I’ve been working on a scene lately that is really fussy. I can’t quite get it how I want it.

It’s a funny scene. My novel is supposed to be a funny Regency Mystery…but there’s a fine line between a humorous homage and a spoof. I don’t want this to come across as some kind of Comedy Club Jane Austen Skit…

So I finally decided to apply the parentheses []. I often use [] when I’m writing, as an way to tell myself ‘this area needs to be revisited and reworked’. Sometimes I’ll use it as a way to mark details I can fill in later, perhaps after some research. For example:

Living in [location in London], they were often the last to arrive. OR

“I vow,” declared Lady [name], “That I read more books in two weeks than I usually do in a year!” OR

Before dinner, I practiced [name of Mozart music] to perfection.

Sometimes I put it around alternate phrasing, because I’m not sure which one I prefer. Such as:

My aunt [had retired for the night/was still at a dinner party]

This is the first time I’ve applied it to a whole scene, though.

For some reason, it’s only once I slap those suckers down, that I can let it go and move on. Got to keep the writing flowing!