Land, of course, means solid ground, terra firma, as is our common understanding. But Landfall is a noun that came into existence beginning in Gráinne’s time in the 16th Century, when sailing went beyond circumnavigating shores. Over time, the meaning of the word expanded from just seeing land to arriving at land.
This page, then, is both a metaphor and a sightline: Looking for the story, seeing the drafts of the book emerging out of the mists of my mind, stages of writing (revising, editing…). We’ll keep our eyes open for landmarks – less islands or inlets that let the sailors know they are getting closer to the shore, and more milestones like landing an agent, landing a publisher, and really getting excited – landing a launch date!
Landfall Entry [I have no idea if there’s format with this]
Researching the concept of Landfall, I came across these cool emerging uses of the word, “fall”
“Fall” is from the Old English feallan, meaning “come suddenly to the ground” as
* of darkness or night, from c. 1600
* of prices from 1570s
* of empires, governments, etc., from c. 1200
* of the face or countenance from late 14c
* The use of fall to mean “die in battle” is from 1570s – really meaningful in our story.
* To fall in love is attested from 1520s
* to fall asleep is late 14c
* To fall out is by mid-13c in a literal sense; The meaning “have a disagreement, begin to quarrel” is attested from 1560s (to fall out with
“quarrel with” is from late 15c.).
If you’re curious, get the full write-up here:
https://www.etymonline.com/word/landfall