Branching out Into Boronovia

     This semester, I think I'm going to be reading my eyeballs out over British, American, and Irish Women's literature, plus the reading for my marketing class. In Brit Lit we're starting out in medieval England with "Caedmon's Hymn" and "The Dream of the Rood."
    For my own pleasure I'm reading 1,000 Gifts by Ann Voskamp and re-reading The Fellowship of the Ring. Although, I suppose all the reading I'm doing should be pleasurable--I don't know what it is about being assigned reading that takes away the enjoyment.

Lurith

     Recently I'm writing a short story (and a bit of history) on the country of Boronovia, which covers almost the entire eastern coast of Lurith. The people are concentrated in the northern middle because of active volcanoes in the south and vicious Ice Bears in the North.        
Logline: In a land of bitter winters, boot-making Piyar...

Traditional msiri Recipe

Ingredients
milk
honey
cinnamon
ginger

Directions
1. Fill a tea or coffee mug with milk and microwave until hot (1 min 35 seconds in my microwave)
2. Add a spoonful of honey and the spices
3. Stir and enjoy

The spices don't mix very well, as you can see.

      With the snow and freezing rain forecasted for tonight, I'm sure we could all use a warm beverage, and msiri is simple enough that "anyone with the use of their limbs…" (quote Mrs. Patmore) could make it.  But the real reason I posted the recipe was in case anyone wants to try a Dorinthian drink! It's what King Durim, Princess Lili, and Wynna have while they talk in the palace gardens, partway through the tale.

     
       My most quotable English professor started eating onion sandwiches because of Ernest Hemingway's character Nick, in Big Two-Hearted River. Yesterday, my brother ate a macaroni-cheese and ketchup sandwich to test out Slim's (Hank the Cowdog, John R. Erickson) idea. I'm sure msiri is much tastier than either sandwich, but it just goes to show that stories inspire people.

Share your book recipes in the comments below!

Two-Way Street

     M y mild-mannered English professor often says, "It's a two-way street," and whatever it is, I think he's right. As we look ahead to the new year, I think it's also good to take a look behind.

    I have mostly let Wynna: Dragon Rider sit and hibernate for the month of December, which right now is quite a hodgepodge of snippets in semi-chronological order. Today I started my new project of going back through what I've written and making an outline of events. As I go, I highlight things to help with continuity. For example, at one point Filip refers to people who speak dragon language as dragon warblers. I marked that, because if that's common in everyday Dorinthian conversation, I will probably need to use that again.

     It's nice to see even a holey first draft with fresh eyes. I'm excited--when I finish marking it up and filling in some major plot holes, I'll be ready to continue with Wynna on her journey to Disaster #3 and its resolution, i.e. The End.

What do you see behind that helps you move ahead?