Greetings from a land far away. Well, not that far away, but it sounded good.
This is my first blog for my new book, Maiden. Actually, this is my first blog ever, so here we go. "And Many Thanks To You Lacey for your creative help."
Maiden is a story set in 800 C.E. Ireland. That is the faraway part., not just in miles, but in centuries. And this is also my first dilemma. Should I use 800 A.D or 800 C.E. (Current Era) and B.C. or B.C.E. (Before Current Era)?
It isn't like they are brand new, I have seen these designations for many years.
I must admit, I am a bit of a rebel, so the thought of using the C.E. rather than A.D. is enticing. But would it be too confusing? And would I loose some readers at the very beginning?
In my indecision, I have changed back and forth between the familiar and the newish. My rebellious side might be winning, Its voice is getting a little louder,
"I don't care if no one knows, it is time they did."
New information or even just a new perspective on an old situation, helps me see the bigger picture.
I have really enjoyed doing the research for this book and getting a small glimpse into the world during the early middle ages. But I still don't know what I will do.
A.D. or C.E.? Hmmm! So many decisions.
Another decision is: To contract words ( "I am" to "I'm" ). I started out spelling them all out, no contractions. I assumed the early middle ages spoke more formally. Not sure where that info came from, but it seemed logical.
However, when my first editor was on board, we discussed this. She understood my concern to be as 'historically accurate' as I could manage in a fantasy book.
I felt the story flowed better with the contractions, and she agreed. So, I made all those changes. In a ms that was about 200,000 words, or more, it took awhile.
My third decision was how to spell the little guardian beings that fly through the air and whisper in our ears...if we are very quiet and listen carefully. How about faerie? Or fairy? Or faery? I decided to go with faerie. This spelling seemed a bit old fashioned, and I thought that fit well in the story. And it is pretty easy to type "faerie". Just try it. You can kind of get into a rhythm "F a e R i e".
There are so many decisions to make when writing a story. And it has been fun finding locations on the map, and using the satellite version to see if there is a mountain to traverse from 'here to there'
After rambling along, I have made another decision. I am going to use B.C.E. and C.E. I think they are more inclusive because there is no religious designation excluding others. The designation A.D. stands for Anno Domini (In the year of our Lord) and B.C. means Before Christ. I grew up using them, and never thought a thing about it, until several years ago when I came across these new designations. So, there is absolutely no slam on any religion. I am only choosing to be inclusive.
The truth is nothing changes in the real world. A.D. 2018 is exactly the same year as 2018 C.E. So we all can choose and use them interchangeably. The world is a beautiful place.
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