After the serious discussion I had with my characters (in Spanish, in my livejournal, and yes, Gab, that's what all that was about :-) the novel is going on nicely and at a good pace.
I'd have loved to add some more words during this weekend, but time is a luxury one rarely can enjoy... Oh, well, anyway...
I have added to the sidebar a Nano counter, which I try to update daily with my progress, it comes handy and it will let you know how things go without my posting to tell you.
As for the novel, the Milesian and Persian fleet is approaching Naxos to recover the island, put the old tirants back into power, and so... It will go wrong (not that I'm stripping anything, anyway ;-) and this will get the ball rolling...
As for the characters, I have found wonderful names for all of them so far, and I'm chirpingly happy! :-)
The main character, and the one the novel will be following almost constantly is a well positioned Pasargadae/Mardian prince called Azanes, and the secondary characters/narrator voices are his younger brother, Bassaces, and a somewhat fat Milesian landowner, shipbuilder, called Diorodos, son of Filippos. The main character's father name, so far, has been 'Father', because they are such respectful sons... :-)
I have names for all the characters as well (wives, sons and daughters, soldiers, ...), at least until I have to write the Yaunâ part of initiating the revolt, where/when I will need some Yaunâ names as well (Council members, etc...).
I haven't commented it yet, so I will now: I like this novel, I am enjoying it a great deal, and I am really liking the characters the way they are being born on the lines... Let's see if I managed to get it right this time!
And that's all, not bad for a new year's post, uh? Have a happy Nano and good luck to everybody!
KALLISTI!
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tempvs fvgit et verba volant sed scripta manent... abovt history, writing, classics, and historical fiction
2 comments:
Sounds interesting.
Since you are about to go into the start of the revolt. I do hope that you avoid taking Herodotus' atribution of motives to the rebel leaders with complete seriousness. I think Herodotus is to but it politely being unfair.
My personal opinion is that the revolt was the result of taxation problems and the apparently more intrusive political / adminstrative interference occasioned by Darius I, (called, deservidly in my opinion, the great) that irked many Ionian political leaders.
Oh and did you read my comments below in Ionian Power on Marathon?
(your opinion is appreciated)
Just my thoughts.
Pierre
Pierre, you are probably right... I am aming for a sublty more complex plot, where the failure in the Naxos operation is not due to Megabates giving out word (childish behavior of an important admiral, wouldn't you say?) and it may be a plot by Aristagoras and the Ionians to weaken the Persian army in Lydia for the next phase of the rebellion.
Indeed, the more direct cause must have been money: either taxes or the loss of money floux due to the redirection of Naukratis commerce, which was a great assest for the Ionians before Darius (who needed lots of money to settle in as Great King in the last years of the VI Century)...
I will explore both ways before I settle in one of them, or maybe both, it was probably more complex than we can discuss in a blog post like this... :-P
Thanks for your help, your comments are always more than welcome, you know!
As for Marathon, I'll treat them in their own post... :)
Thanks!
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