Around the World: Sumayyah Daud

Sumayyah Daud kicks off our guest blog post series called "Around the (fictional) World" with a post about the setting of her novel. She's even included a couple pictures that make me really want to read her book! More writers will be posting about every other Monday on fictional settings that they love. Check out Sumayyah's blog here!

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When Kirsten told me she wanted a post on fictional settings I was pretty excited. Fictional settings are, more often than not, my thing. I write fantasy and since April I've been doing nothing but dreaming up fictional settings for my current work. I love creating worlds by piecing bits of things that I'm familiar with and adding things that (I like to think) are wholly of me. So I wanted to introduce you guys to Morag's Glen, the setting for my current work in progress.

Morag's Glen came to me with it's physical aspects already fully formed. For months before I started planning, I could see it. A town, built at the mouth of a valley, surrounded by all sides by mountains that rose into thick, never ending clouds. The sky was always overcast, winter was long, summer was short and life was simple. With this valley came one character: Behzad.

I already knew Behzad. She was a character that had been inside my head for three years by the time I wrote this story, who had already seen one incarnation of herself in a contemporary fantasy and who I thought would flourish in a world that was designed specifically for her.

She was also half Arab. And I didn't want to take a character that was half Arab and then dump her into a European setting, which Morag's Glen most decidedly was. I basically had a lot of translating to do. And map drawing. And culture designing.

What happened was that I created Angelline. Angelline is one very large kingdom, split into two territories: Sardis, the southern, desert territory, enclosed on one side by Aldar and the other by an ocean. The northern territory, Aldar, is rolling hills and mountains and lakes. And Behzad has a foot in both worlds - she is Aldarin and Sardissian.

And so are the people of Morag's Glen.

For me, Morag's Glen isn't just dark mountains, and mist and a glittering river cutting through it all. It's the people who make their home there. It's flowing qaftans, and snow and sharing tea and sugar cubes. It's a New Year's winter festival that blends Aldarin and Sardissian customs. It's meat filled pastries, and frost covered cakes, and muted colors.

Morag's Glen was living when it was just mountains and mist, but it came alive when the people settled there. When it formed as a mix of immigrant and native culture that produced something that was new and beautiful. And it wasn't just a valley. It was a place that my characters could call home.

Living on the Fringe

If you haven't heard of it, the Fringe is the crazy theatre festival that takes over Edinburgh in August. At the same time, the Edinburgh International Theatre Festival and the Edinburgh Book Festival bring even more thousands of people to the city. We've been immersed in it all for the last couple of days. The energy in the city is touchable, taste-able. Highlights:

Wandering the Royal Mile, listening to street performers like "Out Of The Blue" (see picture - I tried to upload a video but it didn't work...) who blue me away with their harmonies, eating fudge, collecting fliers for free shows, talking with the actors.

Seeing Caledonia, a satirical musical about Scottish imperialism with blatant connections to our modern world -- and seeing A Midsummer Night's Madness, an adaptation of Shakespeare's play told with hip-hop and contemporary dance, rap, singing, and endless energy by a young dance troupe.

Hearing Hanif Kureishi, Kwame Kwei-Armah, Roddy Doyle, and Paul Muldoon speak as part of the Book Festival -- and gathering writing wisdom from these talented writers/poets.

Oh yeah, and I bought Mockingjay. Note my cool UK cover. 

I'm still recovering from the shock... or Post-Traumatic-Mockingjay-Syndrome, as someone on Twitter dubbed it. I won't do a spoiler-y review for a while, until more people have had a chance to read it (because, as my friends are telling me, I read freakishly fast). But let's just say I need some upbeat entertainment tonight...

Shakespeare Rambling

Our first week in Stratford-Upon-Avon was, to quote my professor, the theatrical dessert of our trip. We saw seven Shakespeare plays:

The Winter's Tale, As You Like It, Romeo and Juliet, and Antony and Cleopatra at the Royal Shakespeare Company theatre in Stratford -- and As You Like It and The Tempest at Old Vic in London. (We also saw Morte D'Arthur at RSC for a grand total of eight plays in seven days).

Such Shakespeare immersion does things to peoples' heads. By the end of the week, we started to think and dream in Shakespearean English. "Fie" and "dost thou" and "wherefore" just slipped into our vocabulary. I had a dream (nightmare?) the other night about Bella Swan, who was speaking Shakespeare and trying to kill her children. (The Bella Swan angle is probably because the actor who played Ferdinand in The Winter's Tale, the eunich in Antony and Edmund in King Lear totally looked like Taylor Lautner). Anyway, immersion.

My mom asked me yesterday if practically living inside these Shakespeare plays has helped me grasp the language quicker. I'm not sure it has. I mean, I understand all of As You Like It after seeing and reading it several times in the last week. But much of Antony and Cleopatra went right over my head. I did Spark-Notes King Lear -- knowing the plot gave me freedom to focus on the words, the characters, the set. Still, that style of English is difficult to grasp, and I'm by no means an expert. It takes reading and rereading, thinking and deciphering to soak up the meaning of every monologue and turn-of-phrase.

In a rambly sort of way, I guess I'm trying to get at the meat of Shakespeare -- the element that we relate with so much it's like a zing of electricity.

And it's not the words.

One time, I saw a production of Julius Caesar that only used one or two lines from the text; the rest was mime and dance, but still Shakespeare. Shakespeare's words catch us up with their beauty and hilarity and awkwardness -- but what ultimately resonates and lasts are the patterns of story and humanity beneath the words.

(If anyone wants to argue, please do! This is just my thesis, and I'm not totally set on it. I'm just processing on the five hour train ride to Edinburgh).

I'm thinking of Leontes' struggle with jealousy in The Winter's Tale. Rosalind's precarious scheme to win Orlando in As You Like It. Mercutio, Benvolio and Romeo's friendship in Romeo and Juliet. Gloucester's determination to be loyal to his king in King Lear, which costs him his eyes. And (also in Lear,) Edgar's return to sanity as he fights to save his father's life, a madman leading the blind, the weakest of the weak.

It's this humanity that draws us to Shakespeare again and again. Somehow this random guy in the 1600s managed to capture the universal qualities of our humanity in plays that make us shiver and gasp and laugh and cry. These stories span time, nationality, ethnicity. The words might change, might never be said, might be said in different ways by different actors -- but the stories and struggles stay with us. Because while we might not understand what the heck Lear is babbling about in the middle of the storm, we understand the people. Somehow they're us.

In Which I Meet...

Everyone remembers this guy from Jurassic Park, right? Jeff Goldblum?

Okay. Get ready.

We took a day-trip to London yesterday to see Shakespeare at the Old Vic theatre in the West End. The matinee of As You Like It was hands-down the best production of that play that I've ever seen -- in my opinion, least. Our group is divided. But it I thought it was beautiful. Anyway, at intermission, I was down near the bar under the lobby (not at the bar but near it) with my friend Stefanie. Suddenly she grabbed my arm.

"Kirsten, there's someone super duper duper famous right over there."

We did the nonchalant she-looks-away-I-peek-over-her-shoulder trick. And there he was, trademark glasses and everything, Jeff Goldblum in the flesh, with a group of people at the bar. We actually couldn't remember his full name, but we knew he was definitely the Jurassic Park guy. Our next conversation went like this:

"OMG what do we do?"
"Is it really him?"
"Should we get a picture with him?"
"IT'S THE JURASSIC PARK GUY!"

We were kind of starstruck... And as we were giggling and staring, wondering if we should take a stalker picture, Jeff waved at us.

"He just waved at us!"
"Should we go over there?"

We waffled around for another minute or two, and then Jeff sauntered right up to us. It was a beautiful moment. We had a whole five minute (maybe ten?) conversation about As You Like It, where we were from, why we were in England, his current show at the Vaudeville in London (he invited us to see it and come backstage after the show). At one point, he grabbed my hand and said, "Do you play the piano?" I was like, "Yeah, I've played for ten years." And he said, "I can tell. You have perfect fingers."

I wish I'd written the conversation all down right after, but the gist is that Jeff was super duper duper nice. We never once talked about how famous he is or why we were giggling and staring at him. Then we pleasantly said goodbye and nice to meet you. We were too chicken to ask for a picture until we were all the way up in the lobby again, and Stefanie called out --

"Hey Jeff!" (Note the first-name basis). "This is totally cheesy, but could we get a picture with you?"

The Usefulness of Jetlag

Well, I started writing this post this morning when I woke up super early (as in SUPER early) and couldn't fall back asleep. But now it's later afternoon and we're drinking tea in our guest house, talking about literature and England, and listening to the watery/clicky sound of our fingers on our Mac keyboards.

So far, we've gotten caught in a rainstorm in Windsor, explored Stratford-Upon-Avon, seen As You Like It and A Winter's Tale at the Royal Shakespeare Company theatre. (See my spelling? Theatre? I'm already British. Haha.) Both productions were amazing. Absolutely riveting. The tragedy in A Winter's Tale gave me goosebumps for the whole first half, and right before intermission as Macmillius and Queen Hermione die and Leontes realizes what he's done, the set's bookcases (probably 20 feet tall) tipped over and crashed all the books onto the floor -- and a chandelier slammed into the stage, symbolizing the destruction Leontes' jealousy and tyrrany had caused. It was terrifying.

Love plays. Love literature and the power of words.

Today we went to morning Eucharist at Coventry Cathedral, the only UK cathedral that got bombed out during WWII. A new one was reconstructed next to the ruins in the 1950s. It's a powerful place of forgiveness and reconciliation, and I loved listening to the liturgies and music that have been said and sung for thousands of years.

Basically I'm obsessed with this trip already, and not just because we're in England (cool) but because the people in my group are so awesome -- and I have four whole months to get to know them. Yay.

Adventures at Elliott Bay Book Co.

Yesterday I went to Elliot Bay Book Company, this awesome bookstore that used to be in a creaky old shop down in Pioneer Square, but now fills a shiny new space on Capitol Hill.

I'm obsessed with this place. It's light and airy and stuffed with books. I spent ages in the YA section trying to decide what to buy. I recognized so many books I've read about online -- and lots of books by authors I follow on Twitter or blogspot. So fun!

Of course, I Am Number Four was displayed on the new-hot-book shelf. Anyone read it yet?

And I smiled at the Sarah Dessen section -- and then cried because I've read almost all of her books. It's gonna be a sad day when I have no more Sarah Dessen to read.

Eventually, I picked The Sky Is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson. I've heard lots about it online, plus I was hooked after reading the first chapter in the store. It's my plane/layover/travel book for today. My sister picked You Wish by Mandy Hubbard, which looks hilarious, but I guess I'll have to read it over Christmas break now. My parents picked a bunch of random books and a new Cook's Illustrated cookbook. Between the four of us, we basically bought out the bookstore. Or at least upped their profits for the next quarter. I can't wait to go back!

Happy with our books!

RTW: That one drawer

this question cracks me up: what does your main character keep in her underwear drawer? besides underwear. it seems silly, but it's actually revealing. 

The Inbetween 
Sophie: a picture of her family's lake house. She keeps it face-down.

Ian: the travel guidebook to Austria that Sophie gives him.

Fell
Birch: I think she and her best friend papered their drawers with pictures of them and the twins (their other besties). Not so secretive. But very revealing. They're like family.
Harley: doesn't have an underwear drawer, but he carries his guitar pick in his shoe.

what about your characters? what secrets hide in their underwear drawers?

My underwear drawer is empty. Departure Day is tomorrow!! My suitcase is packed, your guest posts are scheduled, my camera is ready to take thousands and thousands of pictures. My dad got me a "gorilla pod" -- a tiny, flexible tripod that grabs onto signposts, benches, railings, basically anything. Sample shots from our practice photo shoot:

I want to win this.

In Which A Girl is hosting a massive, humongous blogoversary contest. To prove just how gigantic it is, here's a screen grab of the pictures of only some of the books you can win. I want to win.

Plus Choco is one of my favorite bloggers ever. Happy blogoversary! 

Around the (fictional) World

Maybe I'm not allowed to do this, but I'm going to do it anyway. Isn't it fun to do things like that?

A while ago,  I called for guest blog posts about the "Writer's Journey." I got some lovely replies, and if you're so excited about your post you just can't bear to switch to my new topic, that's totally fine.

But, as I get ready for Departure Day and drool over pictures of England like these two (photo credit: my dad), I've decided to switch up guest post topics. I think the new theme will be less broad, more fitting for my semester, and more unusual. The theme is...
 
Around the World. In it, I'd like to explore (with your help) all sorts of settings around the fictional globe. We're always told to write our settings as characters: to develop them into living, 3D, believable places that our readers can travel to again and again.

Some settings are closer to home, like the beach town Colby in Sarah Dessen's novels. Some settings are far away, like Victorian England in A Great and Terrible Beauty. Some settings aren't even in this world, like the kingdoms in Graceling.

But all of these places let us travel and explore without ever leaving our hometown. Or couch. And that's a gift.

So my questions for you are:

• What's a fictional place that has stuck in your head even after you closed the pages of the book? 
• What's a fictional place that seemed, to you, like a living character? 
• Where do your characters travel? What's your current setting, and what makes it live and breathe?
• What fictional place do you really want to travel to?

You can answer one question or four questions, or none at all -- and answer your own questions about traveling around the fictional globe.

Posts will start soon, so shoot me an email if you're interested. If you've already expressed interest in guest posting, I'll email you to ask if you want to switch to this new topic.

Let's travel! You'll even get a souvenir token from the U.K... who can resist that?? 

Packing Light

I'm in the throes of packing right now. It feels like a math class:

one 30x15x14.5 inch suitcase

+

one backpack

=

definitely not enough room for 4 months of stuff.

See, I need about a thousand things. Sweaters and jeans, raincoat and boots, shorts/t-shirts for random sunny days, cute clothes for seeing plays on the West End, layers for windy/cold days, jewelry, camera, laptop, journal, plug converter. Add shampoo/hair straightener/hair dryer and shoes to the list, and there will be no spare inch in my suitcase. I repeat: No. Spare. Inch.

So as I pack and stress and listen to music and watch Departure Day loom closer, I obviously relate this mess to writing. Because I relate everything to writing. Here's another equation:

main plot

+

subplots

+

character development, plot arcs, tension, bad events, romance

=

 so much to fit in one novel.

I'm re-outlining and almost completely rewriting FELL right now (well, contemplating it...), and like my suitcase, this new outline wants to bulge with extra stuff. Like the extra sweatshirts I want to pack in case I get bored of the other ones.

My problem solver is the motto PACK LIGHT. My family lives by that motto when we travel: we like Rick Steves' one pair of pants, two shirts and a jacket philosophy. Obviously that's not going to be helpful for four months, but packing light fixes a lot of problems -- because less is always more. I can pack one gray sweatshirt instead of two colored ones; I can combine those two characters into one person; I can cut all but the most pivotal subplots to my characters' development.

My suitcase might still be hard to zip up, but at least it'll weigh less than 50lbs. I hope.

What are your strategies for streamlining your WIP? (And what are your tips for packing for a 4 month trip??)

Summer Reading Review: Linger

Besides Mockingjay (21 days!), my most-anticipated-book-of-the-summer was Linger. I absolutely loved Shiver: Maggie's writing is lyrical and magical, and Sam and Grace's romance is refreshing and sweet. The werewolves, too, are unique and scientific and mysterious. Love, love, love. So I pre-ordered my copy of Linger, stalked Maggie Stiefvater's tweets for teasers, and read the preview pages on Amazon several times.

But Linger, while just as lyrically beautiful as Shiver, didn't get as much love or fan-girl-squealing from me. I'm not sure if anyone else feels this way. First, though, I want to share what I did love about the sequel...

- The cover (duh).

- The green text.

- The new POV characters, Cole and Isabel. Both of them are passionate and struggling, believably conflicted and so real. Especially Cole. Their relationship kept me turning pages -- but more than that, their inner struggles made me want to race through the book.

- The new werewolf science, which I won't spoil if you haven't read the book yet. But wow. Totally world-changing and exciting. I love the realness of Maggie's wolves: they aren't CGI-awesome like Twilight, but they're wolf-people with tragic stories who I want to know.

So I definitely liked this book. I just didn't love it, I think mostly because Sam and Grace's relationship and story don't have the same tension that I felt in Shiver. Number one, do they ever actually fight or argue? Number two, the sweetness of their relationship (that we all fell for in book one) is way too sweet and kind of annoying. I mean, I'm sad for them, but I would have liked to see more growth in their relationship. Instead, it felt stagnantly sweet. Or am I just cold and heartless? Number three, both Sam and Grace's character arcs seem like flat lines compared with Cole and Isabel, who grow and writhe and fight in full-color 3D.

Overall, although Linger didn't live up to my expectations of kleenex-box-emptying, heart-wrenching sequel, I did fall in love with new characters Isabel and Cole. Sam and Grace, though, definitely took backstage.

Have you read it yet? What did you think?