Weekly Roundup of History, Archaeology and Writing Wisdom May 7-13

I spent Saturday in a day-long writing workshop taught by Donald Maass. I have a lot of great ideas to absorb and apply to my current manuscript. He’s very astute about developing the emotional elements and holding reader attention at every moment. I’ll be going through my stack of notes very carefully this week and examining what I’m doing in light of new ideas. I also liked his style of teaching the workshop and will apply what I observed to some of the workshops I teach. He gives time for applying what he says to each writer’s own projects without leaving everyone writing in silence for long expanses. I often find those long expanses annoying if the particular point the presenter is making doesn’t click with me. Maass has a fluid method that gives room without leaving dead time. Might be in the category of “don’t try this at home” but the teacher in me wants to give it a try. Not for every speaking gig–sometimes I’ve been asked to relay a discreet chunk of information rather than immerse the attendees in their own work–but I’d like to experiment.

Here are some posts I enjoyed this week from around the web:

Shakespeare’s Curtain Theatre to be excavated. This much lesser known theatre than the Globe, where Henry V was probably performed, is getting a close examination as part of a huge construction project. They aim to open the excavation later as a visitor center in the midst of a big high-rise complex. Excavators hope to learn more about the mechanics of play production in Shakespeare’s day as well as the overall layout of the theatre and maybe some traces of props. I hope the time pressures so often present in such digs aren’t overweighing its integrity. Click here for “Archaeologists begin exploration of Shakespeare’s Curtain Theater.”

The oldest clothing in the world now has a confirmed dating—between 3482 and 3102 BCE. That puts the linen “Tarknan Dress” with its pleated sleeves and bodice and V neck design before the 1^st Dynasty of Egypt. 5,000 years old certainly does make this a vintage piece, as well as delicate and beautiful. In London’s Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology. Click here for Archaeology Magazine “Dressing for the Ages”

World’s oldest customer complaint letter—written in cuneiform. That crappy copper you sold me! From the British Museum’s collection. Click here for “The 4000 Year Old Customer Service Complaint: WRONG GRADE OF COPPER!” on Vintage News

This post intrigued many people this week, but this boy’s find may actually be an old corn field. We’ll have to wait for a ground exploration to know one way or the other:

This is one smart, focused 15 year old. A teenager in Quebec studied ancient Mayan constellations, realized they corresponded to a map of actual Mayan city locations and then noticed a star where no known ruins are and he correctly figured there must be a large Mayan city there. He got the Canadian Space Agency to look at satellite photos and they confirmed his hypothesis—ruins of a large pyramid and thirty buildings. They’re letting him come on the expedition to check it out on the ground. Click here for “Quebec teen discovers ancient Mayan ruins by studying the stars”

Sarah Johnson (the authoritative voice re historical fiction) has created a gallery of recommended second novels of historical fiction to read in 2016. Debuts get all the love. There’s lots here to draw eager readers. Click here for Reading the Past “Encore Gallery of Second Novels. 

Congratulations to the finalists for the 2016 MM Bennetts Award for Historical Fiction: Defender of Jerusalem by Helena Page Schrader, Into the Hidden Valley by Stuart Blackburn, Allegiance by Kermit Roosevelt Click here for MM Bennett Award Finalists