Questions! Do We get Questions?

Yesterday, I posted a little bit of a whine about not getting comments on my poetry. A friend replied that she felt unqualified to comment. My response to her (and anyone else who feels the same way) is that ANYONE and EVERYONE is qualified to comment, whether it is a detailed comment on grammar, vocabulary, etc,; or a general comment (I like the part about the raven's beak, or why did you use the blood-goose metaphor?, or how do you do this or that?)

So, here is MY promise to YOU

If you post a comment or question, beit here, on my facebook page, or to my e-mail, I will reply here within 24 hours (I may be asleep when you post it, so give me some time, ok?).

To prove my word, here is a first question from Facebook.

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QUESTION: "I would like to know, do you write in norse language first then translate or do you write in English first?"

ANSWER

Short answer: I start with an English idea, think in English, then Old Norse, then back to English again.

Long Answer: My general routine is to have a topic in my head, then "gather my troops" by hunting down images and words from the Old Norse dictionaries & databases (Cleasby-Vigfusson's dictionary is on-line, as is the Skaldic Poetry database which has a comprehensive list of kennings). Then I build the poem, thinking in English and finding words in Old Norse to "fill in the blanks".

After I've got the lines roughly written, I work on the grammar (using the on-line New Introduction to Old Norse grammar and my copy of the Syntax of Old Norse).

Finally, I translate the poem back into English. I do two forms of transltion: the Word-by-Word is for those who want better undersnd the vocabulary. The Prose Order is to get the over-all meaning to the readers.

Without the interwebs, I'd never attempt this madness. A searchable dictionary and kenning list is invaluable, and the on-line grammar makes things much simpler.

So there you are. Hope this helps. Thanks for the question!

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Ok, now it's YOUR turn. What's your question?