“May I use the phone to call home? I forgot to get some meat out of the freezer.” The staff in the office at my high school would smile and let me use the phone. My mother died when I was ten and my father subsequently married again. The size of our family expanded from eleven children to sixteen children. Ella, my new mother, was an efficient organizer. There were four girls, including me, who were close together in age. Under her direction, each team of two girls took turns cooking breakfast and dinner for the family on alternate days. Ella was busy helping Dad run the Mom-and-Pop grocery store that my father owned. My father did not compliment us often, but I later learned that he frequently told his customers that every one of his daughters knew how to make bread.
Cooking brings satisfaction to me. I take pride in producing nutritious, tasty food for my family, friends and neighbors. When I am not stressed and have no time pressure deadlines, I enjoy the process of cooking. I add ingredients as I follow the recipe directions. Sometimes I customize a recipe by adding or substituting ingredients. Or I add a bit of spice. I mix the ingredients and cook the food. If I leave out an essential ingredient or put too much of something in, the end result is not good. The final test is to offer a taste to someone else. Did they enjoy what I made?
Writing is like cooking a story. I begin with characters, setting, plot, conflict, and theme. I mix them together, adding dialog and more plot twists to spice things up. Then I need to set my story aside and let it “bake.” After an appropriate interval, I return to my story. I edit it and decide if my balance of ingredients is right. Do my characters seem real? Have they changed for the better during the story? Is there sufficient description of the setting or have I overdone it? Is the dialog authentic? What about the conflict? Is it believable? Does the protagonist resolve the plot conflict rather than have a fairy godmother figure magically arrive to resolve it? Have I provided a satisfying conclusion?
The final test is to present my story to someone else. Is it satisfying? Do they want more?
We always want more!!!
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