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Chin Hills, Burma
Coordinates: 22 30 N 93 30 E
Maximum elevation: 10,018 feet (3,053 m)
Desperately trying to keep the Taxman at bay for a few more hours, I wound up at my favorite Monday night watering hole with a few friends last night, earnestly discussing the summer foods we enjoyed most. After listening to everyone’s peculiar arguments I found myself championing the mango as the perfect fruit for warmer days ahead. And yet as I tried to explain its versatility as an ingredient and its unrivaled popularity (the National Mango Board claims that more fresh mangos are eaten every day than any other fruit in the world), I realized that I knew precious little about its geographical origins.
As it turns out, this succulent relative of the cashew and the pistachio has been consumed in India for thousands of years, although it didn’t reach the United States until the late nineteenth century. Pinpointing the location of the first mango, when there are hundreds of varieties of the plant today, is not something I wanted to undertake but fortunately others had already agreed on the higher terrain forming the border between India and Burma (Myanmar). Running north-south, the evergreen-clad Chin Hills stretch across much of this tropical zone, and may hide an ancient progenitor in their forested slopes.
Ben Keene is the editor of
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I worked on my YA tonight, but now I'm stuck. I've spent time in the head of my protagonist. I feel pretty comfortable with my character sketches of her brothers, both crucial to the story, her boyfriend, also crucial, and her parents. But I don't know who her best friend is. Nada. Nothing. I have no picture in my head. No 'feeling' of who she is. I don't KNOW her. But she's important to the story. But I'm not sure why. She pulls my character in one direction. Puts pressure on her. But not in a bad way. The best friend's not a bad kid. My character just needs this girlfriend. Maybe a couple of girlfriends. But she doesn't play a major part in the story. My character wants to work in the mall for the summer with this friend. You know, at a hip teen clothing store. They want to shop together, using their discounts together. But my character can't. She has to babysit her brother for the summer instead. Even though her parents will be paying her well, it's not what she WANTS to do. So it's not important WHO this girl is, more that she has to be there to provide part of the conflict, the angst. Am I making sense?
So how do you go about finding a secondary character like this? Me? I'll be really looking over my students tomorrow. I'm sure my 'best friend' will be there. Then again, maybe I need to spend more time with Savannah, my protagonist. Maybe I can't find her best friend because I don't know her well enough.
Any tips? I'm mostly just rambling to myself, thinking. You know. But if you have any thoughts, I'd welcome them. It does feel great to be in writer mode again.
