SocNoc, Day 9

Today's Wordcount: 756
Total Wordcount: 22,133
(includes the part written before SocNoc - 4143 words)
Percentage: 36%

Long work day + tiredness means not a lot of words written today. Still, I have progressed the plot a little bit and have several things to consider.

1. This story has no commercial potential. Due to certain elements in the plot, it may be considered culturally offensive to some people*. As I do not wish to offend anyone, I will not be making it publically available after its completion. Although I may make it privately available (ie: you have to acquire it through me). By changing some of the words, I could likely elimate these problems and I probably will on the re-write. Should I ever get it finished in the first place.

2. I need to invent a religion. Or do I? There is an irony with having monkeys filling the role of "missionaries" is not lost on me. However, unless I want to commit blasphemy along with my other crimes, I cannot have them spouting Christian doctrine. They need to be ambassadors of a different kind. At present they have come to the island to teach the natives (the lemurs) how to read and write and possibly propose trade. Is this enough? Quite probably. Do monkeys need religion?

Controversy - good or bad? There have been a number of novels out there subtly (and not so subtly) tending towards Christianity (or against it). This novel is not - as it stands - implying anything particularly religious - there is no Aslan, for example. The clash of the two cultures - the lemur's spiritual leanings and the monkey's more practical approach to things, are not the main focus of the plot. More a side plot.

* I am not quite sure how the Malagasy people will take to me creating an alternate of their world where they are replaced by lemurs and also making (mis)use of their language, especially where it relates to things of a spiritual nature - such as their razana (ancestral spirits). I have also made use of a number of Malagasy placenames, although I have shortened the most well known one - Antananarivo to the simpler and more pronounceable "Narivo."