Stir the pot; in this case the plot, and you’ll see how alike writing and cooking can be.
Whether you’re writing a novella, (fast food), a novel, (a five-course dinner), or a short story, (preparing a snack), the success of your preparation depends upon mastering the tools of the trade.
Need to perfect a paragraph? Slice and dice to shorten sentences and speed the action.
Introduce suspense? Use a rolling boil.
Brown and simmer to smooth and lengthen a passage and to bring your reader’s heart rate back in rhythm.
Determine your pacing by flash-freezing, nuking in a microwave, or constantly stirring with a long wooden spoon.
Remember that your protagonist has to suffer, so turn up the heat and roast them or slow cook them.
Dealing with your villain offers the most options. Fry them, stew them in their own juice, lay them out with a rolling-pin, grill them or mash them. Alternately, you can prolong their just desserts in an all-day crock pot.
Bake or fricassee, it’s your choice. Just make sure you serve up a delectable morsel each time that will keep your guests coming back for more.
So next time you sit down to write, think about what your readers like and ask, “Can I take your order?”
See you next time on August 22nd.
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Manager, educator, and former high school social studies teacher, Veronica credits her love of history to the potpourri of cultures that make up her own life and to her upbringing in diverse Brooklyn, NY. Her genres of choice are historical fiction, where she always makes new discoveries, and children’s picture books, because there are so many wonderful worlds yet to be imagined and visited. She currently resides in Macungie, PA., but she’s still a Brooklyn girl at heart.
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The exhibit and the book inspired me to dream bigger, reach higher, and dig deeper within myself to find the kaleidoscope of colors and illuminating power that can help to light up my world.
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Have you ever wondered why seashells blanket the seashore? Is it the sea that spews some of them out and they wash up on the shore? Or is it the shells themselves that escape and prefer to make their new home in the sand; choosing warm and dry or cool and moist?
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Anniversaries are festive occasions marking milestones and accomplishments. We recount experiences and memories; some sad, but hopefully mostly joyful. We celebrate the depth and richness of our shared lives.
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Every once in a while I daydream about what it would be like to meet some famous individual from the past. And if I did meet them, what would I say? Once we’d get past the introductions, nice to meet you; how’s the weather?, and other such polite niceties, what would I ask them or talk about? Maybe I’d freeze and my mind would go blank transforming me into a banal idiot.
Nothing Found
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I love it! Wonderful advice. Thanks for the meal.
Thank you, Jenny. I always look for links and connections in things. This was a fun one to write.