Letting The Story Rise

I love to do anything that involves making things. One of my favourite things, after writing, is baking.

It was while making bread that something struck me about the process of letting the dough rise. There's a brief amount of time where you have to take a step back to let the ingredients do their job before you can finish the loaf.

It's the same for writing.

The word mixture you've created needs time to rest. You need time to think about what you the final product to look like. We all know the importance of stepping back from your work. There might be lots of changes you know need making. Scenes that need trimming. That character who might seem a little bit flat.

Take a step back.

Spending time away from your story, even if it's just a day, can help you to see what work needs doing.

Do you let your manuscripts rest before edits?

Writing Is Like...

It’s no secret that I’m a girl who likes cake. I mean, what’s not to like about cake?

I also like writing. Big shock. So combining my two loves came as a bit of a no-brainer.

So here is my recipe for writing a novel.

When you bake you get the ingredients ready. I start with my flour, butter and sugar. In my plot's case it's the inciting incident, the bit where my MC accepts their fate, and the showdown.

I've got them ready in the bowl, but I still need to throw in a few more ingredients.

The eggs/supporting characters to bind it. The yummy flavour of a love interest...and don't forget the odd bit of dried fruit/antagonist as a road block to the gooey goodness.

Then I whip the mix together with the electric whisk of a voice/pacing and tension.

Pour into the cake tin of the word document/laptop.

Then it's into the oven to bake.

Once my cake/novel is ready (and cooled. Never rush into eating hot cake/editing a hot manuscript draft. You burn your tongue/have no objectivity.) I can add the decoration.

The jam layer of world building and the frosting topping of subplots. Don't forget to add the cherry/chocolate sprinkles of red herrings.

All that is left is to deliver to betas/CP for devouring.

With both writing and baking there's room for improvement. New ingredients to adapt, add, and remake each cake/book. The only way to do this?

Start all over again in revisions.

See, just like making a cake. :)

*No cakes/Manuscripts were harmed in the writing of this post.

Tease Me Awesome.

The rain fell as six writers, in various stages of the publishing journey, sat alone at their laptops.

As it often happens in these tales, one met another. In another corner of the blogosphere another two met...and another. You know how these things snowball.

They decided to join forces and form a crit family. To become Operation Awesome.

But it wasn't enough for them. They wanted to give back.

To share knowledge, a love of words, books and baked goods (okay, that may just be me) around the writing community.

They decided to create another family...a blog family.

They'd love it if you'd join them.