Branching out with my writing
Yeah… mystery sounds good.
Let’s start with this one: Why, when you get some momentum in one endeavor, do you delve into something entirely new?
There certainly is the freshness factor–the exhilaration of trying something new.
But there may be the ‘Finishing the last project means I’m that much closer to rejection’ factor.
Yikes.
Solve that mystery first…then you can set up your fictional detective agency.
`
`
Hmmmm…
Those deadlines? Whoooosh! There they go!
And your priority juggling act continues.
Today, let’s first give self-leadership a shot.
You know how it is.
You find out that the distance between you and YouTube is just a voice command and a few clicks on the TV remote and there really is no reason to leave the recliner.
Okay, maybe you don’t know how it is. [i.e. you are not a slothful low-life.]
Anywaaay, this recipe from joyofbaking.com was the first to show up on the big screen. Stephanie Jaworski’s demonstration was clear and concise. My version matched the one in the video. Always reassuring. The baking time was within the +/- 5 minutes margin-of-oven-performance estimation. Taste and moistness and ingredient ratios–spot on. Final grade: 91%. [Bravo, Stephanie!]
Ready for baking:
More than a few notes:
Our toothpicks are scattered throughout the pot holder drawer. Really…rounding them up and replacing them in a too-small box, from which they will no doubt roll out within minutes…unfathomable torture.
Thanks for visiting. Give this recipe a try. It has ‘comfort on a fall Sunday afternoon’ written all over it.
Even if you need some help from a few friends.
Whether it’s prep for National Novel Writing Month or taking a team approach to knock off ‘Finish This Damnable Project!’ list items, order up some pizza, Cheeto’s, and wet wipes. Beverages? Keep ’em straight. You want to be able to find your keyboard, after all.
That’s the fuel for Round 1.
And the payoff for persistence?
Take ten minutes and write a short review of your current finished, or nearly finished, project.
In a way, you’ll be taking a close-up view…but from a distance, that of an ‘objective’ reader. Yes, kind of a paradox, isn’t it?
Here it comes…big time.
And while it will be a distraction from your daily slog, perhaps this is just what you need…a distraction from your daily slog!
There’s plenty to be learned from this unedited dive into verbosity. But don’t take my word for it…
Come join the writers horoscoper in this 30-day launch into the unknown.
Admit it, that half-finished crossword puzzle has more allure than that half-completed blog post.
Even the half-mowed lawn has more allure than the half-completed blog post.
Solution: Ditch that blog post and write about the writing vs. anything-and-everything-else tug-of-war. You’re not alone, that’s for sure.
Yes, stovetop. A challenge worth pursuing.
This recipe came from Christopher Kimball’s Milk Street website.
And I have to say, as with Cook’s Country/America’s Test Kitchen [C. Kimball’s most recent endeavor], the accompanying video segments were extremely helpful.
***
As the cake steams–yep, steams– toward completion, some questions and notions:
Final verdict: This recipe is a keeper. The cake came out dark and dense and moist. What more could you want?
The steaming takes place inside a Dutch oven–actually any pot with a tight-fitting lid and deep/wide enough to fit an eight or nine-inch cake pan. The coil of aluminum foil simply keeps the cake above the heated water.
The chocolate shmeer on the plate is a sure sign of this cake’s moistness. [The added chocolate chunks don’t hurt either.]
Added notes: Apologies to Bitter Ben, whose blog I follow. Rather than bittersweet, I used semi-sweet chocolate chunks from Trader Joe’s.
And to faithful reader Virginia [Roses in the Rubble], try this recipe. It should be a fair payback for the recipes you’ve shared with me.
Yep, the voice of hindrance is back.
What to do? Simplify your task. Focus on process, not product. And these eight other ways to Harness Your Fear and Fuel Your Writing. [Thank you, Sage Cohen]
Want to stay brave?
Here is a go-to daily kick-in-the-seat-of-the-pants book you might be interested in. [Gee, that may have just set a world record for number of hyphens in a single sentence. Very dashing of me**, I must say.]
Do One Thing Every Day That Scares You by Robie Rogge and Dian Smith
***
This just in from the ‘exhibit a little fearlessness’ department, a fellow writer from a Facebook group dared us to share her post. So I am. [I’m guessing her timing is meant to coincide with Breast Cancer Awareness Month, though, of course, the message applies all year.]
Certainly, in the most difficult moments of life you realize who your true friends are and which ones really appreciate you.
Unfortunately, like most friendships, FB friends will leave you in the middle of a story. They will post a “like” for the story, but in reality they do not take time to read your post if they see it’s lengthy. More than half of you have already stopped or will stop reading right here. Some may have already scrolled on to the next post in their feed.
Well, I decided to post this message in memory of other family and friends who this awful disease has taken, or is affecting at this time.
It will be interesting to see who will take the time to read this entire post; a little test just to see who reads, and who shares without reading.
If you have read everything so far, select “like” so I can put a thank you in your profile.
Cancer is a very invasive and destructive enemy. Even after the end of treatment for cancer, the body is still ravaged and fights with itself in an attempt to reconstruct and repair the damage caused by radiation, chemotherapy and other agents used to combat the disease. It’s a very long process. Wouldn’t you think it would be nice to see who can relate to what someone is going through?
If you , like me, know someone who is fighting cancer, or if you know someone in remission, or knew someone who sadly lost the battle, please honour them by copying and pasting this post on FB.
I DO believe a select few of my friends will re-post this, to show their support for their family/friend who may be struggling.
COPY and paste – NOT – SHARE this post.
I’d like to know who took a minute from their day to read this and took a second minute to think about and honour that “someone”.
I did. I hope you do too.
** Believe me, inserting that pun took a fair amount of courage as well. ;->
Word Inventions