Food For Thought Friday: Current Events

I have emerged from deep within the hermit cave to post some food for thought and an update on current events.  It's been so long!  I've been working hard on my manuscript and haven't had much time for reality lately.  A few exciting things have happened since I dug in to the last act of my book:

First of all, I had a mind-blowing epiphany about the POV in my story and after changing it, I've found the story is not only telling itself, but it's much more crisp and clear this way.  Hooray for clarity!

Second, my little 11 month-old monster started WALKING!  Very exciting stuff here, people.  My husband and I both were of the mind that she would likely crawl until she was middle-aged, but she has proven us wrong, once again.  Since she took her first steps and proudly smiled at me, she seems to have no desire whatsoever to do it again and gets exceedingly disgruntled when I try to get her to perform on command in front of other people.  Alas, I fear she will not have the successful performance career we had hoped for.

Third, my eldest has turned the ripe old age of 6 and I am in complete denial about it.  I swear he was just my sweet baby boy when I put him to bed the night before his birthday.  When he woke up the morning of the big day, it was like a scene right out of the movie "Big".  A grown little man emerged from his bedroom and proceeded to say grown little man things like, "I'm 6 now, mama... I'm too OLD for that."  Excuse me???  Where in the parenting contract does it state that your little ones will grow so fast?  It must be somewhere in the fine print, along with 'Hobbies will be a thing of the past,' and 'Don't expect to be able to go to the bathroom by yourself until you're 40.'

So that's what's going on in our neck of the woods.  While I continue to blubber about my babies not being babies anymore, why don't you enjoy this super delicious recipe, courtesy of Mountain Mama Cooks.  Her blog is awesome and has provided me with oodles of yummy recipes adapted for high-altitude baking.  This is one of my favorites:

Blueberry Poppy Seed Bread

Ingredients:

• 1 1/3 cups vegetable oil
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 cups sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups whole milk
• 3 large eggs
• 2 tablespoons poppy seeds
• 1 1/2 teaspoons almond extract
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups blueberries

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350F degrees.
2. Prepare two standard loaf size pans with butter and flour or cooking spray.
3. Whisk the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt in a large bowl; set aside.
4. Beat milk, vegetable oil, eggs, poppy seeds, and almond and vanilla extracts in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on medium speed until combined. Gradually beat in the flour mixture until well combined. Fold the blueberries into the batter with a rubber spatula.
5. Divide the batter evenly among the two pans and bake until golden on top and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 65 minutes. Transfer the pans to a rack and let cool about 10 minutes before removing the bread to the rack to cool completely. 

(P.S. Remember, this recipe is suited best for high-altitude kitchens.  For the regular recipe, go here.)

5 Signs You May Be a Writer Mama

1.  Your "desk" consists of one third of the dining room table and is cluttered with stacks of mail and school newsletters that you had every intention of reading but life stood in the way, as it always does, and so you find yourself running through the aisles of the grocery store at seven a.m., frantically looking for some kind of purple flower because you didn't realize it was "Give Your Teacher a Purple Flower Day" at school.


2.  As you page through your stack of queries to send out, you notice drawings that resemble Rorschach tests artfully done by your five year-old intermixed within the pile.  Although some publications do note in their guidelines that accompanying images are appreciated, you're not sure that's really what they had in mind.


3.  You sit down to write a serious article about world news, politics, or other serious topic because you dream of being a serious writer and pitching to The New York Times, but all that comes out is page after page of hilarious anecdotes about parenting. 


4.  You have trained your writing brain to turn itself on and off at the drop of a hat.  Your creative ideas come to you during swimming lessons, hockey practice, and when your child unexpectedly takes a super long nap. (This is rare and must be utilized to its full potential!)


5.  Although sometimes you feel like crying when you are on the brink of a really great piece of writing and your sleeping babe starts wailing like she's being tortured, you know in your heart that you wouldn't trade being a mom for any amount of recognition as an author.  (The NYT bestseller list excluded, of course.)


Happy Mothers' Day to all my fellow Writer Mamas and to mothers everywhere!

The Parallel of Kids and Composition

5 Ways Writing A Novel Is Like Having A Child

I had a baby boy five years ago.  Then I had a baby girl eight months ago.  Now I feel like I am starting the process all over again with another new baby: my book.  Ok, so I realize that this might be a slight exaggeration, but they do have a few things in common.  If you are just starting out, congratulations on your new bundle of prose!  Parenting a novel can be just as tricky as parenting for real.

1. You will lose sleep.  Just like a newborn, this project is going to keep you up at night.  There are those few lucky people that have the ability to write during the day and keep all ideas and brainstorming out of the nocturnal hours.  I have never met one, but I hear they exist.  For the rest of us, ideas come at odd hours and after kids are put to bed and houses cleaned seems to be the only viable time to get any writing done. 
2.  Stories crave sustenance, too.  Those tiny bodies need nourishment to grow, and a developing story is no different.  At the beginning of the process, a story requires a lot of fleshing out to figure out exactly where it's going.  So give it a healthy dose of time and energy in the early stages.  Every two hours may be a little excessive, but you get the idea.
3. Your instinct will be to protect it at all costs.  When crazy Aunt Edna, who reaks of cigarette smoke and shakes like a maraca asks to hold the new baby, will you say, "Yeah, sure!  Go right ahead!"  I think not.  You will think of your precious new manuscript in much the same way.  I haven't let anyone read mine yet and it will be a long time before I'm ready to.
4. Your characters will sass back.  And argue.  And throw tantrums when they don't get their way.  Not really.  But they will gain independence as their voices become stronger.  You will find that once you nail down a character's goals and motivations, they will begin to speak for themselves.  You will know when their words and actions are true to their core beliefs.
5. Eventually, you will have to let go.  Watching your child grow up and acheive milestones is amazing.  There comes a day in every parent's life when they have to let go, whether it be at school, daycare, or just for an hour with the babysitter.  You will have to trust that it is in everyone's best interest and that they are in good hands.  When your manuscript is finished, you will begin the querying process, wherein the precious baby you have lovingly and painstakingly crafted over days or months or years will have to be released.  It is a sad and scary thing to share something so personal with the world, but know that it is the ultimate goal to be published and every writer goes through it at some point.  More than likely, it will be rejected.  But here's to hoping it gets accepted out there in that big world.