A swashbuckling adventure, teeming with betrayal, romance, murder, sea battles. Between the final breath of the Spanish Inquisition, and Magellan's epic voyage, join unintended explorer, Lanning Delaford, plus an eclectic cast of characters as they traverse southern Europe
onto the unknown Great Sea.
I'm pleased to welcome author Neal Rabin to The Writing Desk
Tell us about your latest book
FLAT is a seafaring tale about a man’s search for self and how each of the characters confronts the challenges of their own fears.
How do we deal with our fears? When we are confronted with the unknown, or unexpected edges of our lives do we stop at that metaphorical edge, or take the next step forward? How do we navigate the chaos in life, politics, social structures, religion, and beyond? These are the main themes I wrapped inside the rapid fire, 16th century swashbuckling adventure tale that is Flat. Also — pirates!
1519 in the south of Spain was a time of upheaval and transition. Not limited to the shape of the planet – flat or sphere – the world had a long list of unknowns to contend with for every level of society. Centering in the age of exploration gave me a bountiful palette for weaving both a fast-paced tale, and the chance to explore some of the deeper questions about the nature of our humanity.
The story is wedged in between the tail end of the Spanish Inquisition and Magellan’s epic voyage of discovery. As mentioned, there are pirates, royals, an eclectic cast of characters, heaps of satire, all mixed in with betrayal, romance, and murder. Philosophical exploration can definitely be riveting entertainment!
What is your preferred writing routine?
My goal is based not on word count, but on desk time. I show up every day. Facing the blank page is always the toughest part of the process. I commit to sitting at my desk for at least two hours a day when starting something new. I often surpass that goal, but it is vital to feel successful each day. You may not have written like Mozart, but you have written!
Relying on some arbitrary word count, for me, creates far too much pressure and only ends up generating piles of terrible, incoherent chopped word salad. With my previous novel, 23 Degrees South, I wrote exclusively in the morning. FLAT turned out to demand an afternoon-early evening process. I can’t say why, I just rolled with what the book wanted.
What advice do you have for new writers?
Recently at a book launch event I was asked about my process. From my view there are two types of writers – those who write with a map and those who prefer to use a compass! I’m a compass writer. Compass writers have a general sense of direction, but no hard and fast scaffolding. I set off in a direction and experience the journey much like the reader does; hopefully not wandering too far afield from my intended path.
I enjoy the unknown pathway inherent in the discovery process. As it turns out, my process means I often create more material than needed to construct the fast-paced novels I prefer. In the case of FLAT, I turned in 92,000 words to my editor. The final book contains about 80,000. That’s a solid 40+ pages of extra content we sliced out and filed back in my own personal word warehouse. Maybe they will appear in some other shape or form down the road.
Neither do I worry about writer’s block, nor a dearth of ideas. I am fortunate in having the composer Philip Glass as a very old pal. He is a highly disciplined artist. We were talking about the creative process, and he offered me some sage advice. He told me, with confidence, that beneath his desk (or piano) he knows there exists a free-flowing river of abundant creativity. If he showed up at his desk each day, he would be able to tap into that stream, and so he never worried about a lack of ideas. I have adopted that mindset in my practice as well.
For new writers, show up, be patient, persevere, and things will occur.
Tell us something unexpected you discovered during your research
I spent a lot of time asking questions from a very generous University of Madrid history professor. I asked him mostly mundane questions – “what did folks do on a Friday night? Did they even have a ‘Friday night’? What did people wear and why? What might the job market options be for a common citizen?” He suggested tons of reading material to supplement his extensive knowledge of the era. It felt important to create the most realistic setting for the story I wanted to tell. With that as a goal I set about giving myself an intensive, months-long dive into 16th century everything! Art, literature, horseback riding, common foods, events, plus the key figures from history during that era.
What emerged after my self-inflicted master’s course? For better, or often worse, I realized that human nature has not perceptibly changed over these many millennia. Exactly how long does behavioral evolution take for us as a species? Are we destined to constantly repeat our patterns with minimal upward traction? I had hoped for better.
Given the premise that we haven’t changed much over time, the events of today predictably overlay seamlessly onto most events from any time period in human history including our own.
FLAT puts fiction and fact in a blender. The book includes prominent figures that readers will easily recognize —Ferdinand Magellan and Ignatius Loyola are two examples.
Magellan set off to prove the world was anything but flat! He had personal financial gain as a key motivation too. Expanding the trade horizons for Spain would vastly enhance his own personal wealth as well. Historical figures are not mythical beings, possessed of unique magical qualities that led them down the paths to immortality. Like all of us, they are human and subject to the fragility of the human condition.
What was the hardest scene you remember writing?
I had to write a complicated sea battle at one point – multiple ships, cannon balls, weather, etc. Not being a student of sailing, military battles, or extreme conditions on the ocean, I recall feeling incredibly daunted by the task. So, I applied something I’ve learned as a guitarist. When learning a piece of music, a particular guitar solo for example, always break the music into bite size pieces. Never try tackling the whole thing at once.
After breaking the battle up into smaller sections, I then did the needed research on those parts before moving forward. It took several weeks to get it right. Then, of course, during subsequent drafts it morphed and evolved. I read a ton of books for research, and even watched a few old Errol Flynn films to ratchet up the cinematic scope of the novel. Every little bit helps.
What are you planning to write next?
I am currently working on some pieces for NPRs Moth radio, but that’s all I’m going to say about that for now!
Neal Rabin
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