Wanna hear something funny?
When I told Jeffrey I was learning to speak with a British English accent and that I was taking classes. His response was:
”Baby, aren’t you afraid that people are going to think you’re a bit bonkers, like when Britney Spears shaved her head and began using a British English accent?”
I said, ”No, not at all.”
People {I’m not referring to my darling Jeffrey here, I know he meant nothing by his comment}, but as in the people, of the world-well, they're always going to have something to say, no matter what on Gods green earth we are doing, which I know from experience, all-to-well. Believe me. Here's the thing though; I've since learned to stop caring what the world thinks, and it's not even so much the world that attempts to yank folks down, it mostly has to do with the people in one's family that seem to invariably have the greatest to say. When I began loving and accepting myself is when I stopped attracting spikey people into my life. It's been the best self-love contribution I could have ever given to me.
Having said all of that, I am going to share with my darling readers {aka you, my dear friends}, the reason for learning an accent.
Look, you know me very well by now, and that I like to diarise the hell out of things; this is no different.
Whadda ya know folks, there's a whole vast world out there, and a million and one reasons to learn a new language. For instance, what I find fascinating, as in, why people are going to talk about you when you dress like Tasha Tudor. They'll also talk about you for every other reason under the sun, too. Just give it a bit. Most people that consume themselves with what the world is doing will have an opinion, {and look I can't possibly fault someone for their opinion, I, too, have loads of them}. The difference with me, though is that I don't impose my opinion onto someone in a conversation or give my unsolicited advice. Rarely, have I ever done that? It's always when someone has actually asked for my opinion first. I'm also quick to add after I've been asked and shared what I thought, I'll respond with, "No matter what I say, that at the end of the day, they shouldn't care what my opinion is; they should always follow their own heart."
So, my learning to speak in a British English accent will surely raise some eyebrows, this I’m fully aware of, but I don't give a rip.
Even although I'm not obligated to explain why and what I'm doing to anyone, my blog is my happy place, and you lovely ladies are my friends, so I look at it as a sharing moment. Like when you come to tea, and we're conversing with each other, ya know, sort of like that.
The reasons for me wanting to learn to speak in a British accent are many. Here's to name a few. First off it doesn't take a rocket scientist to know that my heart belongs to England and that I'm planning several trips there. But the main reason is that, as an author, and being that I write my books in British English and in the 19th century, it will further encourage my writing to be more superior. Because truthfully writing in British and speaking in British are two separate things. Let me tell you a little story about why I know this so well.
About twelve years ago, I had started reading mostly books written by British writers. I like that kind of literature best of all. I was reiterating this to a ’then’ girlfriend of mine. Well, she then rang me a few days later to tell me she had a terrific book selection that I was definitely going to fawn over. It had all the right plotlines, characters, and she said it was a ”very Jane Austen type of a series.” Well, that was all she wrote. I went directly to the book store and bought all five of the books in the little set.
I began the first book. The cover was beautiful, but about two minutes into the book, something seemed off about the book. Now, look, I'm not an expert, by any shape of the imagination, but what I am good at, is detecting authenticity, and the more I read this book, the more I could sense something was off. I kept reading a bit more, and then I had to stop. I called my friend and asked her if she was picking up on this same vibe, in which she replied, ”no, what do you mean? I loved them!”
I said, ” The book feels cheesy and inauthentic, I can't quite put my finger on it, but there's something I do not like about it. Are you sure about this author?”
I hung up and decided to do a little research on the author. And what do you know? She was an American writer, attempting to write a British book placed in the 19th century. Needless to say, I never read another word of those books and later donated them to a charity shop. They were Gawd awful! So, that has stuck with me all this time, and I vowed to myself, that if I ever were to write books {which was always my dream} That I would make them as accurate as I possibly can, and I don't care if I have to spend enormous amounts of time on the research to get them right. I do understand that's not always an essential thing for some folks, but for me; a person who thrives on authenticity, I just couldn't possibly write a half-hearted book and call it a day. But that's just me, ya know?
It wasn't about having spent the money on the books that annoyed me, because, well, I'm an avid reader and buying books has always been considered an investment.
But, have you ever read a book like that, where it feels fake, or you have to repeatedly read the first chapter to get into it? I established a rule for myself after that book debacle, which is ”Life is too short of finishing shitty books.”
Needless to say, the book was foul to the Olympic degree, and I never read another page. Which was a shame really, because had she would’ve done more study and research she could’ve possibly had a decent book.
I remember telling my friend after, that I thought they were catastrophic, and if I were ever to write books, they would be convincing. I jokingly, said to her too, that I'd never take a book recommendation from her again.
The other reason that I want to speak British is that when my book, ”The Tale of Sawyer Lamb, {which is written in British}, goes to publishing, I have the option to do a kindle and audio version. So I thought to myself, what a charming idea it would be to actually do the audio myself. All I'd have to do is learn British English. So, instead of having another person narrate, I'm going to do it myself. It is my book, after all.
Most affably yours til my next swim, Raquelxxx
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