Re: Conlang Website

On Mon, 16 Oct 2000, Adrian Morgan wrote:

> Yoon Ha Lee wrote, quoting myself:
>
> > > I've not developed much of a culture around my lang, but there are a
> > > few hints here and there.
> >
> > I had the culture *before* the lang. The lang is really an aid for a
> > fantasy novel-in-progress, _Origami Souls_. (Hey, it's up to 14
> > chapters and some 20,000+ words).
>
> That's (roughly, in the sense of 'more than half and less than double')
> comparable to the length of "The Cries of an Injured World". Which is a
> story I've co-written with a friend, and we finished the actual writing
> ages and ages ago, but I haven't got around to finishing the editing
> stages because I'm just far too much of a perfectionist.
<laugh>  The only co-writing I've done is with my sister (who made her
first pro fantasy sale just before her freshman year at college, like I
did in sf!).  That was ages ago and we'd love to try it again now that
our writing skills have matured, but classes and geographical distance
have put a crimp in that.

I've written novels from 40,000-80,000 words long but most of them
weren't worth the wordage.  <wry g>  Still, you gotta start somewhere.

> > Magic exists in my conculture but is generally regarded in an animistic
> > sort of fashion. What theology there is didn't really come from the
> > magic system, but from my memories of folk religion and Buddhism and
> > what-have-you in Korean.
>
> As you've probably gathered, theology is an interest of mine :-) The
> Christian culture/church that I come from encourages people to think for
> themselves in matters of faith, and my faith is very much tailored to my
> own preferences in analogies, explanations and favourite verses, yet
> remains fully congruous with mainstream Christianity.
<rueful look>  Theology gives me a headache.  The Bible is a beautiful
work of literature, but there are huge chunks of it that don't make sense
to me.  'Course, there are huge chunks of American culture that don't
make sense to me, along with Korean culture, so what can I say...

> > > In the language (not necessarily connected to either of the stories)
> > > the culture is basically monotheist. The word for 'God' /roKi/ is a
>
> Should be /rOKi/. I actually like this as a word for 'God'. A friend once
> jokingly criticised it on the grounds that you can't _swear_ a word like
> that!
<laugh>  You'd be surprised....

> > <wry g> When culture-building occasionally my own beliefs filter into
> > the culture's belief-system, but I don't specifically set out to design
> > them that way. OC, I belong to the semi-perfectionist-wannabe school of
> > worldbuilding. It would be neat to try something like what you've
> > described, though my own faith is so messed-up and uncertain it'd
> > really come out confused!
>
> I just think it would be interesting to take analogies that lie on the
> /edge/ of my own faith (i.e. descriptions that I personally find helpful)
> and move them into the very /centre/ of a fictional faith, and see what
> happens. But I haven't done this.
I think very neat things would happen, if/when you decide to do this!

I confess in some ways math and science feel a lot more natural to me
than things like theology.  OTOH I *was* going to be a historian, so this
isn't absolute.  Best with your conculture/theology/writing endevaors!

Cheers,
YHL