Monday, March 24, 2014

Starting From Scratch

I make a lot of things from scratch: combining a lot of small amounts of things into cookies, brownies, caramel popcorn, mashed potatoes, pizza, jam and a variety of things that it would be easier to buy. I also make a lot of quilts, which means that I buy very large pieces of fabric that I cut into smaller pieces and then sew back together.

I write books too. And now that I’m shopping my manuscript to agents, I need to start from scratch again. It’s exciting and terrifying, kind of like starting a new quilt or embarking on another time-consuming attempt to make an ethnic food as authentically as possible in my apartment.


With a book, I don’t have a set starting point, like pre-heat oven to 350. I’ve got ideas and notes, character names and scenes but not much else. While I can adapt a quilt pattern or an existing recipe, I find it incredibly difficult to make up my own. Writing, through, is a different story. This is the part that I love!

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