What's For Dinner???

As you might expect from a recently married girl with a limited culinary experience, dinner can be quite interesting. A writer at heart, I find myself distracted by ideas for the next blog post or story plot. The cost of this sudden burst of creativity is that I will find myself scraping away the burnt remnants of a neglected pan. To add to my kitchen shortcomings, I can't follow recipes because I give in to my urge to experiment. The results of which my poor husband ends up consuming. If something sounds fun, I add it to the recipe, and then wonder why hubby offers to pay for take-out.

Spoiler warning: You know I'm going to make this relate to writing somehow, right? Good. :-) You've been reading this blog then!!!

Cooking is like writing in so many ways. Our recipe is the dreaded editing process that keeps us focused on the end result. We should use the recipe as a guide to figure out what works and what to avoid. We shouldn't limit ourselves to only the recipe... after all, we are in the creative business! Yet, if we stray too far, the result ends up being sloppy.

Next come the seasonings. This is usually my favorite part. I like to combine the unknown seasonings in the back of the cabinet just to see what happens. When we write, we tend to do the same thing. We sprinkle adjectives and descriptions all over the place. Yet too many descriptions will overpower your well-crafted story. Just ask my husband about my overly seasoned and un-edible hamburgers. He still remembers them, and not in a good way! Our writing should be well-seasoned, not over-seasoned.

Willpower reminds me of egg beaters making sure everything is just the right consistency. We have to "whip" ourselves into the right frame of mind in order to write productively. It's so easy to stray from spending time on your writing project to spending time updating all of your Facebook friends. Think of your project as a baked good... you've got to stay focused or before you know it, your deadline is past due and the article remains unfinished. Willpower and focus are two very important ingredients that need to be present in your writing.

We can't forget those burnt offerings either... I've burnt everything from eggs to beans with the expertise of a pyromanic. Burn-out is common among writers. As rejection letters pile on, hope seems to fade away. I've taken the viewpoint that once a writer, always a writer. You may be discouraged, but make sure your computer keyboard is still being used! Keep in mind that you are writing for that spark of hope that cheers you on and gives you just enough courage to hit the "send" button one more time.

As much as I would like, I can't give up on cooking simply because I've had limited success at it. Cooking is a crucial part of living, just like writing is crucial to being a writer. It takes time to develop your craft and lure those editors with your story's aroma! In the meantime, enjoy developing your writing style and trying different genres until you find your niche.

Don't just look at the mess. Turn off the fire alarm, wash those burnt dishes, and start over.

Bon Appetit!

(NOTE: Blogger doesn't like the fancy little dash mark over "Appetit"... So it is noticeably absent... :-) Please excuse the fancy dash mark as it is somewhere on vacation in the vast space of Bloggerville!)