Behind the scenes of “The Nalmachan King”
From the smell of petrol in my dad's garage, to the mess of a painter's workshop as some gigantic oil portrait is being created – I’ve always been a lover of creation processes. I am the sort of person who doesn't like TV or movies very much, but I will watch any amount of behind the scenes and making-of footage. I just find it endlessly fascinating.
That’s why I want to share some of the “background material” of some of the things I write, and why I'd love to read background material of your writings too: because I enjoy the process as much (despite the blood, sweat and tears), and sometimes more, than the finished product. In the case of my short story “The Nalmachan King” I enjoyed the process immensely, and I’m quite fond of the story as it turned out.
“The Nalmachan King” was written in response to the prompt “write a story about a tyrannical king who threatens the entire realm”.
As is always the case, it was inspired by a number of different things. For starters, I decided it would be a good idea to jump straight into the story, having heard that when you have a lot to say in a short amount of time, it’s a good idea to have each element you introduce do more than just one thing. That’s what I tried to do with the line about the grandmother stating: “Her hair was white, and she happily exaggerated her age.” My intent is that these words not only convey something of the grandmother’s character, but that they also function as world building, since this very positive view of old age is something quite uncommon in the 21st century western world, and therefore naturally paints a picture of someplace that is somehow different.
I have a bachelor’s degree in theology, and have spent time studying ancient societies and kingdoms, as well as how the majority of people then lived their lives (that is, as farmers) and how knowledge was passed on in a time when most people could not read and never went to school. I've also studied legends and how illiterate people who were alive thousands of years ago approached the task of understanding the world and their lives within it. One major way they passed on their learning, was through sayings and stories, often connected to things in their everyday lives, so that they would be reminded of them. This is an element that seemed to tie itself naturally into the story, as my narrator talked.
The idea of the giant trees, the Nalmachans, came from the fact that I had just read a wonderful book by Tracy Chevalier called “At the Edge of the Orchard”, which features some enormous trees called Giant Sequoias. It occurred to me that in an illiterate time, trees like that would probably have myths and legends to explain them. (Oh and the word is simply made up; I am a great supporter of conlangs.)
Lastly, I want to mention a piece of dialogue Chevalier’s book which inspired me further. I don’t remember it word for word and I don’t have the book with me here – I borrowed it from the library when I read it – but it was about that trees are greedy and thirsty, and that once the Sequoias reached a certain height, no more new trees (not of the same species, either) could grow as large; there wasn’t enough water and nourishment in the ground. And so I thought; a very large tree that is so thirsty it kills all the little trees around it – that would be fitting metaphor for a tyrant king taxing his people so heavily he takes away their ability to provide for themselves.
And that’s it, really. If you read this text through till the end, I salute you.