Category: Writing Inspiration

Hand-Crafted Tea from Dulce Y Picante

Posted on by Katie Coughran

When my husband went on a recent trip to México, I demanded requested that he bring home some tea and chocolate for me. He kept his word and it has been such a treat to open up the beautiful wrappings to find such tasty morsels and lovely teas. While delicious, they are also so different, making the adventure of eating and drinking them that much more enjoyable. Personally, though, I’m not certain it will last long enough. I may need to make a trip to pick up some more. Wouldn’t you agree??

Dulce Y Picante is the little shop in Valladolid where my husband found the tea. The curio shop carries all sorts of interesting things; the house made Mayan-influenced tea, spices, dishes, Mayan art and Mayan artifact replicas.

 

Tizana De Cacao

 

I loved the experience of opening the tea bag–the Tizana de Cacao is so different from any other I have seen! The shells from the cacao were so big, I didn’t think that the flavor would be very strong after steeping. I was very wrong, though–the flavor infused wonderfully.

 

Tea Set

 

I pulled out my little tea set to let everyone have a try along with me. My daughter took one sip and then politely said she didn’t like it, took another and held strong with her first opinion. She asked to be excused and I guess, to her, a book was more enticing than the tea. I mostly gave her the tea to experience something new…but, I must admit, to also watch her face. She doesn’t like tea and I know it!

My husband drank a cup and enjoyed it, but then also left the table.

Finally, my son and I were left on the deck to enjoy several more cups together until we had finished the pot. He loved it and smacked his lips the whole time. And I love it, too. It has such a warm, woodsy undertone, with a true chocolate flavor throughout. All kidding aside, I actually am very sad that I only have an ounce to enjoy.

 

Mayan Chocolate

 

We drank the tea with a ball of handcrafted Mayan chocolate slowly melting at the bottom of our cups as well as some local honey that has to be the best jar I’ve ever tasted. The Mayan chocolate is an experience in itself and deserves its own post!

I think I’ll wake up early tomorrow, steep a pot for myself, and write until everyone else wakes up.

What’s on the Inside of People…and Characters

Posted on by Katie Coughran

Apple Pic

My neighbor invited us to come and pick apples last night and we happily took advantage of the offer. My kids were so excited and we had a great time talking about eating fresh applies, apple pie, apple cobbler and applesauce as we filled up bags of the delicious fruit.

As we were chatting, my neighbor kept warning me that there would be spots to cut out once I began working with them in the kitchen. Checking over the apples, I understood his warning of some, but I didn’t really believe him about the perfect ones. They were too…perfect!

My neighbor was right, though. Each apple that I have sliced into has some inner blemish. Every. Single. Apple.

This morning, I even chose one as carefully as possible–there wasn’t a single thing wrong with the outside of the fruit. But I sliced into it, and behold! Several brown markings, quite a bit like the apple pictured above.

Apple-wise, it’s fine. I’ll chop out the bad parts and the chickens will love it.

But my mind that often needs to be kicked out of the thinking-of-the-deeper-meaning pool, went for a swim. I couldn’t help but think about how profound it is that, like the apple, people–and the characters of our written design–need to be thought of with inner wounds and blemishes that we often cannot see.

For the sake of those non-fictional characters that we live with, we certainly need to give the benefit of the doubt. I can’t say that I know a single person that hasn’t had some tragedy in their life that wasn’t a factor that molded and shaped their mind and character. On the flip side of that, I have experienced the occasional burn of a person that looked nearly perfect on the outside but ended up showing different colors upon better acquaintance.

On writing, though, we need to make certain that our characters have blemishes and bruises that can be shown at the right time within our composition. Otherwise, our characters are unbelievable and difficult to relate to.

When I trashed 95% of the first manuscript of my first novel, I spent time a lot of time on character sheets. One particular character had me feeling just awful for the poor thing and if I remember correctly, I pathetically shed a tear or two for the figment of my imagination. But I honestly didn’t really care about this character until I gave the person dimension and obstacles that had been overcome…or not.

While I wish I would have given my characters more depth in the first place, I learned. And learning can be powerful. May yours and my characters be as three-dimensional as possible in the First Draft. And may we remember that people are pretty much never what they seem–a heart or possibly a shield are usually necessary.

Seeking Inspiration

Posted on by Katie Coughran

Clams

 

Gooseneck Barnacles

 

On a recent trip to the ocean, we discovered a rock wall that was covered with all sorts of mussels and creatures that closed up during low tide. We got to explore it for some time and it was incredible to see the vast numbers, many varieties and very different sizes of the captivating beings.

We gently brushed our hands over the shells of many of the creatures and it was fascinating to watch the wall come alive with slow-motion movement at our touch. Our kids kept calling out when they found an especially large or unique one and we each chose our favorites.

I must say, though, that these Gooseneck Barnacles were the CREEPIEST!!

It was crazy to watch the black necks retracting back toward the rock with their wild shells up top. I didn’t know what they were before trying to identify them, but I learned their name and that apparently they are a delicacy–people eat their insides. Honestly, the thought of that sort of makes my stomach turn inside-out! Gordon Ramsey has some videos posted on youtube if you’d like to check them out. Just remember that the amazing Ramsey has quite the liberated tongue if that sort of thing bothers you!

Why the photo and article on Gooseneck Barnacles?

Well, after observing and feeling completely disturbed by them, I snagged my husband’s phone and took a picture. They are amazing inspiration and part of the puzzle of a book I’m working on right now. Between their other-worldly appearance and the chill-your-spine movement, I know they’ll find a home there.