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In Which We Examine Millie Lark on a Non-Professional Basis

by Kellyn Roth |
December 28, 2016

Today we’re going to take a peak at the inner workings of a character from The Lady of the Vineyard. Her name is Millie Lark. She is Adele Collier’s best friend. She gets all of two paragraphs of page-time in TLOTV and perhaps a mention in Flowers. However, I like Millie and am considering writing a novel (or novella) specifically about her.

To start with, I’ll give you a quick summary of her life. Millie was born in Kent, England to … a normal family, I guess. She has an older brother who doesn’t get mentioned ever (although in my head Adele had a crush on him at one point). She grew up with Adele; they were dearest friends since they were infants. Their parents were likely friends or something.

Anyway, unlike Adele, Millie is a very cautious, down-to-earth person, but she lives for her best friend, so she goes to wild parties and such (quite against her nature). So as a young adult, she gets into all sorts of trouble (through Adele), but manages to (overall) avoid a jail record (same as Adele).

Yeah, I’m exaggerating a bit … but it’s more fun like this! 😉

As I was saying, after they’ve finished school (I’m not getting into specifics here, so I’m just gonna say school), they run around crazy for a time (again, no specifics!) and then:

Millie: Adele, I think we need to do something serious.
Adele: But serious isn’t fun. Why would we be serious?
Millie: Because we need to actually have a life. We should get jobs.
Adele: But I don’t want anyone bossing me around.
Millie: Then … then we’ll start our own business!
Adele: Ooh, we could sell flowers.
Millie: What?
Adele: We could sell flowers! It’d be fun.
Millie: Oh. All right! If you want to, anyway!

I’m sure that’s exactly how the conversation went.

Anyway, they open their flower shop and get an apartment (they room together at first), then Adele meets Troy and all that happens. So Millie runs the shop by herself for a while (and is probably lonely because she’s not the kind of girl who dates and I imagine her parents are still living in Kent) until Adele divorces Troy and comes back with Judy.

After a while, Millie gets her own apartment a couple blocks down and the two aren’t as close as they were before despite the fact that they run the flower shop together, Judy adores Millie (and visa-versa), etc.

After TLOTV, the war begins and Millie works in London doing some miscellaneous war-work. During or after the war, Millie presumably marries and possibly has a child or two, though I don’t know about that, either. I also want Adele and Millie’s friendship becomes closer (and certainly less Adele-serving) during/after war.

Millie is an INFJ. At least, I think so. Altruistic, idealistic, not interested in relationships unless they’re deep, intuitive … all sounds like Millie.

That wasn’t really much of a post, was it? Well, let’s be honest. The year is coming to an end, and I’m fresh out of subject-material.

Au revoir,

~Kellyn Roth

What do you think of my thoughts?

37 Responses

    1. Actually, you’re mostly Millie. Runners-up, you’re equally Granny and Judy! Honestly, though, half of the questions are just ridiculous and don’t matter … unless you think you’re like Troy because you like the color blue! 😉

  1. I like Millie. =D And I am in love with the idea of her and Adele getting close during the war… I am so looking forward to any of that stuff *cries*.
    See, the personality test is so easily maneuverable….you can hijack it to get what you want…. I don’t like the whole deal of the Myers-Briggs. I think it’s kinda limiting because as you say: there’s more to you than what the test results say! 😀

    1. Millie is awesome! I’m planning a novel about her during WW2 … a romance, I’m afraid, although it’s also gonna focus a great deal on Adele and Millie’s relationship.
      At least that’s the plan …
      Yeah, I can make the personality test say what I want … that’s probably what I’m doing! 😀

      1. Agreed! =D Ahhh I love romance. But WWII is so heartbreaking…. Sounds super awesome, Kellyn. I like it- it would be realistic of course for her and Adele to bond close during such a time…
        Lol! ;D

          1. Sometimes I feel that way too…. but, I think it’s just cause we don’t have a whole ton of experience with it. ;D I’m sure when we get married we’ll be writing romance like pros. 😉
            OH MY WORD! xD I’m dying. That is so awesome.

            1. We can only hope! I’m sure hoping God’s plan for me isn’t to be an old maid; it would be a death-blow to my writing! 😛
              I think it’s a nice balance. Troy balances out Granny’s occasional legalism and such, Granny balances out Troy’s confidence levels (which can be lowish) … I think it’s gonna work for you! 😉

              1. LOL! I gotta agree with you…. it might put a banter on things! But God has a plan. Not to mention we’re a mite too pretty to be old maids, at least for long…. LOL kidding. ;D
                Haha! Sounds good- gotta suck that confidence from somewhere, right? ;D

                1. That’s what my dad says. He’s always telling me that someday he’s gonna be sitting on the porch with a shotgun keeping boys away … I don’t know about THAT, though! 😀
                  Yep, definitely! 😛

  2. Ooooh, I want to see which character I get! (Also, which character do you get if you click on all the answers that say you’ve never loved anyone and your soul is black and all that?)
    Also, Millie sounds really awesome. I do want to learn more about her!

      1. Oh haha, before I saw this one I thought you were saying I was Harrington and I was very confused…but that makes more sense. Cool! I like Judy! 😀

  3. I took the quiz as CutePolarBear…. who did I get??
    I think a novel about Millie would be fun. I understand wanting to write something about someone whom you’ve developed quite a bit, but only talked about minimally.
    CutePolarBear

    1. You got equal parts Granny and Judy. So you’re either a five-year-old girl or a fifty-year-old woman …? 😛
      I know! I barely mentioned Millie, yet I have so much about her … she needs her own novel!!

      1. Hehe, I wonder how that works. 😉 Well, I assume Granny is Judy’s grandmother? So I get Granny’s genes, and I act like a five-year-old girl. 😛
        CutePolarBear

  4. Ugh I dont get it…the pic of the girl…*sobs*
    A book about millie would be legit!! *snods* *wonders if I used “legit” corectly* ???
    And I took the test again…hey I answered differently this time! So whats my results!?!?

  5. LOLOL! The quiz is hilarious! And such a genius idea! I took it as Madison and was laughing over the very last answers the entire time (“Black… just like my heart… and my shoes… and my teeth…”) LOLOLOL! Whenever I’m being silly around my best buds, I am totally like that character… XD Otherwise I’m [mostly] normal. XD Millie sounds super neat! I really like reading about your characters. 😀
    •Madison•

    1. Okay, so you got a somewhat complicated score. Millie and Troy tied for first place; Judy took second (by just a smidge); you also had some Granny-ish answers, but she was third place by quite a bit. I’d say you’re more Troy than anyone, though. Which is great, because he’s an awesome character (despite being, well, a boy … XD )

  6. You’re an INTJ, Kellyn??? Wow. So am I! Buy, you seem more like an infj to me. You have a strong personality, so I guess J, plus you seem organized. 😉 anyway, your cool! Btw, Millie seems amazing!!!!!

    1. Well, I’m either an INTJ or an ISTP. Honestly, I have a little bit of each other those, I think. And some emotions, sometimes, too, so … I don’t know. 😛 I do know I’m not ISTJ … but I don’t think I’m INTP … so I don’t know. I’m pretty sure I’m introverted and thinking … sometimes …

      1. You definatly are an N, as NO writers in the historical fiction sort could be Ss, unless they got dropped on their head as babies… (which I believe is the reason writers came about. XD ) You seem bolder-line T and F, to me. O my goodness, I CAME OUT 99% Thinker!? I must be the only female on earth to see that answer. 😉 Back to you. If I had to guess, you seemmlike either an INFJ, or an INFP. But I am probably wrong!

        1. I don’t know … maybe. I might be. I’m pretty sure I’m a T, but maybe I’m just a contained F. I’m pretty contained about my emotions and stuff (off the internet, anyway … when not with friends … ’cause when I’m with my friends, it’s not normal me, I guess 😉 ). But I don’t know … I’ll have to read up on those types! I never really considered being an F …

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