Hi all. I'm at 73,255 words in the next book of The Folded Earth series. Originally targeted to land in December, I'm realizing that it might more rightly be positioned in January 2022, because I will need to give it a re-read / editing pass. What I can promise to you is that it has some stunning scenes. This may sound odd for an author to say, but I have written with a single underlying premise in mind for years: When what I'm writing entertains me, it is will entertain others. I started out in fanfic with that theory, and it has withstood the test of time. Fans of Ruel Mirariaf and Ora Buckmaster, understand the next book is coming as quickly and in as best shape as I can get it to you.
Fig. Some of the locations of in the Folded series, contrasting the King's world (The Blue Mirror and King's Land), the Township of Bridges (The Green Mirror and Township), and the mountains for The Three Sisters.
In the meanwhile, I'm going through the language pages I use when writing Orth (the language of the Fate / Elves) and realizing there will be a lot of work in collecting this information and making sure there will be no leaks caused. Some of the definitions get into mythologies and events that underly the Folded Earth itself. I'll have to clean those up and hope that I'll reach a point where some of those stories will be told!
Because I'm often writing in Discovery mode--since before testing my novel writing skills, in fanfic my work is almost entirely done in Discovery style--I don't always slow down enough to be careful with some of the Orth entries. This may lead to Orth use that isn't strictly defined in the dictionary (though I believe I have everything). Here's an example of some of the 'Little Words' section as it exists in my notes.
Yes - gea (gay-uh or hay-uh / accents differ Ghregywdd vs. Bloshaewen vs. etc).
No - ni (like deny) so Nai. (I think this vowel combo is clearer for people to read.)
Saa - 'even so' or 'it is so' to some extent. Saa is a tough word to define.
Maith - is used for Thanks almost universally no matter where you're from.
Willa - A short form of 'my pleasure' 'Maiwilla'. Dunno if the w is a v. Prob not.
Nait - Not. It's not Nai / no. Stop writing that.
Naimaith - No thanks. I don't like Maithnai. Orth isn't modeled on French.
Even which of English or Orth comes first isn't hard and fast in my records, and there are a lot of notes included that are for my own sake. It will take some scrubbing and clean-up to make the dictionary sensible. This may delay publication a little bit, but, I'm hoping, not for too long.
But suffice it to say, I'm working away at the whole novel, right now, and having a tonne of fun! I'll try to keep you posted both here and in the Forums!
Final note? Let's break down the name of the King's forested demesne, Ghregwydd. As far as I can tell, most people take 'ghre' as 'gray'. This is similar to the 'murky' feel of Mirkwood (as it's pretty clear that 'gwydd' is wood, as in forest). But 'ghre' is the Orth word for green. It's highly related to 'green' and 'grow' in English too. So, the name of the King's Land (see pictures above) is Green Wood. So, what would that make the Green Mirror lake? Ghremirare lach. And the Blue Mirror lake that dominates the doorway to the Halls, Blaumirare lach.
Until the dictionary comes out, please let me know any language questions! Thanks!
