The HuffPo and AP have the story of the destruction of one of the oldest remaining Mayan structures in all of Belize. Why would anyone do such a thing? The answer is surprising, retroactively predictable, and disheartening.
The easy answer to ‘how do I capture information about various fictional geopolitical entities’ is to make a list. I like lists. This was my first draft:
Organization Name
Flag
Colors
Coin Name 1
Coin Name 2
Coin Name 3
Religion, Primary
Religion(s), Other
Language, Primary
Language(s), Other
State Nickname 1 State Nickname 2
Which in practice translated into a text doc full of entries like this:
I. GAELUS PACT
“The Old Republics”
“Greenies”FLAG: Green cross with nimbus on white background
COLORS: Green & white
MAJOR CITIES: Caer Denis, Caer Jule
ETHNIC MAKE-UP: PIKS (55%), JUARO (25%), NAHR (10%), KADDIM VADESH (5%)
PRIMARY CURRENCY: Gold lairds, silver gryffids, copper bittins
MAJOR RELIGION(S): Paganism, Way of the Three Sisters, Occult philosophy
And this is what I’ve relied upon during the drafting of WITCH and HEIST. Simplicity means I can dedicate more time to actually writing. But I’m not satisfied. I continue to experiment with maps, but the software I’ve discovered is either too primitive or prohibitively expensive. Which is a pity.
A well-done map fires my imagination like little else.
A onetime coworker turned published author recently asked his Facebook followers what they wanted in an author’s web site. A few items popped up regularly. Upcoming tour dates, author bio and bibliography seemed to be most common, with a few requests for favorite books. One person wrote enthusiastically about J.K. Rowling’s site(s?) for the Harry Potter books, which apparently offered behind-the-scenes and other ‘insider’ content.
The gap between the requests and what’s been on offer here, at this web site, didn’t go unnoticed. I’ve revised the ‘about’ section to include explicitly biographical information. Until I get a traditional publishing house to bring one of these manuscripts into print a ‘bibliography’ page would be premature. Book tours, likewise.
The only thing I’m missing, really? More people like you.
The goal of civilization is settled life and the achievement of luxury. But there is a limit which cannot be overstepped. When prosperity and luxury come to a people, they are followed by excessive consumption and extravagance. With that the human soul itself is undermined both in its worldly well-being and in its spiritual life.
— Ibn Khaldun
In the background of the Northern Arcadian novels is the threat of invasion from another world, from creatures I have variously dubbed ‘wyverns,’ ‘worms’ and ‘dragons.’ Today, though, the affair is settled, thanks to an extremely interesting (and dubious) article about a proto-language dubbed ‘Eurasiatic.’ The hypothesis is based mostly upon the discovery of multiple cognates (words that sound the same in different languages) for a core vocabulary that includes… ‘worm.’
If you’re trying to sell the notion that, once upon a time, all of mankind had a shared enemy in the great and terrible wyverns dragons worms, this is the kind of thing that makes your story stronger. (And also makes your day.)
This documentary series isn’t current, doesn’t boast fancy graphics or cater to a bored audience. Instead, Michael Wood’s Legacy: the Origins of Civilization delivers a nuanced narrative. Agree or disagree with (for example) Wood’s contention that the Mayan conception of time contributed to their success and ultimate failure, at least there’s something of substance here with which to engage.
Once upon a time in America, people (mostly men) could take an afternoon or even a full day off from work with only the declaration (usually scrawled on a strategically placed note) ‘Gone Fishing!’ I don’t know anyone who’s ever ‘Gone Fishing!’ on impulse, dusty Stuckee’s merchandise and Cracker Barrel t-shirts to the contrary.
I missed my Friday post. Consider this my ‘Gone Fishing’ sign, scrawled in magic marker and stuck to the door of this web site.
(Be back on Monday.)
The Washington Post reports we now have conclusive proof that Jamestown settlers resorted to cannibalism to survive. Dark times force desperate measures:
The first chops, to the forehead, did not go through the bone and are perhaps evidence of hesitancy about the task.
From our perspective in the 21st century, the European colonists’ success in North America is a foregone conclusion. But it wasn’t always so.