Way back in 2013 I managed to write an entire 1st draft during NaNoWriMo. I call it The Vern after an important religious figure in the book. The setting is inspired by the Maya, but I made up all the religious ceremonies etc based on another idea I had even longer ago. Anyway, the setting, temples, food, clothing, and architecture is all Maya-inspired.

I’ve recently decided this will be the next project I focus on after I finish writing Skyfall because the first draft is complete. The book I started writing during NaNo 2016 isn’t finished yet, so I decided to hold off on that one. My goal–and a steep one–will be to revise it by the end of the year. This is probably overly ambitious, but I can try.

So, when I heard on the radio that archeologists have discovered that the Maya civilization is much more extensive in area and dense in population than previously thought, I figured it was a sign I’d chosen the correct project to work on next. This is so exciting for me because what I’ve imagined for my book is actually closer to reality than I expected. I had to fudge some stuff (it’s fantasy, remember) to create the feeling I wanted for the setting, but now I’ll be closer to the truth which is always nice. The big discoveries I’m most interested in are:

• denser population (3-4x what they thought), possibly 10 million people
• cities connected by raised causeways! for trade and travel
• massive farming and irrigation operations
•  more interconnected fortifications and other evidence of war than they thought and from before they thought

All of this will help define the world of The Vern when I go back and start revising. I’m really hoping to focus on my setting this next draft and all this will help. I’m pretty good at societal structures and history in my world-building, but the actual physical details are more difficult for me.