Monday, June 21, 2010

Stick to What You Know

Yesterday morning I hit a writing wall. Full on. Head first. It happens. Usually I start writing about plot or setting or a character when my work in progress and I are not getting along. Not yesterday, though. I wasn’t in the mood to write anything. So, I decided to bake an angel food cake as a little break from work. And I decided to bake it from scratch (mistake number one). People were coming over to celebrate Father’s Day. Why not impress them? (Thinking I’d be impressing anyone with my baking = mistake number two.)

I am usually the kind of baker who tears open a box and adds water to the pre-put-together cake mix. However, there were no Betty Crocker boxes in the pantry (mistake number three). What is a blocked writer to do? Break out a cookbook, of course.

I won’t horrify you with the gruesome details of how my little baking break went, but I will admit that it stretched into a long term commitment. Twelve sacrificed eggs, untold cups of frustration, and more than one inappropriate exclamation later, I had a one inch high angel food cake. Note: Angel food cakes are supposed to be tall, light, and fluffy.

The moral of this story for me is this: Stick to what you know. The next time I hit a writing wall, I may take a break, but I will go to the store and BUY a cake. Or, at the very least, purchase a box of cake mix. And then I will return to my writing and ignore my sour mood.

5 comments:

  1. hahaha...is it wrong to be laughing? sorry about the cake, but I so relate! It is good advice to stick to what we know and I seem to have to keep relearning this simple lesson. :)

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  2. I made a yellow cake for my husband last week, and for some reason it would NOT come out of the pan in one piece, and it all fell apart. I tried to frost it, but kept making more of a mess. Sometimes working on my manuscript seems that way, too. (Am I actually making it better, or just patching it back together?) File under: Mama told me there'd be days like this . . . *sigh*

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  3. Hi Tess--Oh no, it's not wrong to laugh. Believe me, the whole experience was laughable. I know what you mean about having to keep relearning the lesson of sticking to what is known. I can't promise that I won't try cookbook baking again. : )

    I love your comparison, Linda! Whether trying to fix a cake or a manuscript, it's sometimes hard to know when to walk away, isn't it? Yup, I've been there. Ah yes, days like these. Ugh.

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  4. I am so sorry about your cake girly. I know how it. I am not even going to tell you about my cake horrors. So sorry that you hit a wall. I've learned you have to walk away from it for a while. Do some blogging. Laugh! Hope all is well with you beautiful. Thanks so much for coming by!
    V

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  5. Hi there! Ah, no worries about that cake. Live and learn, right? Next time I hit a wall, I may just turn to blogging instead of baking. : )

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