Week 5 - Blog Post

This week has been about writing specifics. I'm realizing it's hard to write specifics about a time, that no so much is written about. There is no Mali 1300s encyclopedia with everything I need. I'm realizing writing dialogue is harder to do than I thought. It's difficult trying to put together how people talked in 1300s Mali. There were different dialects and I don't want to get it wrong. I'm trying not to put a western spin on the dialogue. I want the characters to speak and act like Malians. That's been the hardest part this week. Also trying to figure out how they would sleep and do everyday activities. It's so highly specific.