Tea and writing
Nov. 28th, 2011 06:43 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
elabyThis Saturday, ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
caitirin and I went to the Clipper Merchant Tea House in Limerick, Maine. It was our second visit, and it was so delightful. It's in a beautiful Victorian house filled to the brim with interesting things to look at, and each room is themed. The last time we went, we ate out on the China Room, which was decorated with Chinese antiques. This time, we ate in the Scottish Thistle Room, at a little table for two in a nook by the window. The banner on this part of the website is actually a picture of the table we sat at. There were paintings and photographs all over the walls of people in traditional Scottish garb, there was a tartan garland over the fireplace and lace doilies everywhere, and the bookcase behind us was filled with books on film history. All of the dishware is different, too, so every time we go, we get to see new teacups and plates. It's the most relaxing environment, like you've stepped back in time.
We both had warm cranberry-almond scones with butter, lemon curd, and clotted cream. This is the only place I've had clotted cream outside of England, and I LOVE IT SO MUCH OM NOM. For tea, we had African Honey Bush Crème (mine) and Chai Crème (Rachel's) and they were both delicious. I don't usually find tea "delicious," either, just pretty good, and these made me want to drink buckets. Rachel had a Caesar salad with little knots of bread and I had cranberry chicken salad in a croissant (with Sun Chips! :D). I'm incredibly picky about chicken salad, and mine was perfect. Everything had its own little dish and spoon, and the individual teapots had circular wire stands to set them on with tea lights to keep them warm.
It made us want to have our own tea nook :) When we get a house, we're going to set up a corner with a little table and a lacy tablecloth and other lovely things.
My Nano fizzled out at around 25,000 words for the second year in a row. I didn't even have the excuse of getting sick this time :\ Sure, our November was busier than usual, and most days I didn't spend my after-work hours at home, but even so, I think I could have found time to keep up with my novel if I hadn't so overwhelmingly lost interest in it. No matter how far I get during any given Nano, though, I always learn things. In past years when I've failed to hit 50,000, it seemed that momentum is key for me – if I miss a certain number of days, the number of words that I have to make up seems insurmountable. Strangely, that didn't apply this year; even though I fell behind fairly early, I never got that "I'm so far behind I should just give up" feeling. I kept going even though I had a lot to make up, and some days I hit pretty high daily counts. But there came a point where I was struck bone-deep with apathy for my story and my characters, and I just stopped.
I think that my anti-plan to utterly wing it was the problem. Unlike other years, I managed to introduce all five of my main characters within the first week (it's taken me until the 15th of the month to introduce even my second character in other years), but I had no real plan about what they would do or situations they would get into. They just milled around and went to class and talked about uninteresting things. Occasionally I would force plot on them, at which point I would rush through each incident, doling out a line or a second in the spotlight to each character. It was boring, and none of the characters evolved or shifted roles or did anything remotely interesting. Maybe I don't know how to write an ensemble cast. But I think the fact that I didn't at least outline the story led me to spending so much time writing things I found boring and interminable, because on the spur of the moment I couldn't come up with anything better.
Interestingly, unlike other Novembers, doing Nano this year hasn't left me wanting to take a break from writing for a while. I still want to write – just not that story. In fact, I think it's time to start my Eadswith and Deue story - my semi-magical sort-of-romance between a Saxon girl and a Briton girl in 5th-century England - in earnest. The first order of business is to put aside my fears that nothingexcept Sherlock Holmes and Vocaloid I create myself can hold my interest for any significant period of time.
caitirin and I went to the Clipper Merchant Tea House in Limerick, Maine. It was our second visit, and it was so delightful. It's in a beautiful Victorian house filled to the brim with interesting things to look at, and each room is themed. The last time we went, we ate out on the China Room, which was decorated with Chinese antiques. This time, we ate in the Scottish Thistle Room, at a little table for two in a nook by the window. The banner on this part of the website is actually a picture of the table we sat at. There were paintings and photographs all over the walls of people in traditional Scottish garb, there was a tartan garland over the fireplace and lace doilies everywhere, and the bookcase behind us was filled with books on film history. All of the dishware is different, too, so every time we go, we get to see new teacups and plates. It's the most relaxing environment, like you've stepped back in time.We both had warm cranberry-almond scones with butter, lemon curd, and clotted cream. This is the only place I've had clotted cream outside of England, and I LOVE IT SO MUCH OM NOM. For tea, we had African Honey Bush Crème (mine) and Chai Crème (Rachel's) and they were both delicious. I don't usually find tea "delicious," either, just pretty good, and these made me want to drink buckets. Rachel had a Caesar salad with little knots of bread and I had cranberry chicken salad in a croissant (with Sun Chips! :D). I'm incredibly picky about chicken salad, and mine was perfect. Everything had its own little dish and spoon, and the individual teapots had circular wire stands to set them on with tea lights to keep them warm.
It made us want to have our own tea nook :) When we get a house, we're going to set up a corner with a little table and a lacy tablecloth and other lovely things.
My Nano fizzled out at around 25,000 words for the second year in a row. I didn't even have the excuse of getting sick this time :\ Sure, our November was busier than usual, and most days I didn't spend my after-work hours at home, but even so, I think I could have found time to keep up with my novel if I hadn't so overwhelmingly lost interest in it. No matter how far I get during any given Nano, though, I always learn things. In past years when I've failed to hit 50,000, it seemed that momentum is key for me – if I miss a certain number of days, the number of words that I have to make up seems insurmountable. Strangely, that didn't apply this year; even though I fell behind fairly early, I never got that "I'm so far behind I should just give up" feeling. I kept going even though I had a lot to make up, and some days I hit pretty high daily counts. But there came a point where I was struck bone-deep with apathy for my story and my characters, and I just stopped.
I think that my anti-plan to utterly wing it was the problem. Unlike other years, I managed to introduce all five of my main characters within the first week (it's taken me until the 15th of the month to introduce even my second character in other years), but I had no real plan about what they would do or situations they would get into. They just milled around and went to class and talked about uninteresting things. Occasionally I would force plot on them, at which point I would rush through each incident, doling out a line or a second in the spotlight to each character. It was boring, and none of the characters evolved or shifted roles or did anything remotely interesting. Maybe I don't know how to write an ensemble cast. But I think the fact that I didn't at least outline the story led me to spending so much time writing things I found boring and interminable, because on the spur of the moment I couldn't come up with anything better.
Interestingly, unlike other Novembers, doing Nano this year hasn't left me wanting to take a break from writing for a while. I still want to write – just not that story. In fact, I think it's time to start my Eadswith and Deue story - my semi-magical sort-of-romance between a Saxon girl and a Briton girl in 5th-century England - in earnest. The first order of business is to put aside my fears that nothing
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2011-11-30 03:53 am (UTC)And I'm glad your flagging enthusiasm for your Nano has not made you want to take a break from writing - your writing is so GOOD!
no subject
Date: 2011-12-01 11:25 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-12-01 01:34 am (UTC)And off-topic--is that Cheburashka juggling apples on your icon?!
no subject
Date: 2011-12-01 11:25 pm (UTC)Thank you, that encourages me :)
no subject
Date: 2011-12-01 11:33 pm (UTC)