Daily Archives: July 22, 2018

WRITE LIKE YOU COOK BY VERONICA JORGE

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 22^nd.