend Mother must have spoken to you.”

The Sister Margarethe gave her a very large smile, “Yes, she told me about you, and we discussed your curriculum. You seem a wonderful young woman to have faced such suffering.” She stared at Aksinya and didn’t give a glance to Natalya. Suddenly, she reached out her hand and touched Aksinya’s face then brushed the tips of her hair, “I’m very glad you are in my class. I hope we can be good friends.” She pointed, “Please take the seats near the window at the front. I will assign you your books.”

Aksinya and Natalya sat where they were directed. Natalya pulled out notebooks and pens for both of them. Natalya began with a primmer, and Sister Margarethe spoke with Aksinya for a long time in German before she handed her a book of advanced German studies. At the end of class, the sister let them out of the classroom with a comment, “Countess, I’ve given you an advanced course of study. If you find your studies difficult, please come to my office. I would be happy to help you.

Aksinya grinned, “Thank you, Sister Margarethe.”

As always, we need to set the scene.  I could give you more on the classroom setting, but I already told you about the school, the rest is your imagination.  Plus, classrooms in 1918 aren't that much different--just more wood and less metal (no plastic).  You know the rooms are small and the classes have about 10 girls.  We see the German class is a mixed class (young and old)--you want to bet the students are not Austrian.  Maybe I should tell you this, but it doesn't drive anything in the novel, so the knowledge would just be gratuitous.

The important point isn't the class, it's the teacher.  Sister Margarethe Traugott is a very important character.  Traugott means "trust in God" and Margarethe means "pearl."  There is a significance to the last name.  Her first name is one of the most popular for girls in Austria and Germany when she was born 1860s.  You don't see much more than her face since she is a nun and wears a habit, so the description I give you is about her face.  By leaving the rest out, height, etc, I leave you with the impression she is average--that's what I want you to conclude.

Right away we see Sister Margarethe is very interested in Aksinya.  Then, we should be surprised.  Out of the blue she remarks on Aksinya's suffering.  I prepared you with Aksinya's comment about talking to the Reverend Mother.  That is obviously the only way Sister Margarethe could know so much about Aksinya.  The Reverend Mother obviously received her information from Aunt Brunhilda.  Then the very surprising part: she reaches out her hand and touches Aksinya's face, then her hair.  It's the hair.  If you didn't get it before, you should now.  The hair is an indicator and indicates that Asmodeus has in some way touched Sister Margarethe.  You get then, the words, "I hope we can be good friends."

Next I also give you description in dialog--there is a window in the room and Aksinya and Natalya are directed to sit at the front by it.  Teachers pet and by the window, could a student wish for more?  You should ask, why.

Natalya takes care of business.  She doesn't get any attention, but Aksinya does, plus an invitation.  We also get that Aksinya likes the attention.  We know she is attention starved.  She is looking for something, she called a demon from the pit for it.  So the first class, we know something is up with Sister Margarethe.