Statue of Philip II in Thessaloniki, Greece



A SONG FOR PHILIP, KING OF MACEDON

This is a song for Philip, son of Amyntas

that noble warrior of Macedon

whose bloodline come from Herakles.

Warriors, shout a paean for him:

Raise your swords to honour him.

Musicians, play for him

on your sistrum, cymbals and drums.

Maidens, dance for him.

Singers, laud him,

for he is Makedon’s invincible hero.

He is fearless and energetic.

He is cunning and wise.

Poets, tell his tale.

Strike up your harps in praise of him.

There is no other man who can compare

With Philip, the Lion of Makedon

 

I've been working on the chapters of Dragons in the Sky where Olwen is introduced to King Philip.  This is the first time I've had a chance to actually write about him as an active character in the story other than what was mentioned and remembered about him in Shadow of the Lion.  So I'm not sure that I have it quite right yet. The dialogue I wrote today needs to be a bit edgier I think.  Sometimes it takes a while before you can get your head right into a character and Philip is a complex one— a brilliant soldier and strategist but also a bit of a rascal and rogue who had an eye for young girls and fresh new cadets. He and Alexander had a strained relationship as father and son, and his bitter quarrels with Alexander's mother Olympias are well recorded.

So what does this innocent young Celtic girl think of this man? She's introduced to him by her new guardian Theon, the physician. But what will her relationship be with the king? In this chapter he has questioned her about her people, mainly about her clan and ricon and the warriors. What were they like? Was it true they fought naked and took the heads of their enemies?  Philip is planning to invade the northern Celtic tribes at some point so he needs all the information he can get about their battle tactics. Olwen doesn't know much though but she describes her clan life and what the hill forts are like and what she knows about the warriors. And at a later part of the novel when Philip is wounded and almost loses his leg, Olwen will help Theon tend him because she knows the healing arts and acts as Theon's assistant.

 



SONG FOR A SWORDS WOMAN

In writing my novel DRAGONS IN THE SKY  because it is a Celtic tale I'm using some bardic verse in place of regular chapter segments which I call 'stanzas' .  Here's an example of one:

SONG FOR A SWORDS WOMAN

 

Stanza One

                   Who is she who comes riding,

                   Wearing ermine skins and hawk feathers

                   in her thick tresses?

                   Who is she who rides through the sedge,

                   A graceful huntress queen?

                   Sure-footed is her pony

                   Sharp-pointed is her spear

                   Leaf-shaped are her arrow-heads

                   Her bow is supple, made from a yew bough.

                   She rides, stately and proud

                   A wild-eyed warrior queen.

                   Who is she who comes riding

                   On the spirited chestnut mare?

                   Who is this bronze-cheeked swords woman

                   With hawk feathers in her hair?

 

INTRODUCING PHILIP

PELLA

 

 

I have just introduced Olwen to Pella. The first couple of chapters set in the Macedonian royal city have gone fairly smoothly. She has been rescued by the young Alexander and put in the care of a court physician, Theon, on a farm in the north.  But Alexander wants them to come the Pella before winter sets in, so they have arrived there and Olwen is introduced to Macedonian royal life. Quite a stretch of imagination for her after her months of wandering as Sholto's 'hostage', far away from her Celtic home on the Salisbury Plain.

 

 





ALEXANDER, a bust from Pella, aged about 15

 

This is the Alexander who rescues Olwen from her captor. He is fifteen at this time, and soon his life will take a drastic change, just as Olwen's has. 

 

She has already had one encounter with his mother, Olympias, and has been warned.  Now she's going to meet his father, Philip, who has been away in Thessaly.  This is the chapter I'm starting now and having a little bit of trouble setting it up just right. I'm finding it a bit more difficult writing this first-person totally fiction story than I did Shadow of the Lion which was based on an actual historic plot. Dragons in the Sky has a particular cadence and it is strictly in Olwen's point of view, so a bit more restricted than third person. So far, I've managed to capture her voice and my critique group is very enthusiastic about this story. 

 

I'm sure I'll find my way around this chapter, introducing Philip who is an interesting character to say the least. I'll also be introducing Olwen to the family dynamics between Olympias/Alexander/Philip. That should be quite a fascinating experience for her. 

 

KING PHILIP of MACEDON

Artist's reconstruction of Philip's face from the skeleton found in his tomb. Notice the scarred right eye. Quite a formidable fellow!





WAITING

Penelope

Poor Penelope waited patiently for years for her husband, Odysseus, to return from his long journey. But her patience paid off, and eventually he return.

I'm kind of like Penelope now— playing the waiting game for news about my novel "Shadow of the Lion"  I've sent it out to several publisher, some in UK and others in US and it takes months to get any responses. The frustrating part is also that every submission guideline is different so I have to alter the queries and enclosures with each submission. This can be confusing and time consuming.

So, though I haven't been writing much on my blog these days, it's because I've been occupied with this other task. As well, I am working on the other novel "Dragons in the Sky"  I've done a little bit of new writing for it, but mostly I've been making notes and editing from suggestions made by my Scribblers writer's group.

Then there's the travel writing. I try to keep up with the two stories a month I like to submit to EuropeUpClose (on-line) and still have a list of stories to prepare for other freelance markets. Oh, if only I had the time!

These days I am still instructing classes. (Today I had an all-day class in memoir writing, just the same as I did last weekend.) And I have Write from the Heart groups Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday mornings plus a creative writing class Tuesday nights. Next month I'm thinking of launching an in-home writing group again but I'm waiting for these others to wind down. I also attend my faithful and inspiring writing critique group, The Scribblers, every Monday night.

Somewhere in between I squeeze in some pleasure and leisure time. I love going to listen to jazz or the blues and hang out with my friends. This is Oscar weekend so I'm having a little party tomorrow, formal and classy, with my girlfriends.

Then I'll be back at the writing and editing again. And hopefully I'll post a few more blogs soon.
Meanwhile, thanks for reading!

WHERE IS THE MUSE?

MIDNIGHT MUSE

My Muse comes after midnight

nudges me awake.

Whispers urgently,

“Get up! Write!”

I curse her,

stumble across the dark room,

search for matches,

light the candle wick.

Where has she been in the daylight?

How many hours did I wait for her

listening for her voice?

“Where where you?” I ask.

“Was it your voice I heard

while I daydreamed in the sun?

Or was it only the sound of

of sheep bells on the mountain?”

“Write!” she demands. “Write!”

If I wait til morning

the words she whispers to me

will be extinguished

like this candle flame.

Written while living in a shepherd’s cottage , Lala, Euboeia, Greece.

 

I seem to be having a problem connecting with the Muse these days. 

Very frustrating, when there is so much work to do. But I have felt unsatisfied with what I've already written for "Dragons in the Sky" other than those very early chapters written in the beginning. So I am trying to conjure the Muse's help.

 

Meanwhile I'm reading a very good book "Song for Achilles" that seems to be inspiring me. It's written first person narrative and in a very lyrical style, like Dragons. So perhaps I can capture the cadence again and smooth out what I've written which, to me, seems a bit stilted and phony — "made up" instead of flowing in a natural narrative. 

 

I've also go to sort out all the research notes I took which are not in any particular order and slow me down when I'm looking for things. And, I need to learn more about the herbs and spells and magic things so I can add more of those ingredients to my story.

 

So, I call on you Muse, to please come and inspire me! I'm waiting....

 

THE IMPORTANCE OF RESEARCH

 

Writing historical fiction can mean that a lot of time is spent doing research.  I try to limit this time for myself (because I love researching!) by making sure exactly what I want and need to find out.
There's lots of info available on-line now but it is still a good idea to visit  your library and find some of the books written on the subjects you want to know about.

Not everyone has been as lucky as I have in actually being able to visit some of the places that I am writing about. Even though some are now just archaeological ruins, you can still get the idea of the way things might have been, along with visits to the local museums and all the book research you've done. Certain things can't be 'fictionalized' and you need to be as correct as possible when describing habits, customs and locations of the places in your novels.

For my novel "Dragons in the Sky" I really lucked out when I discovered the Iron Age Celtic village at St. Fagan's Heritage Park near Cardiff Wales. Not only did I see first-hand what the houses were like people lived in back in the days I was writing about, but you could go inside the houses as well. There were people in period costume demonstrating what went on inside the houses as well as some of the materials and possessions Iron Age people would have.

I also visited the site where my story first takes place, Old Sarum on the Salisbury Plain in the south of England, and the remains of the hill fort which gave me some idea of what the terrain was like where my fictional village of Caer Gwyn was located.

But there were still lots of details I needed to know about the life of the Brythonic Celts.  So I went back to the books and spent a couple of weeks jotting down bits of trivia (eating and drinking habits, warriors customs such as the chopping off of enemy's heads and keeping them for trophies. And I had to learn as much as I could about the healing arts, potions and spells so I could add these details to the story. Now I must go back over what I previously had written and add these little tidbits of information which is going to make Olwen's story even more realistic and visual.

Although I am writing a strictly fiction account of this young Celtic priestess's abduction and journey across Europe to Macedonia, I still have to get certain facts straight. I have learned the names of all the tribes and some interesting facts about them. I figured out travel times (by horse) and was able to scope some of the terrain on the google maps. It's been an interesting journey so far. And I want to make it as realistic as possible so that the people come alive and are believable.

It bothers me sometimes when historical fiction writers just second-guess at details and don't take time to make sure that what they have written is logical or truthful. Yes, it is 'fiction', but if you are including historical facts, those details must be correct. As for your interpretation of the characters you have a lot of leeway and, as the saying goes "The historical fiction writer can take as many liberties as they wish in making it a better story".  When I wrote "Shadow of the Lion", I was writing from a historically recorded plot-line so much of the novel had to be correct. Luckily I had some Classical Scholar friends in Greece who helped me with some small details like the way sacrifices and offerings were made etc, what they wore, what they ate. And I was able to interpret my characters according to what research I had done about them. I was also fortunate to be able to visit many of the locations in my story, to study flora and fauna and the lay of the land. It helped me describe things in a very realistic way so that the reader can imagine being there.

"Dragons in the Sky" is not written from a historical plot-line but at some point in the story when Olwen meets Alexander, there are certain events that must be recorded accurately. I can fictionalize her view-point of these events, but historians would have objections if I had things happening with Alexander that were not possible. So I have returned to my big box of research notes that I have kept from "Shadow", and this has really been helpful to me in plotting out the next part of "Dragons."

Remember, when you write historical fiction, you must do the work. Otherwise you are bound to have readers who throw the book down saying 'this is all nonsense'. Make your fiction as realistic as you can get it, make the characters live and breath, laugh and cry. That's what makes a great story!

WHAT IS REQUIRED

Mural, "Battle of Issus" Alexander the Great vs Darius, king of Persia.

 

When I first sent off my manuscript of SHADOW OF THE LION, the writer, Steven Pressfield, had some very astute advice for me.  In part, this is what he said:

 

I happened to have been talking to some fighter pilots recently and they told me one of the axioms of air-to-air combat. The most dangerous moment in a dogfight, they say, is immediately after you've shot down an enemy plane. Because in that moment, you may let your concentration lapse. And that's when someone jumps you and shoots you down.

 

I would say the same is true for writers. The dangerous moment is just after you finish a book and ship it off. My own ironclad principle is to IMMEDIATELY start another book.

 

When you're immersed in a new project, you're not as apt of obsess over the fate of the one you just finished. You don't check your mailbox or your Inbox compulsively. You resist the temptation to measure your worth and the worth of your work by the opinions of others.

 

The other thing I have found is that when you start Book #2, whether you realize it immediately or not, you are already working at a higher level than you were on Book #1. This helps too, when publishers, editors and agents (who are notoriously slow to respond, sometimes taking MONTHS) don't get back to you with the lavish praise you were so hoping to hear IMMEDIATELY.

Listen only to your own heart. Hang onto your emotions. The next weeks and months will be a trial, so be ready for it.  "Start the next one tomorrow."

 

I have carefully followed Steven's suggestions all the way through.  In fact, I actually hid away my manuscript of "Shadow" so I wouldn't obsess on it. And yes, I started that new novel. Well, actually it was the one I had started before I decided to write "Shadow" so I brought it out of the archives, dusted off my research files and started to retype it into the computer (it had been written on a manual typewriter).  So far so good. My writer's group loves it and I am having a great time renewing the research and getting to know the characters again. 'Dragons in the Sky" is a Celtic tale set in the 4th century BC with an Alexander connection told in the first person by a young Celtic girl, almost a past-life regression kind of story.

 

Meanwhile "Shadow" has been in the hands of an agent for several months.  But finally, in spite of saying how much he'd enjoyed reading it and that it was a 'wonderful' story, he decided against signing me on.  What to do next?  I knew this was the way things go with submissions so I did have a list of possible publisher to pitch it to. Immediately my mentor Scott Oden suggested I send to the assistant publisher of a publisher company he is familiar with. So I did. And that's where it is now.  And if that try fails, I'll go for another, and another.  Because what is required when you are trying to publish a book is PATIENCE and DETERMINATION. 

 

Detail from the mural: Alexander showing his determination.

 

Alexander the Great and, before him,  his father, the formidable warrior, King Philip of Macedonia, went fearlessly into battle and never had one defeat. Their bravery and determination and skill as strategists made Macedonia the ruler of the world, dominating Greece and defeating even the mighty forces of Persia who had dominated the Asian world.

I am lucky to have an army of supportive friends and admirers who are cheering me on and backing me up.  So I will keep on pursuing my dream until it is realized. I KNOW "Shadow of the Lion" is a worthy cause.  I put my whole heart into it and gave it my best.  So in the end, if I persevere, I know I'll eventually win the gold.

16-pointed Star, Emblem of the Macedonian Royalty.