Monday, June 22, 2015

Baking New Stories



Flecked pottery with a blue band, my cookie jar settles in place with a substantial clatter. When I lift the lid I catch the salty-sweet scent of peanut-butter cookies that once filled the container.

Today only crumbs remain.

Some days my writing life feels like an empty cookie jar, full of rich, calorie-laden memories but nothing I can sink my teeth into. It's time to bake a new batch of cookies. Time to fill the jar again.

Gingersnaps? Chocolate chip? Snicker-doodles? The decisions hover above the vacant page.

It would be easier to grab store-bought cookies. Safe, generic, mass-produced.

As I get out my mixing bowl I think of all the people who make better cookies than I do. Sweeter, prettier, more creative, more carefully decorated.

Should I add more sugar, or less? How much baking soda do I need for the story to lift off the page? Will anyone notice if I slip a little wheatgerm into the plot? Which spices should I add to my dialogue?

The cookie jar is waiting. Do I have another story in me? Can I fill it again?

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Are you a writer? Composer? Painter? Which cookie type would you use to typify your artistic work? Please tell us about the kind of art you do and what sort of cookie it brings to mind.

4 comments:

Sarah Elisabeth Sawyer said...

I'm not a good cookie baker, but one of my writer friends is. She's famous for her chocolate chip cookies. When I bite into one, I'm usually struck with a tang of salt but pleasantly mixed with the sweetness. I think my stories are that way. A little shock of something you didn't expect, but as you chew it around, you realize it's a bit like life itself. And you realize you want more.

Sarah Elisabeth Sawyer said...

P.S. I certainly hope you are more stories in you! The Sword of Lyric series is one of my all time favorites. Your writing style is a work of art.

Sharon Hinck said...

Sarah - that is a BRILLIANT description of your stories. I love it. I love books that surprise me and give me something to chew on. :-)

And yes, I also hope to bake a new batch of stories. Right now I'm celebrating the fourth Sword of Lyric story releasing...but always thinking about the next novel to bake.

Thanks for commenting!!!!

Sarah Elisabeth Sawyer said...

Of course :-) By the way, I sent you an email yesterday, but sometimes my email address gets tossed in junk. Just wanted to give you a heads up.