A - Z Challenge: LEFTOVERS (ROME & MOORS)

SPAIN

The Iberian Peninsula has been inhabited for centuries, most notably by the Roman and Ottoman Empires.  To this day, you can see many leftovers in Spanish cities, especially in the autonomous community of Andalusia, the name of which comes from the Arabic Al-Andalus.

Architecture

This Roman aqueduct is right by my house!

Moors maintained a presence on the Iberian Peninsula from 711 to 1492.  That's 781 years.  Comparably, Spain has only been "Spanish" as we know it for 521 years, which is very strange to think about.  It's been asked if the Reconquista, or the Reconquest (when Catholics led by Ferdinand and Isabel expelled the Arabs from Spain), was actually a reconquest, or if it was just a conquest.

I believe these columns were supposedly
placed here by Hercules himself.  (Hercules
founded many cities in Spain, including
Sevilla and Barcelona, according to legend.)

Traveling through Spain, you'll find a lot of architectural leftovers from Rome and Moorish occupation.  In Sevilla, for example, there are several Roman columns.  My street even has the ruins of an old aqueduct :)

A patio in the Alcázar.  These archways are a
signature element of Islamic architecture.

As for Moorish influence, it's everywhere.  Courtyards, rounded archways, and tiles all have their origins in Arabic architecture.

The Alcázar, for example, was originally a Moorish fort, converted into a royal palace.  Though there are certain Gothic elements, most of it is Islamic design.

Sevilla's most famous site, the Cathedral, was actually originally a mosque.  The Giralda served as a minaret from which someone would issue the call to prayer.  It was converted into a Cathedral, yet it still has lots of Islamic architecture.

The Cathedral in Sevilla.

Language

While Spanish is a romance language that has Latin roots, its filled with words that come from Arabic.  Some of these include:

Andalucía - from Al-Andalus, the Arabic name for the region.

Ojalá - I hope, from law šhaʾ allāh "God willing".

Alcázar - palace, from al-qasr
Zumo - juice, from zum.  Spain is the only Spanish-speaking country that uses "zumo" for juice.

And hundreds more!

WRITING

When writers build worlds, they often draw from real cultures and civilizations.  Stereotypical fantasy worlds are usually based on medieval Northern Europe (the Holy Roman Empire is probably closest in comparison); and when they name characters and places, they often pick a language to act as the "root language."

Why is this a good idea?  So that the made-up words sound as though they belong to the same family, the same culture.  It helps to make the world believable, and that's extremely important :)  So as you create world, make like Spain and let other civilizations influence you!

P.S.  I'd love to read a fantasy in which the world is based on North Africa or Middle East, so if you know of any, please let me know!

"They're such beautiful shirts!"

Let's get one thing straight:  I am not a fashionista.  Sure, I have my own personal style, but it usually involves a pair of jeans.  Nothing fancy.

But ever since coming to Spain, my style has changed.  Not a lot, but enough to be noticeable.  Our Study Abroad program suggested it:  "Dress nicer," they said.  "You'll blend in better.  No sneakers, no sweatpants, no t-shirts."

(Side note:  I don't blend in.  My backpack is a dead giveaway, but I like it too much to sacrifice it for some European swag.  Besides, everyone knows I'm not a local as soon as I open my mouth, so why bother?)

Gown of First Lady Helen Taft.  So early 1900s.

For the most part, I've adhered to the advice.  More skirts, better shoes.  The other day I even wore a pair of patterned harem pants.  (Bold, I know.  But they're so comfortable!)  Anyway, as I've been toying with my own sense of style, I got to thinking about fashion in writing.  Our characters have to be dressed, don't they?  (Well, not always…)

Writing about clothes is fun, at least for me.  However, there is a line.  I firmly believe that descriptions of clothes should be used for a greater purpose, not only to tell the reader what a character is wearing.  Luckily, most writers do this unconsciously:  the stereotypical popular crowd in a YA contemporary is almost always in miniskirts, while the academically inclined protagonist opts for Target jeans.  What does that say about them?

(Side note:  I strongly dislike books that heavily rely on the stereotypical popular crowd as a plot device because I don't find it believable.  Mean Girls works because it's satire.)

Moroccan gowns.  Present day.

A girl who only wears baggy clothes might be self-conscious about her weight.  A boy in Nantucket red pants could easily be a frat brother.

The Hunger Games is a great example of fashion for a purpose.  There isn't much description of Katniss's everyday clothes, or even the clothes she wears while in the arena, but we all remember her clothes that make a statement and give a sense of her character:  the coal costumes that catch fire, the dress with the flames, the Mockingjay wedding gown.

Ok, so not too difficult.  What's a little trickier is avoiding over-description.

I know people who go online shopping for their characters.  Great!  It helps them get a better mental picture of their characters, and it sounds like a lot of fun.  But they run the danger of wanting to describe every single detail, down to the very thread-count.  That's a big no-no, because frankly, the reader doesn't care that much.  If you must talk about fashion, mention it briefly, and move on.

However, there is a time to linger, and that's when your PoV character is doing commentary.  (Remember:  even if you write in third person, you still have a PoV character).  If a character is surprised by an outfit, perhaps.  Or if she's jealous.  Or if the clothes are new, or offensive.  If a proper nineteenth-century Englishwoman travels to a country where harem pants are big, she might be a little taken aback, and therefore she'll linger on them.

But don't linger too much.  Otherwise the reader will think, "We get the point!  Move on."

Colonial style, circa 1780.

Sometimes it is difficult to move on.  I'm guilty.  I love to write about my characters' outfits, especially since most of my work isn't contemporary, which means cool historical clothes like the ones in the photos.  I also tend to set my work all over the world, so I have to be conscious of international and historical fashion.  When I go to museums, I take pictures of the clothing, especially, so I can look at them for later reference.  Also, the Internet is a wonderful wonderful thing.  Movies can also be very helpful.

Your thoughts on fashion in writing?

When to Put Down the Book

Another weekend, another adventure!  Where, you ask?  AFRICA.

It's casual.

The most glorious sunset.  That's Africa.

Yep, I spent three days in Morocco, exploring the beautiful cities of Tetuan, Chefchaouen, and Tangier.  Cool, right?  Way cool.  Every few minutes I said to myself, "Is this real life?  This cannot be real life."

Guess what?  It was real life.

We left Spain on Friday, crossing at the Straits of Gibraltar.  As we sailed for Ceuta, a Spanish city located in Morocco, we watched the most glorious sunset I have ever seen.  With Africa to one side, and Europe to the other, the sun dipped below the Mediterranean horizon, momentarily lighting up the sky with a million colors.

A street in Chefchaouen.  Notice the mountain.

We spent most of Saturday in Chefchaouen, a picturesque town on the side of a mountain.  (Almost all the towns are on the sides of mountains).  There I had my first experience with a Moroccan market:  unlike in the States, it's acceptable--no, expected--that you haggle.  I'm terrible at it, but it was still a ton of fun!  Like when I turned my back on the shopkeeper, strutted away with mock confidence, and sure enough, he called me back:  "Okay, okay, you can have for 70 dirham!"

I thought so.

Anyway, now I'm loaded up with a beaded shirt, a sundress, three giant bags of Moroccan tea, several grams of saffron, some soap, earrings, a scarf, three pairs of harem pants, and a magic lamp.  (The Disney nerd in me could not in good conscience go to Morocco and not get a magic lamp).

I'm on a camel!  In MOROCCO.

After a Moroccan lunch, we headed for Tangier.  The next day we rode some camels, explored Tetuan, and finally, went back to semi-reality, a.k.a. Spain.

So what does any of this have to do with reading and writing?  Lots, actually.  I could talk about cool settings, or gender roles in books, or world-building, or fun dialogue (I mean, just think about the banter between a shopkeeper and a potential customer).

But instead, I'm going to talk about not writing and not reading.  Sometimes, it's actually a good idea :)

The three cities I visited are relatively far from each other:  at least an hour, sometimes two or more, on a narrow road that winds through a rugged countryside.  Lots of bus time to get work done, right?  Good, because I had a ton of reading to do:  reading for class, reading for my internship, research reading for my WIP, reading friends' manuscripts, and so on.

Moroccan countryside.

I turned on my Kindle.  Looked down.  Read a sentence.  A paragraph.  And turned it off.

How could I stare at a page when the beautiful Moroccan countryside was rolling by my window?  I can read anytime, I can write anytime.  But who knows when I'll next see Morocco?  Even if it's from a bus, through a window, the vista is so breathtaking, so awe-inspiring, that I'd be a fool to miss it, even for a gripping page-turner.  Because guess what?  This is real life.

Market in Tetuan.

It's those moments when real life becomes as awe-inspiring as fiction that it's time to put down the book, look out the window, explore and dream and live.  Writers always inhabit the heads of their characters, but every once in awhile, they need to leave those characters behind in order to go on their own adventures.  Otherwise, they'll miss the wonderful story called life.

What if I had been a good student and did my assigned readings while on the ferry?  I would have missed the Most Glorious Sunset.  And if I had read on the bus?  Or if I had been writing?  I'd never have noticed the rippling streams that course through the hills, or the little boy riding a donkey, or a multicolored herd galloping in sync over a field.

Books are great.  I love books.  I love words.  They truly are magical, but it's important to remember that they are just words on a page.  Powerful words, but words nonetheless.  Simple inkblots.  Turn away for a moment, and you'll find that the real story is the one that's all around you.