How Writing is Like Cooking (Patreon)

Today's writing ended up being one of those "failure to launch" sessions. I got just over 100 words down despite spending most of an hour at the keyboard. That's still better than no words, and it's keeping the project bouncing around in my mind as I figure things out.  

My next step, honestly, is to unpack my outline and get more detailed.

When I'm initially plotting a novel, I tend to outline in generalities. Then I need to unpack my outline into scene-by-scene notes so I can keep pace rather than getting bogged down.

The best I ever made the two-stage outlining process work was for HEXOMANCY, which is coincidentally the novel I wrote the fastest.  Correlation isn't causation, but in this case, I think it is. Starting new novels is hard for me in general as I get to know the characters and find the project's voice.

This project is ambitious and scary in several ways, so I'm also stretching my craft skills. That means that I'll be better off if I do my prep work.

I don't know if I'm subconsciously copying someone else's framing here, but this is kind of like running a kitchen.  

Stage-one outlining is like setting the menu and ordering your materials. It's hard to just walk into a kitchen and make a new meal on the spot. First you decide what to cook by thinking about who you're feeding, what you have available and/or what you can get from the store in the time you have. That's all stage-zero or one outlining - picking the premise, developing the concept, sketching the overall shape of the story.

Stage-two outlining is doing your prep and setting the mise en place. If I know what I need to do in each scene, where it's taking place, and what the emotions are, it's like walking into a kitchen and cooking with a meal prep kit - everything's portioned, I have a specific path to follow, and I have the right tools at hand. This is a different type of work from combining ingredients, developing sauces, etc. But it slows everything down if you have to do it at the same time as the active cooking time.

So this afternoon I think the play is unpack my outline with specific details for the next few scenes. I'll chop some narrative veggies and portion out spices so I can have a better writing day tomorrow. Focus on one type of writing work to make thing easier for my future self.  

This analogy is brought to you by being hungry for lunch. Which is what I'm going to go do now, using the materials I prepped for myself last week so I don't have to make dough and sauce from scratch every time I want pizza.