Yesterday's email generated a lot of replies.
For those only just stumbling into this squalor we call the Legion, all I can say is…
YOU SHOULDN'T HAVE TAKEN SO LONG!
Unlucky.
Fret not, there will be a Part 2 soon.
The long and short of it is:
I sent out 10 Cockney rhymes that are quite common here in London that non-Londoners find quite amusing (besides our resident highborn, Lady Laura).
After sending them out and watching the replies (read: howls of laughter) roll in, it really got me thinking.
Namely, about just how important it is that we protect our regional idioms and not shy away from them (or heaven forbid, feel guilty about them).
Here's why:
As we live in a more and more globalised world, these cultural 'heirlooms' risk getting lost.
I don't know if there is a group of crooked-nosed elites sitting in an air-conditioned boardroom plotting our demise via a one-world government, a one-world culture, or a one-world language.
If there is some truth to the conspiracies, then we're in trouble.
Among numerous other reasons, it would spell the end of the things that make us unique, our cultures interesting to one another, and what makes holidaying so damn fun.
(I know, very First World of me.)
It's these little intricacies and nuances that make places richer and their people more vibrant and fascinating.
The day we all start to sound the same, look the same, and eat the same will be the day we cease to exist in a world of smaller ones.
And that's when I'll welcome a stray comet hurtling towards mankind with open arms.
Fortunately, we're not there… yet.
The same way it's important to preserve (and celebrate) our differences in this world, so too is it critical for authors to do so with their stories.
The very best fantasy scribes have known this for decades, and it's why their work endures while others slip into the dark depths of Helm's Deep.
It's also something I have worked tirelessly to safeguard in The Divided Region.
While it might not have orcs, elves, and dragon riders, Estos has its own kind of melting pot.
I could have so easily made the kingdoms of Vlencia and Elron share the same geographical, cultural, and linguistic norms…
I could have avoided peppering in Old English and medieval sayings…
I could have easily made all my characters talk, walk, and belch the same way.
BUT THAT'S A FAST WAY TO BE FORGOTTEN.
And my ego simply won't allow that to happen.
Instead, there are differences to be observed between the characters. There are changes in the soil in the south and mountains in the north, and the fauna that roam either kingdom.
And if you want to go even deeper and peel back the layers more…
You can do so in Lore & Order: Chronicles of Estos.
It's currently only in e-book form, but rest assured, once the series is wrapped up, it will also be available in audiobook and paperback.
To learn more, go here:
https://djjwatsonstore.com/products/lore-and-order
DJJW