Writing Overview

(Originally Written March 29, 2010 in the Journal)

My long neglected Ashley! We had such high hopes for the two of us and yet I have ignored you so thoroughly. Accept my apology and I will now inform you of what is going through my literary head and fill your pages with my newest ideas.

1) The House of Urtsiul

The house of Urtsiul is the story of Urtsiul and the two branches of his family. Urtsiul is an exile from a southern Mesopotamian city-state who in his banishment ends up in ancient Palestine under the service of the king of Shacmu. He serves with distinction and has two sons: Uslmi and Ugui. After some time he dies and leaves one city each of his sons.

Uslmli is a righteous man, but Ugui is not. When a new king is crowned in Shacmu Ugui insults him and is banished only to return with an army. Uslmli meanwhile has four sons: Upuk, Ezinn, XA and XB (sorry I don't remember the names of the last two off the top of my head.

Uslmli winds up defeating Ugui in battle but takes his own life when he believes Ugui has murdered his four sons. In reality, Ugui has just kidnapped them and escaped to Hattusas, the Hittite capital.

In Hattusas Ugui becomes powerful and extends the Hittite King Mursili's territory. When the king of Shacmu comes to claim Ugui for crimes Ugui defeats them and Shacmu falls to Mursili. Mursili needs to place Jebus in charge of Shacmu and his descendants become the Jebusites.
The story then follows the accounts of the four children of Uslmli, youngest to oldest.

The first story is the youngest son who captures coastal cities and builds an empire. He falls in love with a captured princess named Phoenixa and names his kingdom after her (The Phoenicians). But, Phoenixa betrays him because of his cruel treatment of her family.

The second story follows the son who is tossed at sea and winds up shipwrecked on Crete. There he is proclaimed a god because of size and bronze skin color. He has sex with the wife of Vulcan who in his rage kindles his fire too hot while making weapons and destroys the cities of Crete (Need more Minas inferences to secure connection with Minoan civilization).

The Third son works as a mercenary and fights at Megiddo but switches to the Egyptian side. After securing victory he goes to Egypt and becomes very religious. He becomes convinced if he doesn't put cremated bodies in ashes then the ghosts of all he has killed will haunt him and his family forever. He is run out of Egypt as a madman but his prophecies take hold throughout Europe where he founds a kingdom.

Upuk, the oldest, travels north into the Ural mountains and founds a nation of no people. he builds two imperial cities and a number of settlements but is lonely when the work is done. He comes across Nok, a river nymph and immortal. He takes her as a wife and they have children.

Upuk begins to fear he will not have wives for his sons. Nok sends word out and immediately an illegitimate son of Upuk comes up with a following. Nok warns her husband not to marry their children to this man's entourage but he does anyway. Nok leaves and Upuk dies of a broken heart. His son takes the throne but is killed by an usurper.

(Up to this point is written in rough drafts)

2) The Book of Dates

The book of dates is a collection of short stories based on particular dates of importance in my life. Some are long; some are very short.

3) Habitaciones con Banos

The story of Joseph Flannigan and his writer's block. Joseph Flannigan travels to the DR for some inspiration for his sophomore novel. His first was successful satire. The book encompasses his misadventures and a collection of short stories he writes that become his book.

4) The Divorce and The Bulgogi

Prequel to Habitaciones

5) The Shattered Peace of Jefferson

This my Ashley will be the story we tell. This will be the pseudohistory of a little town in Indiana
 up until a murder rocks the small town as told through the eyes of a neighbor who didn't know the people as well as they thought.