I have yet to develop the runic script but here is a flavour of Rohiniem:

Eth azhimoss nara – I love nature.

Et azhimayss es – He loved her.

Fru es azhimoss et – Does she love him? (‘fru’ indicates a question, the remainder of the sentence remains normal ie. subject, verb, object.)

An eldoa aboss shremies – The child is beautiful.

An eldoaz aboss lyrdi – The children are small.

I aimed for a relatively simple grammar partially based on English, but also drawing from Esperanto and Laadan. I was also aiming for a relatively soft sounding language – there is no C, K or Q in Rohiniem. There is still much to do – the script, for one, plus increasing my fairly limited vocabulary. So far I’ve avoided using computerised word building software, preferring to add words by ‘feel’ – using words and combinations of letters that feel right. This may change, though. Far too many words need to be added for me to stick rigidly to the method I’ve used up until now!

On another note, I’m also working again on the map. Why, you ask? Well, when writing Sharli I became very aware that the world was extremely unbalanced. All the lands were in the northern hemisphere!!! As I’ve continued to think on Rohinval, I’ve also realised that certain parts of the map weren’t working. Here is the current version: only outlines, rivers and lakes added so far:

Rohinval, new map, landmass, rivers only.

I’ve also done a more detailed map of the island nation of Neriadeem (now in the southern hemisphere). This is for a fantasy map swap – I chose to do Neriadeem as it’s a vital area in Rohinval despite being relatively small. Plus it is one of the few areas that I know a fair bit about!

Neriadeem.

Update complete!!! Now, back to mapping and language construction

First hurdle was the word for ‘magic’. My initial word Mi’a doesn’t fit the grammatical rules of my constructed language. Nor was it easy to fit that particular word into the rules to allow a term for ‘magic-user’ (mage). And there was the niggling query – why use a new word and not just use ‘magic’? After much consideration I came to the conclusion that it was because I feel that ‘magic’ doesn’t convey what MYR (my new word) means in Rohinval.

Definitions of magic in the Chambers dictionary:

> the art that by use of spells, supposedly invokes supernatural powers, or sorcery

> the practice of illusory tricks

> any mysterious or extraordinary quality or power

Now, the third of those comes close. But what if MYR is an intrinsic part of the fabric of the world and not mysterious as such? Albeit limited in its use to those who have the innate ability but nonetheless not something that is extraordinary? Although in fantasy worlds magic is sometimes regarded in that way, I still wanted a word that set it apart from the reader’s views of magic as spells or conjury or trickery. So I’m sticking to my resolution to create and use my own word.

Along the way, those thoughts led on to other thoughts and ideas. And by the end of all of the note-making I came to the inevitable conclusion that my concepts of Rohinval were incomplete and still changing. So, I am abandoning the telling of the story. And going back to the drawing board. Revising ideas. Working on the language. Telling the histories, myths and even the creation stories of Rohinval. Once all that is sorted I may be in a position to write the tales of Zentara and Sharli. But that, I think, is a long way off!!!

The Seekers

Framed in dark lurriba wood, the crystalline mirror hung from the ceiling of the small room, the only light emanating from its surface. Josia lounged within the depths of his creamy leather armchair scanning the projection of the world of Rohinval, searching for the bright dots that indicated the use of Mi’a.

And so begins my new novel. After much consideration I’ve decided that I won’t be editing my NaNoWriMo novel “Sharli”. Nor will I edit the tale of Zentara that I did for the Travelling Artists’ Guild project. However, what I learned doing both will be incorporated into my new novel.

I plan to interweave the stories of the two women as they seek different things. Hence the working title.  I also plan to use the Eda’lanaz, the teachers based in their university of Anatha Em Lanie, to somehow hold the stories together and to provide insights for the reader that are denied to Sharli and Zentara. Josia will be the chief narrator for the Eda’lanaz, at least in the beginning. He is a Master of the Seeing, not one who can see into the future but one who can see things that are hidden from others.

And thus we start with his scrying of the crystalline mirror that he uses to see the world. How much to reveal is something I am still trying to decide upon. But I think the reader will learn of the disappearance of the Thrazeem from the world in the first chapter. It is a mystery upon which much of the story hinges.

It feels good to be writing again. Although I’ve only written three paragraphs so far it has opened up the land for me once again. Rohinval lives. And I’m looking forward to discovering more of its secrets as I explore the world, the people and the mystery of the Thrazeem.

Despite festivities and health issues and other mundane events, thoughts continue to stir. Visions of Rohinval, of the characters, of the magic, of the world itself appear, often misty and difficult to identify; ideas drift into reach and away again before their meaning can be fully explored. Fragments are jotted down.  Concepts are gradually pieced together, the whole becoming clearer as time slips on. Such processes are slow. Often much slower than I would like them to be.

But do not worry at the seeming lack of progress, or the disappearance of posts. Rohinval lives. It just needs some more consideration before it begins to bloom…

Not only did I write the required number of words but the ‘novel’ is also a complete story. Well, sort of. Like many a fantasy book it ends with much more of the adventure still to explore. But this stage of the journey has ended. The next stage will be a new beginning for the main character, Sharli.

Having finished yesterday I will now take a break whilst I let the dust settle. There is much to edit, of course. Much more to consider and to mull over. In the same way that a visual artist steps back from a painting and lets it remain unfinished whilst they decide what, if anything, they need to do to complete it, so I feel the need to step back and let the ‘novel’ talk to me before working on it further.

What I do know is that, even if I decide not to do any more to it, my world of Rohinval has come to life during the writing. I have a clearer concept of the magic system, of certain lands and parts of the history. As that was one of the main reasons for writing the story I feel pleased. If nothing else, it has shown that I can write a story based in the world and take that story to some sort of conclusion. I may leave Sharli and do nothing more with her. I may decide to work on another story set in the same world – though at a far more leisurely pace! I found that the challenge spurred me on but it was extremely life-consuming. My visual art – and life – suffered as a result and I’m looking forward to doing some other form of creativity for a while.

But overall, a brilliant experience. Perhaps next year I’ll write Part Two!!!

At least, that is how I see them at this point in time. One of the delights of creating worlds is the ability to play with the people who live there. Rohinval has at least three races other than humans but for now, the Nerian are the only ones mentioned in the NaNoWriMo ‘novel’.

Today I reached 20,000 words and I have updated the page on this blog so that it is now fully up to date. A lot of rough edges and I wonder if I have progressed the story too fast, but I’m sure I’ll find a way to keep it going until I hit the 50,000 word count necessary to ‘win’. Then, and only then, will I begin to unravel the tale and decide if it is actually worth editing. Even if it isn’t, I’m pretty certain that the world-building will have taken giant steps forward and Rohinval will be a much better place for having done this intensive month’s writing.

From the homelands of the Danveshi Empire (yes, it used to be the Dantarian Empire!) Aldernon has pale skin and grey eyes. Unlike the people of Azam. It’s quite fun to play with racial characteristics, seeing the white person as the foreigner. I’ve now written two chapters from his perspective and am enjoying seeing the world from his viewpoint. Makes for a more interesting story I believe to see things from different people.

I’ve also got new names for other countries and peoples. The jungle people of Azam are now known as the Jha’Hazee; what was Davesh is now Zhoresh.  Other things about the world have been revealed as I write, increasing my knowledge of Rohinval. As I’d hoped. I’ve been making notes as I go but will need to put them all into some kind of order. Later, probably, once the 50K words I need are written.

My word count now stands at roughly 11,700. Despite struggling yesterday! I’ve updated the NaNoWriMo page so that, if you wish, you can continue to follow the story…

She was never, ever meant to be a user of magic. But she is. It went completely against my plan. With the very first words I typed, though, I knew. Sharli set the scene for me. And since then she’s led me by the hand as I’ve written.

I’m almost enthralled by the unraveling tale, lol!!! And am enjoying the telling. Day 3 and already 8,263 words in, I’ve far surpassed my expectations. It won’t last, of course. But whilst it does, and the Muse as well as Sharli continue to speak to me, I’m riding with them.

I thought it would be a shame not to share. And so I’ve set up a page on this blog to publish the completely unedited rough draft of the story so far. Already the land of Azam is coming to life. I can see the village, the town and the river. I’m having fun. The writing is ragged, rushed and improvised. It will no doubt contain inconsistencies galore as I progress. If I ever decide to use the story it will be completely changed. I think. Who knows? Anyway, feel free to read and watch as the land and the tale develop.

The latest edition of the map, with a few names. Still much to be done.

So for the first time, I’ve signed up for NaNoWriMo. No idea about a plot. In fact, apart from having a character’s name and setting the story on Rohinval, I haven’t got a clue what will happen. The plan is to get into the habit of writing most days, if not every day, and also to explore my world in the process using a character that I probably won’t use in any actual novel. Just taking part is, according to others writing this year, termed a success. No-one ‘fails’. So they say. As I can’t see me writing the necessary 50,000 words by the end of November to be classified as a winner, their view point is a relief.

As for my world-building, I’ve developed the language a little and tweaked the map. Partly because it didn’t feel quite ‘right’, partly because during my language construction I decided that my alphabet wouldn’t include C, K, Q or U. Which meant that certain names like Kerriton and Chen no longer fitted. I also wanted to have a few more countries and to work a little on the south-western area of the world as I think that’s where my NaNoWriMo ‘novel’ will be based.

During my research I came across 2 books that I bought. Both are proving extremely helpful: The Language Construction Kit (he has a website here) and the Planet Construction Kit. They’re helping me develop ideas as to the type of world Rohinval will become, as well as aiding in the development of the language – for which I still don’t have a name, lol.

So that’s where I am up to in my endeavours to create Rohinval and bring it to life. If you don’t see me here for a while, hopefully it’s because I’m actually writing!!!

The reason for my deviation is that I’ve become absorbed in the research of language construction and my feeble attempts to construct a language for Rohinval. Not the common language, but an older one. It will feature (I hope) in certain areas of the story, probably mostly for names. Although it may well take on a direction and course of its own, as these things sometimes do.

During my ‘research’ I stumbled on a language that I’d never heard of before – Láaden. A language created for women. Certain aspects of it I find fascinating, not least the way that there are words at the beginning of sentences to depict emotion (see Rule 9). I’m not sure that will find its way into my own constructed language but it did give me something to think about. After all, we may see the emotion in someone’s face or body language when we can see them but when all we have to go on is a written script, emotions of the writer become much harder to decipher.

I’ve also looked again at Esperanto. Over 25 years ago I took their 10 week course, although I never finished it. However, I do have the materials here and it was good to go through them, and fascinating to see how the language works. Unlike more complex languages that can take years to unravel, Esperanto was designed to have relatively easy grammatical rules. But even some of them can be fairly tricky to get used to!

Anyway, that is where I am at in my attempts to build a world and tell a tale: enmeshed in linguistics and completely ignoring the actual world-building and the story. Although I have unearthed two creative writing books to study and am dipping into them during the evenings. So all is not yet lost, and I’m having fun.