Wednesday, 18 August 2010

Writing Is Like Baking A Cake

I've been writing/plotting more of the scary, wake me from my sleep wip this week.

And I've decided it is like baking. So when you bake you get the ingredients ready.

I start with my flour, butter and sugar. In my plots 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've still got to throw in a few more ingredients.

The eggs/supporting characters to bind it, the yummy flavouring of a love interest...and don't forget the odd bit of dried fruit/antagonist as a road block to the gooey goodness. I'll whip all that together with the electronic whisk of a voice/pacing and tension.

Then it's into the oven to bake.

Once my cake/novel is ready (and cooled. Never eat hot cake...it burns your tongue. I've done this. Damn my impatience for baked goods.) then 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.

Then starting all over again in revisions.

See, just like making a cake. :)

16 comments:

Talli Roland said...

I love this analogy! You've made me hungry now - especially with the jam and frosting!

Bethany Elizabeth said...

Yup, I'm definitely craving cake now. :) But you're definitely right - it makes me wonder what other every-day tasks we could compare writing to. Hmmm... :)

Matthew MacNish said...

Great analogy! Devouring a great story is like pigging out on cake.

Christine Fonseca said...

such a perfect analogy!

Vicki Rocho said...

Love the baking analogy. Because we can have access to the same ingredients and still come out with completely different cakes!

Jessica Bell said...

Great analogy! If only we could get the books cooked as fast as the cakes!

Are you a writer? Then you MUST enter this CONTEST!

Amie Borst said...

what a great analogy!

so i suppose submitting to agents is like learning to swim? you get thrown in the water, and you'll either sink or swim your way to teh top. :)

Christina Lee said...

Well, I love it...and now I will devour it ;--)

Laura S. said...

Mmmm, now I want cake! Great analogy!

angelarene said...

So true...I just hoping my writing doesn't fall flat like my homemade cakes do :)

Tahereh said...

haha love it! AND NOW IM HUNGRY!

Lenny Lee said...

hi miss lindsay! that a pretty deelish way of thinking about writing. i think you got everybody hungry. ha ha. i love chocolate cake. i was thinking you gotta have ice cream with cake so i think ice cream is getting it published. so i hope you get lots and lots of ice cream.
...smiles from lenny

Hannah said...

I'm sorry, what about you making me a cake? ;P

Julie Musil said...

Love this! Especially the letting it cool part. Not always easy...with writing AND cake!

J.C. Martin @ Fighter Writer said...

What an apt analogy! Sadly, I can't bake to save my life! :( What does that say about my writing?

Lua said...

I love how we can make writing analogies with almost every situation! :) But you’re absolutely right, writing is like baking a cake!