A - Z Challenge: FLAMENCO

SPAIN

For me, the best part about flamenco is it's authenticity.  Unlike the bullfights, it's not a spectacle put on to attract tourists.  No, flamenco is deeply entrenched in Spain's culture.  That means that most everyone, especially in Andalucía, can sing or dance flamenco, at least to a certain extent.  It's not exclusive to the professionals.  If you're in Spain long enough, chances are you'll come across someone singing flamenco at the top of his lungs as he walks down the street.

Flamenco dancers in Sevilla, Spain

Walking through Sevilla, you'll find dozens of dress shops.  These dresses are pricey.  The cheapest you'll find is 75 euro (about $100), and that's the absolute cheapest.  For many girls, they get a new dress every year, which they adorn with flowers and ribbons, and will don during the week of Feria, a celebration based on flamenco, which happens to begin two weeks from now.  All night the people of Sevilla gather in casetas, personal tents set up on designated fairgrounds, where they dance flamenco 'til dawn.  Not to impress anyone, but just for fun.  For tradition.

Feria in Sevilla.  This is in two weeks.

WRITING

Many Spanish romantic writers, such as Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer, incorporated flamenco into their writing.  They referred to is as the poesía popular, or the popular poetry, and drew on its themes and rhythms to compose short stories and poems that reflected Spanish pop culture.  To them, flamenco was a source of endless inspiration:  it embodied passion, beauty, and pain in its potent vocals and intense movements.

Here's a video of some flamenco:

A - Z Challenge: ANDALUCÍA

Andalusia in red.

Spain

Like most countries, Spain is far from uniform.  Rather, it is divided into seventeen different autonomous communities (and two independent cities located in North Africa), which work kind of like states.  (Though it's a little more complicated than that; these communities don't have as much independence as U.S. states).  Many of these autonomies used to be kingdoms before Spain became a unified nation in 1492.

I'm staying in the community of Andalusia (spelled Andalucía in Spanish), in southern Spain, the capital of which is beautiful Seville (where I live).

So what makes Andalusia unique?  Well, a lot.  I'm just going to cover the basics because otherwise, we'd get into novel territory, as far as length goes.

Seville's bullfighting stadium.  Yes, it's still in action.

When you think stereotypical Spain, you think Andalusia, whether you realize it or not.  Here is where you'll come across flamenco, bullfighting, and typical Spanish architecture.  It's also a place of immense historical importance, where you'll find:

• Archivo de Indias - the home of the paperwork regarding the conquest of the Americas.  It's lined with images and sculptures of conquistador Hernán Cortés.
• Cádiz - where revolutionaries wrote the Constitution of 1812, the first Spanish constitution.
• Ronda - Hemingway set part of his Spanish Civil War novel For Whom the Bell Tolls in this city.
• Granada - The last city to expel the Moors from Spain in 1492 during the Reconquista.  For this reason, a symbol of Ferdinand and Isabella is the granada, or the pomegranate.

The Andalusian countryside viewed from Ronda.

Writing

For those of you who don't know, my blog is mostly about finding inspiration in real life, then applying that inspiration to my fantasy world.  That is, my writing.  In a way, living in Andalusia has been one big research project.  Mostly, in terms of setting.

I'm a sucker for cool settings.  Though, I admit, I've set many a story in places like New York, Washington, D.C., and London, I much prefer more exotic places (usually within the real world).  I'd love to see more books set in Eastern Europe, North Africa and the Middle East, and especially Latin America.

Spain is a cool setting (at least in my opinion).  It's warm, it's colorful, and it has a very distinct culture that screams "¡VIVA ESPAÑA!"  But as far as books in English go, it generally takes a backseat to the U.S., U.K., France, Australia, and many other countries.  Which is actually kind of sad, considering it's the birthplace of the novel as we know it today.  Unfortunately, we English-speakers tend to forget that.

A courtyard in the Alcazar, a palace in Seville.

So for your next project, consider setting it in Spain.  If you're not sure about setting, ask yourself how important the setting is:  Does it make a difference if it's set in L.A. or Barcelona?  If your character is American or Spanish?  Obviously, it does, but that difference could be what makes your story stand out in the slushpile.  Personally, if I were an agent looking at two similar urban fantasies, both with strong characters and plots, and one was set in New York and the other in Seville, I'd choose the one in Seville, just because it's unique.  (Though I'm not an agent, so what do I know?)

Andalusia would also be a great place from which to draw inspiration for high fantasy.  Unfortunately, high fantasy is usually pretty predictable when it comes to setting.  Most of the time it's based on medieval Northern Europe, so the kingdoms that made up what is now France, Germany, and the U.K.  Stone castles, fairytale-esque villages, dense evergreen forests.

Andalusia also has castles.  Andalusia also has villages.  Andalusia also has forests--and mountains, and deserts, and beaches, and cliffs.

Only it's castles are often inspired by Islamic architecture, like the Alcazar in Seville.  Those villages, like Ronda, are sometimes situated hundreds of meters high.  And while you'll find "regular" forests, you'll also come across a ton of palm trees and oranges.  So why not pick the former kingdom of Al-Andalus as the basis for a fantasy world?  Star Wars did it.  The Plaza de España in Seville was used for scenes shot on the planet Naboo.

The list goes on.  Long story short, Andalusia is important to Spanish history and culture, despite being primarily an agricultural autonomy.  It's significantly less industrial than the rest of Spain.  Rather than huge metropolises, you'll find a sprawling countryside adorned with sunflowers, oats, barley, wheat, olives, and especially oranges.  In fact, orange trees line the streets of many Andalusian cities, including Seville
.

The Plaza de España, which was featured in Star Wars:  Episode I.

Barcelona: Urban Fantasy

This past weekend I once again journeyed away from Sevilla, this time flying to Barcelona, which is located in lovely Catalonia.

Casa Battló at night.

To say the least, it was a busy weekend.  We spent the better part of each day on our feet, hurrying from one architectural marvel to another, and only calling it quits after the sun set.  Yup, absolutely exhausting.  Thankfully, my friends are, well, my friends…And that means that an evening curled up  with good books while feasting on bread, cheese, chocolate and cheap champagne is just as good (probably better) as a night at a discoteca.  So we were nice and rested for the next day's adventure.

Our program guide, Antonio, introduced Barcelona as a city of fantasy and magic.  At first glance, that's a little difficult to see.  After all, Barcelona is a huge metropolitan city, complete with skyscrapers, flashy lights, and an upscale shopping district.

But that's what's special about it.  The fantastical is subtly woven into the modern city, making Barcelona a living example of urban fantasy and maybe even magic realism.

Let's take a stroll, shall we?

Casa Battló on the right.  Notice the scaled roof.

We exit the hostel and there, just a block away and standing on a perfectly normal street, is the Casa Battló, which in my opinion belongs in some sort of twisted Candyland.  The walls are supposed to look like a garden, while the balconies and columns are meant to represent bones. Kind of creepy, right?  The roof is scaled, like the back of a dragon, and the chimney is San Jorge's sword--being plunged into the dragon.

The dragon is the symbol of Barcelona, and it's everywhere (but still subtle enough that you have to look for it).

The roof of La Pedrera.

Then just a few minutes away is La Pedrera, another house by the same architect (Antoni Gaudí, the man behind all of Barcelona's most famous sites).  Again, it's a palace on a normal city block, easy to miss.  It's most interesting feature is its roof, which looks like an alien desert.

La Sagrada Familia

And of course, there's Barcelona's most famous tourist attraction:  the Sagrada Familia, a cathedral designed by Gaudí in the late nineteenth century, and is still under construction today.  It's interesting, for sure, but like most of Gaudi's work, I don't know if I'd call it gorgeous.  (Personal opinion).  To me and my writer's mind it would make an awesome palace for a villain.  I can easily imagine an evil queen standing in the tower, peering at her kingdom with disdain.


Magic and fantasy are everywhere:  in the design of the sidewalk, the fountains that dance to changing colors, the paintings that line Las Rambas.

As I said, Barcelona brings urban fantasy into the real world, so the city got me thinking about writing in the genre, especially because my WIP is, among other things, urban fantasy.

Why does it appeal to us?  What makes it special?

I'm no expert on urban fantasy (my current WIP is my first venture into it), but I might have a little insight.

In general, people like cities.  For hundreds of years we have been migrating to them, usually in search of work, or in order to escape the trials of country living.  We're naturally drawn to them, usually not because of aesthetic appeal, but because of the opportunities they offer.  Yup, cities are goldmines of opportunities, and not only in real life.  Plot and character-wise, they're invaluable.

You aren't going to find a character like this in the countryside:

Not gonna lie, this guy was probably my favorite part of the trip.  He was standing at the highest point of the Parc Güell, playing guitar in front of an elevated cross, while singing "Jesus Christ Superstar."

As for plots, cities tend to provide more opportunities for your characters to do different activities (just like in real life).  They can go to a nightclub; they can be pickpocketed on the metro; they can get lost in the slums; and so forth.

A bar in Barcelona called "Bosc de las Fades,"
which translates to "Forest of the Fairies."
Yup, it's enchanted forest themed.

For this reason, cities are prone to stories.  Real stories.  History happens everywhere, of course, but it's concentrated in the cities.  Where did the French Revolution start?  Paris.  What about the birthplace of American independence?  Philadelphia.  The conquest of Mexico?  Tenochtitlán.

But where does the fantasy part come in?  Well, cities offer opportunities, but once you throw in elements of magic, those opportunities become endless.  Absolutely anything could happen.

Of course, there's more.  Urban fantasy allows us to bring magic into our own lives.  While deep down we realize that we probably won't ever be whisked away to Middle-earth or Narnia, we can go to cities like New York.  Like London.  Like Barcelona, where it's easy to imagine magic happening all around us, though we may not be able to see it.


And no matter how childish it is, we always hold onto that hope that someday the fantastical adventure will be ours.  At least, I do.  In Tangiers I hoped to find a magic lamp.  In Rome I wanted some angels and demons (get it?).  And in Barcelona, I was just itching to fight off a dragon.

Barcelona viewed from the Parc Güell.  I can easily imagine a dragon soaring through that sky.

We like magic, so the idea that it can be threaded into modern society is highly appealing.  Which is why people come to Barcelona.  Let's face it:  you don't come to Barcelona for traditional Spanish culture.  You won't find the narrow winding streets (try Toledo), flamenco (that's Andalusian), bullfighting (it's banned in Catalonia), or even Spanish (the official language of Catalonia is Catalan).  No, people flock to Barcelona for the fantasy, for the magic.

Unfortunately, I didn't find any fairies or dragons (I guess I wasn't looking hard enough.  Or I'm just a silly muggle).  Though I'm in Istanbul this week, so you can be sure that my quest for a magic lamp will be renewed!

Enough of me!  What about you?  Have you ever been to any "magical" cities?  Or if not, which ones would you like to go to?  What are your favorite urban fantasy books?

Study Abroad: Real Settings

¡Hola!  Si no ya sabéis, estoy en Sevilla, España.

That's Spanish for "Hello!  If you don't already know, I am in Seville, Spain."  We arrived last Tuesday for our semester abroad, and so far, it's been excellent.  The food, the flamenco, the winding streets…

Nowadays, lots of college students will spend some time abroad.  At many schools, studying abroad an unspoken expectation.  No doubt it's a valuable experience for everyone, but it's especially awesome for writers.

Sure, it's great to play the part of "expatriate artist," like Hemingway or Fitzgerald, and sit in a bar or café while penning the next Great American Novel--but let's also be honest with ourselves.  What with challenging classes (sometimes in another language), endless social activities, and all the excitement of a foreign city, our writing time is probably going to significantly decrease.  I know mine has.

Yet at the same time, I'm considering this entire semester as writing research.  Here I am in a completely new setting, surrounded by a new culture, and it's the perfect opportunity to absorb an atmosphere that could easily end up in a story.  Personally, my favorite books all have unique settings:  the little Colombian town of Macondo, or the streets of Pamplona, or the plantations of Georgia (One Hundred Years of Solitude, The Sun Also Rises, and Gone with the Wind, respectively).

I'm sick of New York.  I'm sick of London.  I'm sick of L.A.  Give me some place exotic.  I read for experiences I can't have in my real life, so the less likely I am to travel to a certain setting, the better.

Take Daughter of Smoke and Bone, for example.  While I'm not big on paranormal romance,  I loved the two main settings:  Prague and Marrakesh.  Would the plot have changed much if Laini Taylor set her novel in London?  No, not at all.  But seriously, I've read so many stories set in and around London, I feel like I vacation there every summer.  Prague?  Marrakesh?  Now those are entirely new.

One of the reasons I chose to study in Seville was the setting.  As an English major, it makes much more sense for me to go to England.  In terms of classes, it would probably be better.  But Seville, while crawling with Americans, is a city unlike any I've ever visited.  Narrow streets, lively plazas, a beautiful river…My writer's mind is running wild!  No lie, in this past week alone, I've figured out ways to include a flamenco dancer, gitanas (gypsies), and the city itself in my WIP.

Also, if you haven't already realized, I'm big on setting, so expect more posts about it :)

For now, enjoy these photos of Seville, Spain :)

A calle (street) in Seville.

Look at that bridge!  (I've yet to cross it.)

The gardens of the Alcazar (a palace).  If you're a fantasy person, and write about palaces regularly, why don't you try this:  Instead of the usual "Cinderella's Castle" or Gothic fortress, give it some pizazz.  I'm talking bright colors, arches, and tropical gardens like this one.