It takes a lot to plan a war. And that is what I am up to these days. For my fiction, of course. I have known for over a year, perhaps two, that there would be a civil war in a certain principality. That is all very well and good, but who will foment and carry out this civil war? What factions will be involved? What will be their motivations? How will the war unfold?
Mercifully, an author of fiction has more leeway and control in the conduct of such a horror.
Right now I am working on the alliances as those arise from geography and marriage.
Obviously a house related to the prince will have significant involvement. I am dealing with about 25 counties and baronies here, so you can see why I use spreadsheets and genealogy programs in addition to maps. How did anyone write before computers? (I did it back in the early 70s, so I know how it was done but it is much easier now.)
Now I need to develop my Cheney, my Rumsfeld, my Feith, my Wolfowitz, my Kagan family, my Kristol, etc. It takes a lot of soulless characters to whip up a war, you know.
Today was an intense day at work, not dealing with huge challenges but non-stop answering the phone, solving problems, and typing up cases. I am now calling it quits for the day; I cannot invent one more fictitious family.
Tomorrow after work it's pizza and a movie. Woohoo!
Sweet dreams, my little muskrats.
Poiēis is the Greek word for the act of creation/creative activity, related to poetry. We use words to create our reality. Hence the graphic.
--the BB
2 comments:
"I have known for over a year, perhaps two, that there would be a civil war in a certain principality. That is all very well and good, but who will foment and carry out this civil war?"
give it to the women and children. they will make it a short and lighthearted war.... maybe.
Hmm, Margaret. Actually, the first clue to the war lies in a seed of thought planted by a woman, my Lady Macbeth equivalent. Though I think it charming to hope the women might be nicer about it all. My deity of war is the Fierce Mother, usually portrayed as a lioness with her cubs or an eagle with her young. She is the goddess of new mothers, midwives, and warriors and warmaidens.
The outcome, however, is predetermined and that is that the people of this war-torn territory come under the very gracious rule of a young woman. In between the men, poisoned by testosterone (as usual), will behave very badly.
Volume Two of the Chronicles does end with a war averted, but Volume Three begins with a war and ends with the peaceful death of a folk hero (or is that the end of Volume Four?).
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