Project:
Since the beginning, I've wanted some kind of ethnic conflict within this story. However, Rome's being an empire and focusing more on citizenship rather than, say, phenotype, has made this difficult. I've more or less made do. Kind of. (Not really.) A book I read on Friday (which was awesome) brought up some unrelated questions that I decided to research tonight (history of the Romani). I learned things that really help my understanding of Europe. I also learned that I think I accidentally wrote a novel about Romani.
So now I've got my notebook and a pen and I'm brainstorming, finding the parallels and marking the things that are going to need some serious rationalizing or tweaking. While I've been using some Gaelic and Roman terms, I don't think I'm going to use Romani (or Calo, given the region) terms. For one, it's hard. For two, it's REALLY HARD.
I've got worldbuilding scenes that would be positively awesome--but also character scenes that would make no freaking sense, if I made that leap. I've definitely got to sleep on it.
Call this the risk-analysis part. Is it worth it? Should I do it?
If I've got three AU cultures, should I just rename everything and pretend it's all fantasy, and let hypothetical readers realize how based in 'reality' it is? I read a book like that once. I got to go aww, you reinvented Spain! the whole time. And every-freaking-one and their sister reinvents
The fun part is that Keely is so damn myopic and unaware, I wouldn't have to change descriptions, for the most part. The way things are explained to her wouldn't change at all. Nor would how she sees them. ("Ooh, shiny!")
Probably the thing that would require the most attention is the established goblin/Underground social and economic structure...
Dammit. This is going to be one hell of a rewrite.
and Keely wants everyone to know that she's not that dumb. generally.
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