saraharonson

This week, I have brought up a few of the adversities that writers experience. Whether you have writer’s block or are stymied by bad reviews, similar ideas, or bad feedback, sometimes it is hard to write. 

Sometimes we all contemplate NOT writing.

• We feel like our ideas are stale.
• The blank page is intimidating. 
• The revision is not going well. 
• We can’t sell our work.

There are many antidotes for these feelings. Here are TWO of mine.

1.  COME TO THE PROCESS FROM A DIFFERENT POV:

Try drawing. Painting. Hit the pottery wheel or simply play with clay. Do something artistic that is NOT writing. Let your writing mind relax and let your hands create. You don’t have to show your work to anyone, and for me, a lack of expectations really helps the “play” process. 

By drawing, I have renamed characters. And made big decisions. With my hands in clay, I have found new plot twists. I have let my subconscious relax…and great things have emerged.

2.  COOK SOMETHING DELICIOUS.

When I’m fully immersed in a manuscript, my family always notices how much more creative my cooking is. Well, cooking has a palliative effect, too. 

When I’m down or stuck or feeling morose,

I cook. Savory and sweet.

Here are three recipes:

Sarah’s MOST amazing hummus, Adapted from At Blanchard’s Table. 

Pulverize the following ingredients in your food (word) processor:

2 cups chickpeas

11/2 tsp kosher salt

1tsp garlic

1/2tsp cinnamon—you may want more

1tsp cumin

1/3 cup tahini

½  cup lemon juice (fresh, please…)—I sometimes like more

1tsp lemon peel

1-2T olive oil

Sometimes, I top with olive oil and paprika. Sometimes I pulverize some hot peppers into the mix.

Life by Chocolate.
There’s nothing better than this super chocolate croissant bread pudding: also adapted from The Blanchard’s…

1 3/4 cup heavy cream

¼ cup milk

2/3 cup sugar

A bit more than 1 cup chocolate chips (don’t skimp!)

1 egg

2tsp vanilla extract

4 cups of croissants, cubed

1 cup cream for whipped cream

Preheat oven to 325.

In a saucepan, heat cream, milk and sugar. Don’t let it boil. When sugar is dissolved, remove from heat and add chocolate. Let it melt. Don’t eat yet.

In a separate bowl, combine egg and vanilla. Whisk. Then whisk in chocolate mixture. Stir until slightly cool.

Add croissant cubes and stir until coated. Put mixture in your baking dish. Bake about 45 minutes or until center is JUST set. (don’t over cook)

While you are cooking, whip some whipped cream. Add vanilla and a bit of sugar. Sometimes I add a little flavor—liqueur…yum.

Tanya Lee Stone sent me this recipe from the Smitten Kitchen at just the right moment.  I was in need of a break and I had no chocolate in the house…and berries are in season. This cake is super easy to make and very moist! Even Elliot ate it!

Raspberry Buttermilk Cake
Adapted from Gourmet, June 2009

You can just ignore the word “raspberry” up there and swap it up with any which berry you please, like blackberries or blueberries or bits of strawberries or all of the above. This is a good, basic go-to buttermilk cake (not unlike a lemon yogurt cake before it) — moist and ever-so-light — a great jumping off point for whatever you can dream up.

By the way, I was having a “moment” when I made this and for once, remembered to weigh my ingredients as I measured them, for all of you people out there that know weighing is way easier than dirtying a zillion cups and spoons. Now let’s just hope my scale is accurate.

Makes one thin 9-inch cake, which might serve eight people, if you can pry it from first two people’s grasp

1 cup (130 grams) all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon (2 grams) baking powder
1/2 teaspoon (2 grams) baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 stick (56 grams) unsalted butter, softened
2/3 cup (146 grams) plus 1 1/2 tablespoons (22 grams) sugar, divided
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest (optional)
1 large (57 grams) egg
1/2 cup well-shaken buttermilk
1 cup fresh raspberries (about 5 oz)

Preheat oven to 400°F with rack in middle. Butter and flour a 9-inch round cake pan.

Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and set aside. In a larger bowl, beat butter and 2/3 cup (146 grams) sugar with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about two minutes, then beat in vanilla and zest, if using. Add egg and beat well.

At low speed, mix in flour mixture in three batches, alternating with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour, and mixing until just combined.Spoon batter into cake pan, smoothing top. Scatter (see Note) raspberries evenly over top and sprinkle with remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons (22 grams) sugar.

Bake until cake is golden and a wooden pick inserted into center comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool in pan 10 minutes, then turn out onto a rack and cool to warm, 10 to 15 minutes more. Invert onto a plate.

[Baking time updated, shortened, after so many of you concurred that this cake bakes crazy quickly.]

Note: Directions like “scatter” always scare me. Where’s the science? Here’s what my neuroses taught us: the ones that were downward were almost all swallowed by the batter. The "o" ones stayed empty, like cups. Both were delicious.

Make your own buttermilk: No need to buy buttermilk especially for this or any recipe. Add one teaspoon tablespoon [updated, as an astute reader pointed out that the larger amount is more common] of vinegar or lemon juice to one cup of milk and let it sit until it clabbers, about 10 minutes. Voila, buttermilk!

So that's it, Writers.  Sometimes writing is hard.  Sometimes the process gets you down.  But it doesn't mean you are not exactly where you should be. 



Try them out. Write well. Enjoy the process. Don’t let the little and big things distract you. 

Cheers,

 Sarah Aronson