 Not steampunk, but creative imagination expanding our ideas of exploration…
Lagos, in the Algarve, was the harbour from which Prince Henry the Navigator’s maritime explorers set off in the early 1400s to discover the unknown world. Portuguese sailors were at the vanguard of this European Age of Discoveries during the 15th and 16th centuries, finding and mapping the coasts of Africa, Asia and Brazil.
 Organised expeditions started in 1419 along West Africa’s coast, reaching the Cape of Good Hope and entering the Indian Ocean in 1488. Ten years later, Vasco da Gama led the first fleet around Africa to India, arriving in Calicut and starting a maritime route from Portugal to India. Soon, after reaching Brazil, explorations followed to southeast Asia and reached Japan in 1542.
The figures on the roof of 17th century Fort of Ponta da Bandeira which guarded the harbour entrance in Lagos seem bizarre to the modern visitor, out of keeping with the fort and certainly with the 1400s of Henry the Navigator.
 But look again.
Their strange figures driving even stranger craft startle us. Perhaps they’re challenging us to look back at exploration in a different way and to think forward creatively, to explore with our minds into the future.
Have you experienced this type of creative link?
If you enjoyed this post, do share it with your friends!Like this:Like Loading...
 What connects a Wallsend metro station, an ATM in the Vatican City, Asterix and Wikipedia?
Latin, of course!
Originating in Italy, it was spoken in Ancient Rome and spread through the Mediterranean into much of the then known world. Although now considered a dead language, many students, scholars, and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and it is still taught in some primary, secondary and many post-secondary educational institutions around the world.
Latin is still used in the creation of new words including in English, and in biological names. Changing versions between vulgar Latin and Classical Latin, declining into a misspelled medieval form, revived and refined in the Renaissance period, it was used as the international language of communication until well into the eighteenth century.
 Apart from the spells of Harry Potter et al, the mottoes of many American states and plant labels, Latin crops up today in some off-beat places.
Wallsend Metro station is the only public facility in Britain in which the signage is in Latin. This is a nod to its location near the Segedunum Roman fort at the end of Hadrian’s Wall. The station also includes a number of photographs of local shops and facilities which have been digitally altered so that their names appear in Latin.
The Vatican City is also home to the world’s only ATM that gives instructions in Latin.
Asterix is the famous cartoon character featured in the works of Uderzo and Goscinny. The comic but stouthearted Gaulish warrior is always getting one over the Romans. Not quite sure what he’d make of himself speaking Latin, especially as a legionary
 Vicipaedia Latina is the Latin language edition of Wikipedia. As of November 2012, it has about 82,000 articles. Content is in Latin, but discussions are run in modern languages such as English, French, German or Spanish since many users find this easier.
Wikipedia reports, ‘Professional latinists have observed a gradual improvement in the encyclopedia: according to Robert Gurval, chairman of the UCLA classics department, “the articles that are good are in fact very good,” even though some articles by beginning students contain grammatical errors.
The Latin Wikipedia began dominated by topics from classical history, but beginning in 2006 a group of new contributors greatly expanded the coverage of 20th-century topics, such as pop culture and technology.’
Attributions:
Wallsend – Courtesy of Chris McKenna [CC-BY-SA-3.0-2.5-2.0-1.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
Vatican ATM – Courtesy of Seth Schoen [CC-BY-SA-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
Alison Morton is the author of Roma Nova thrillers, INCEPTIO, and PERFIDITAS. Third in series, SUCCESSIO, is out now.
If you enjoyed this post, do share it with your friends!Like this:Like Loading...
 The scene: A book industry party
Present: New authors, multi-published authors, agents, editors, publishers, guests, even spouses
A first conversation:
Sensible and friendly author to agent: “Don’t worry, I’m not pitching because my book isn’t ready yet.”
Sensible and savvy agent: “If I was worried about people pitching to me I wouldn’t come to a party like this.”
Both smile and carry on chatting.
A second conversation:
Desperate and determined author to agent: “My book’s about XYZ and I know it’s going to be a great success. It starts at the end of the First World War and the heroine is called Daisy and she had a daughter who’s called Peggy and she has twins called Maggie and Edith and….
[Ten minutes later] Agent (with rictus on face and desperate for a drink) to author: “Why don’t you send in three chapters? You’ll find all the details on our website.”
Author: “….and then great aunt Getrude comes back from India with a new husband and…”
Agent: “Send it in, then. If you’ll excuse me, I must get on.” (Turns round and flees.)
Industry professionals are human. Some of them attend parties because writers’ associations throw brilliant social bashes. They can meet colleagues and clients on neutral ground and informally. But it would be naive not to think that most agents and editors are there to meet writers, possibly spot new talent and, ultimately, to be pitched to.
But there’s a way to do it:
- Wait for the previous conversation to finish.
- Don’t be over pushy or rude.
- Don’t pitch for more than 2 to 3 minutes. Let the agent/editor respond.
- When an editor or agent asks an encouraging question, they mean it. Go for it by a short answer like, “Rom-com with a twist,” inviting the response, “What sort of twist?” If the response is, “I hope it’s going well,” with a glazed look, it’s probably not going to work.
- Watch for the signs that the agent/publisher wishes to finish the conversation and move on gracefully.
You don’t want to gain the reputation of being a pest, because a pest at a party is probably going to be a pest to work with. Editors and agents gossip amongst hemselves. You don’t want to be the one referred to as, “Oh, her! She trapped me in a corner at a do and tried to tell me the whole plot of her book. I had to spill my drink down myself to escape.”
After your short pitch, a professional follow-up letter within the week with your submission package mentioning meeting the agent/editor at the party and thanking them for their time is the best next step.
Although literary parties give you an opportunity to meet new people and network with those you already know, they are a place where good manners and restraint matter most.
That is, if you want to get published.
If you enjoyed this post, do share it with your friends!Like this:Like Loading...
|
Subscribe to Blog via Email
Join 37 other subscribers.
Buy AURELIA from Apple!
UK
US
|
Not steampunk, but creative imagination expanding our ideas of exploration…
Organised expeditions started in 1419 along West Africa’s coast, reaching the Cape of Good Hope and entering the Indian Ocean in 1488. Ten years later, Vasco da Gama led the first fleet around Africa to India, arriving in Calicut and starting a maritime route from Portugal to India. Soon, after reaching Brazil, explorations followed to southeast Asia and reached Japan in 1542.
But look again.
