Writing | Karavansara

5 February 2015
by Davide Mana Leave a comment

Words & Numbers – running my stories through the FK Test

So, yesterday I discovered this java thingie that runs a text through the Flesch-Kincaid Readability Tests.

Now, the Flesch-Kincaid tests are basically algorithms that express through a number the readability and the grade level of a text.

It has been pointed out that the numbers may have a less than intuitive value – writing at a grade level of 4 does not mean that you are writing “for fourth graders”, in other words.
Hemingway scored a full 4, after all, in terms of grade level.

So, of course, I found the app, I ran my texts through it.
What else would anybody do? Continue reading →

4 February 2015
by Davide Mana 2 Comments

The Mystery of Chapter 20

I read The Hour of the Dragon, Robert E. Howard‘s only full-length Conan novel, back when I was in high school.
I had found a copy of the 1977 Berkley edition of Howard’s novel, part of the series edited by Karl Edward Wagner that restored the original text, removing Lyon Sprague De camp‘s editorial changes.
It was reading K.E. Wagner’s introduction that I found out the mystery of chapter 20.

It’s not that complicated, mind you.
Quite simply, in The Hour of the Dragon we get from chapter 19 to chapter 21.
There is no Chapter 20.

Now, three hypotheses have been made about this fact. Continue reading →

31 January 2015
by Davide Mana 2 Comments

Historical details

I’ve written about historical accuracy and fantasy in the past.
I like doing research for my stories – I happen to read good books and watch interesting video, and have a good excuse to procrastinate, all in the name of quality.

Because if I find absolutely ridiculous the armchair experts on Ancient Warfare or other assorted geeks that evaluate the worth of a story by the serial numbers on the chainmail hauberks, I find equally insufferable the worthless hacks that place Jesuits in the Crusades, or wonder what would have happened had the Egyptians not been defeated by the Roman Empire.
In the age of internet, checking out a few basic facts is pretty easy. Continue reading →

30 January 2015
by Davide Mana Leave a comment

Writing prompt – Eavesdropping

Robert DOISNEAU :: At the Café, Chez Fraysse. Rue de Seine, Paris, 1958

So you are sitting in a Parisian café, and you are close enough to listen in.
What are they talking about?
Write it in the comments, if you like…

27 January 2015
by Davide Mana Leave a comment

Character profile – Genghiz Kitty

Time to take a look at another one of the bad guys from The Ministry of Thunder.
A very dangerous lady.
It’s time to talk about Elizabeth Kalaratri von Hungern Sternberg, Lady of Khrom, Warden of the Agarthi, Mistress of the Migoi, Mother of Destruction, She That Must Be Obeyed.

The evil lady with the airship.
Sabatini calls her Genghiz Kitty.
It’s faster like that. Continue reading →

24 January 2015
by Davide Mana 2 Comments

Changes

In this strange alchemy that is writing, in the last 24 hours I’ve worked on transformations and permutations:

in my novel, a thirty-something black haired woman turned into a forty-something gray haired woman
in one of my stories, a Russian biplane turned into a Chinese truck
a snowbound London suddenly was consumed by a great fire
a whole small nation was outlined on a scrap of notes paper (now I’ll have to copy it on file)
Aculeo & Amunet suddenly did an about-turn and their story is catching speed
and I’ve finished outlining the first novelette in the GreyWorld project

Great fun, despite my aching fingers.
Were it not that payments are erratic and people look at you like you are a piece of floatsam, this writing thing would be just what I’d like to do for a living.