Miss Brill is one of Kate Mansfield's classic short stories. She has this to say on the creation of the character. This excerpt from makes me ask: how much are you willing to give writing?
"In Miss Brill, I choose not only the length of every sentence, but even the sound of every sentence. I choose the rise and fall of every paragraph to fit her, and to fit her on that day at that very moment. After I'd written it I read it aloud numbers of times--just as one would play over a musical composition--trying to get it nearer and nearer to the expression of Miss Brill until it fitted her.
Don't think I'm vain about this little sketch. It's only the method I wanted to explain. I often wonder whether other writers do the same--if a thing has really come off it seems to me there mustn't be one single word out of place, or one word that could be taken out. That's how I aim at writing. It will take some time to get anywhere near there." --From Letter to Richard Murry
Extract from X.J. Kennedy's Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry and Drama
