Dear readers,
I just posted a new version of Ellen Trilby at Bookapy, one with a new beginning, some new characters, and — as I believe — more credible story line.
When I started writing the story of the orphan girl Ellen Trilby, I had just posted In The Navy here at SOL, my first offering as a writer of fiction. I wanted to continue with the second part of In The Navy, but I had this romantic idea in my head, about a beautiful shepherdess capturing the heart of a young gentleman. As was my practice then, I just started writing without a developed plot, just following where my imagination took me, and posted chapters willy-nilly as soon as I had finished writing them. No editor was ever involved. That showed, but somehow, the readers liked the story anyway. In fact, Ellen, as it was renamed in 2017, continues to be my highest-rated story at SOL.
Why then, you will ask, did I rewrite such a well received story with a vastly changed plot? After all, it had already gone through three revisions over the years, first hunting typos, then correcting syntax, and latest, removing gratuitous sex scenes.
My reason is that I did not like the story anymore. The characters and events were too over-the-top. Moreover, some plot elements were overly taxing the suspension of disbelief.
Example? How could Ellen not know the Carters, Lady Harriet in particular? Harriet had assisted Ellen's uncle and mother and brought about the meeting of Ellen's parents. Of course, Siobhan Trilby must have told her daughter of the high ranking Lady who had been her close friend.
Another point was Richard's dismal behaviour at the start. How could Ellen ever forgive him so quickly? On the other hand, how could Ellen turn into such an airhead after her arrival in London? Moreover, Richard challenged Major Finney and still he chose the weapons, a breach of duelling etiquette.
I was also still quite unhappy with the language of the early chapters, and instead of correcting a word here, a syntax there, like I had done in earlier revisions, I rewrote entire paragraphs.
That, my friends, is the reason for the rewrite. The original full story, Ellen, will remain available untouched here at SOL for as long as Lazeez will keep it. Too many people are attached to it, including myself. The newly written Ellen Trilby is therefore made available only on Bookapy, hopefully for your enjoyment, and it covers the time from the first meeting to the wedding of Richard and Ellen (1825-1830). A thoroughly revised account of the later events in Ellen's life, Lady Lambert's Adventures, will also be published soon.
This is it, in a nutshell.