# help with my Pulp Middle East setting



## lwhitehead (Feb 22, 2019)

Hi folks I really need help with my Pulp Middle East setting, think El Borak and Tarzan.

I've bin listening to the 1950's Tarzan radio shows were I got the idea for my character and setting but not Africa but Middle East. 

The main character is a male child who with his English family crossing the Arabian Desert were attacked by Desert Bandits and killed by them and there Caravan as well, the One year old boy was the only survivor of the attack, he was later found by the Bedovin branch of the Saud family. His step Father was Emir of a Branch of the Saud Tribe.


I need help with this setting with the history of Arbian Peninsula/Desert and such,


the series starts in 1900 with the main character being 18 years old, the Ottoman Trucks just killed his step father.


LW


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## Olly Buckle (Feb 23, 2019)

lwhitehead said:


> Hi folks I really need help with my Pulp Middle East setting, think El Borak and Tarzan.
> 
> I've bin listening to the 1950's Tarzan radio shows were I got the idea for my character and setting but not Africa but Middle East.
> 
> ...



I am not 100% on the relations between the Sauds and the Bedouin, They enlisted Bedouin help to make their conquests, but then turned on their erstwhile allies. Makes me think they are not related. Not only that Saud's name bore the prefix 'Ibn', that denotes a direct descendant of the prophet, which I don't think Bedouin can claim.

I would suggest you do some reading, people are always reluctant to do other's research for them when the information is fairly available. I would also suggest that you check thoroughly before you hit the 'post' button. Your post is badly punctuated and contains a number of typos and spelling errors, this does not give the impression you are serious and will turn people off the idea of helping much, why waste time if the information will not get used. Mind you, 'Killed by Ottoman trucks' amused me, a road accident huh 

PS. This might be a good place to start  https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/saud/cron/  , After that I would look up habits and customs


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## epimetheus (Feb 23, 2019)

Any chance of getting out there to do some of the writing? A 'working' holiday.


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## moderan (Feb 23, 2019)

It's never going to be written. This poster just throws up 'ideas' based on stuff they understand poorly in the first place.


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## lwhitehead (Feb 24, 2019)

Yes I understand poorly this subject matter hence why I ask for help, as for Writing this setting it's in the hands of fate.


Now my main character is based on T.E. Lawrence and Ibn Saud, I've noticed on the Suad family tree there are Two Branches that don't continued after a single person and his Father was killed by Ottoman Turks.

this Bedouin branch of Saud family aren't Wahhabi form of Islam, my main charcter refers to Ibn Saud as beloved Uncle I want to inject him into events of the Middle East such as the Arab Revolt during the Great War, 

now I need to know about Arab Alcoholic Beverages,  Bedouin Culture, Animals and Food plants of Arabian Peninsula/Desert

LW


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## Arachne (Feb 24, 2019)

That's a lot of research! I'm taking a wild guess that you're not going to get much help here as we all have our own research and writing to do. 

As a writer you either need to get into researching yourself (and enjoying it), or choose settings which do not require much of it. Maybe write about what you already know. 

Good luck to you.

Arachne


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## Olly Buckle (Feb 24, 2019)

> now I need to know about Arab Alcoholic Beverages, Bedouin Culture, Animals and Food plants of Arabian Peninsula/Desert



I tried Google using your criteria to search, there is a wealth of information there. Why don't you try that?


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## Kevin (Feb 24, 2019)

lwhitehead said:


> Yes I understand poorly this subject matter hence why I ask for help, as for Writing this setting it's in the hands of fate.
> 
> 
> Now my main character is based on T.E. Lawrence and Ibn Saud, I've noticed on the Suad family tree there are Two Branches that don't continued after a single person and his Father was killed by Ottoman Turks.
> ...


 just make it up. Write some big, huge whoppers. If you want real research everything you need to know is in these three films: Beau Geste, Lawrence of Arabia, and Dune. I would have khaki-clad Englishmen riding around on giant sand-pitos a-whomping an a stompin', but that's just me.


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## Kevin (Feb 24, 2019)

Oops. Uh... what he^^ said


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## velo (Feb 25, 2019)

I lived in the Middle East for two years, speak an ever-diminishing smattering of Arabic, and am still not qualified to answer.  This is a deep and complex subject and there is going to be no replacement for doing your own research.  You can choose to write a purely fictionalised tale or you can do the work to gather enough information to build sufficient verisimilitude into your story.  I don't see any other options, on all honesty.


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## Olly Buckle (Feb 25, 2019)

Kevin said:


> just make it up. Write some big, huge whoppers. If you want real research everything you need to know is in these three films: Beau Geste, Lawrence of Arabia, and Dune. I would have khaki-clad Englishmen riding around on giant sand-pitos a-whomping an a stompin', but that's just me.



And why not? You could spend ten years researching the subject and writing a multi-layered, deep philosophical novel; or you could read 'Flashman' for inspiration and write something sparkling and witty that has no real base in reality but lots of people want to read and nobody thinks they ought to. Either way first start by placing bum on seat and putting down a couple of hundred words a night for a few weeks.


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