Genre :: historical fiction. You could say it’s a romance, but that somehow doesn’t feel like an appropriate label.
Setting :: The Netherlands, 1880s - the early 1950s.
Themes :: historical lesbians, some specific bits of Amsterdam’s history, accepting who you are even if your environment disapproves, family, love, loss, poverty, aiming for more in life.
Status :: working on a very messy first draft + character development.
POV :: still deciding! Current pieces are written in both 3rd person and 1st person. I’m leaning towards 1st person because I like the idea of an old lady recalling her history relating to a certain other lady.
Language :: written in Dutch. Excerpts, character info, etc. shared in English.
Synopsis :: when one of her youngest neighbours, a girl of about 8 years old, asks old Ada Smit about the portait photo of a beautiful lady on her mantlepiece, she says she was a dear friend. The dear friend wasn’t just a friend at all, but a lover of over 40 years. Ada reflects on those years, sometimes sweet and sometimes bitter.
(some) Characters ::
Ada :: narrator (or main POV character). Extroverted, great listener, friendly and a real people’s person. She doesn’t get out as much because of her old age, but enjoys babysitting her neighbours’ children when they have to go out. She was a bit insescure about life and decisions when she was younger, but learnt to be more confident over time.
Edith :: the character whose name is going to be mentioned at least 200 times. Ada’s lover of many years, who was very, very certain of herself from a rather young age. Introverted, strong-willed, intelligent, and a great observer. Edith has always known her own mind. Despite having a passive role in most social situations, she absolutely will not hesitate to go on an adventure if she thinks it can bring her a better life.
[unnamed] :: Ada’s brother, the one character who -- after he took some time to adapt to the idea -- fully accepted his sister and her unofficial wife. Though difficult at first, he called Edith his sister-in-law and made sure to treat her accordingly. Selectively kind, dad jokes, protective. In need of a lot of character development.
[unnamed II] :: Edith’s brother. Drowned in a shipwreck when Edith was about eight years old. Though never actively part of the story, he plays a major part in Edith’s life, for she just can’t let go of him.
“Well, one might just find herself fortunate enough to be in possession of a great vocabulary," Edith bragged, puffing her chest out ever so slightly. “So, what do you say?”
“Say of what?”
She bowed lightly and extended her hand to me. “May I have this dance, young lady?”
A bit of background info: this scene is set in Amsterdam of the 1880s, in a so-called danskelder (dance cellar), in which music was played rather loudly and people, often sailor and young women, danced illegally. Because dancing was illegal for some time lol. The two women in this scene are lesbians, though the narrator, Ada, isn’t aware of the fact yet. By the end of this scene, I’m planning to let Edith guide Ada out of the cellar and, on their way back home, confess her feelings.
It’s going to be a super self-indulgent short story and I’m having so much fun working on it already :)
