I love to put words to paper. Even more I love to know that there are people out there would find my writing worthy of reading. Is that vain? Maybe. I suppose so at some level.
Blogging has provided an outlet for my thoughts this past year. I’ve shared a lot of my thoughts. Some thoughts shared through my writing were better than others because I took more time on the content and structure of what I wrote. Other thoughts not so much.
One thing that has been difficult for me has been to let my ideas and words simmer. I’m excited to write-up my posts, edit and push that publish button, instant gratification, my words in print for others to read. I want my words to be worthy of those taking the time to read them.
As I think of writing I can easily relate it to cooking, something I have done a lot of in the almost 51 years of my life. When I want to cook or bake something new, I do some research. I check out different recipes and find one that with ingredients I like or one that looks good in a picture that entices me to read the ingredient list. The same is true with writing. Research into the topic you write about and life experiences can make your writing more interesting to the reader.
When writing I gather the important ingredients I want to include, usually three or four ideas. After I have decided what I want to include I begin blending them together just as in a recipe. Sometimes just like Mom used to do in the kitchen, ask for a second opinion. Give someone the opportunity to taste your writing and help season it.
When I am cooking, especially soups, the best thing to do is to put the pot of soup on simmer and walk away. It gives the ingredients in the soup and opportunity to blend their individual flavors. Some things that I make actually taste better the second day or at least several hours later.
The same can be true for writing. After the words are put to paper I think it is better to let them simmer. It provides the opportunity for the words to blend and the thoughts to be mulled over, rearranged in my mind and sometimes on paper.
This process goes beyond just editing for spelling and grammatical errors. It looks at the finished product, the presentation. This is by far the hardest part for me.
I want to publish my words now and not wait until later. If I do, I run the risk of a soup without much flavor when I could have a soup that greets you from the very first spoonful until the last spoonful is gone with flavors blended to perfection, wanting for more.
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