Winter has set in and every evening soup is on in our home! As I went about making cauliflower soup for this evening’s meal, I was was still wondering what I’d write about here today. And then I realized that I love writing as much I love making soup. The creative process process of writing and soup making are quite similar for me. I decided to share with you what writing and soup making have in common for me.
Stirring Up The Imagination
I’m an intuitive cook – I’ve never had any formal training and I just follow my gut when it comes to putting the soup together. I’ve learned to work with the ingredients I’ve got on hand. But in my mind there’s a particular taste I want the soup to have. The basic ingredients stay the same – a vegetable or a meat stock, but I keep varying the other ingredients. Sometimes I’ll add onions and garlic, other times it’s ginger. Sometimes I’ll put in a couple of basil leaves from my garden for flavour. Other times it’s mint, parsley or celery. Sometimes the stock will be lentils. I keep stirring the pot, tasting and adding the flavours till I think it’s just right. I love sharing what I’ve made – my parents are regular recipients of soup from my kitchen and I’ll almost always call and ask them how they liked it. (If you’re interested here’s a link to one of my soup recipes : Bottle Gourd and Corn Soup )
Can you see the ingredients of a blog post in my soup making process?
- An idea of what I want it to turn out like – the outline.
- Following my intuition as to whether I think it might be interesting to others
- Basic ingredients – good language and easy style
- Adding ‘flavour’ – personalizing it to make sure it reflects my thoughts
- Tasting – this involves reading it over and over to see if it is what I want to express and editing it
- Sharing it
- Asking for feedback.
Do you have a similar process for writing?
PS: This post first appeared on Write Tribe.
Linking into Write or Die Wednesdays hosted by Mia of The Chronicles of Chaos and Vashelle of Shelly’s Cabaret a bi-monthly creative writing prompt.
Today’s prompt is : What is your writing process?
For the first time in my life, I just start making “intuitive” soups last year. I had never made soup before that. But I do the same…kinda throw everything in. Though, I haven’t tried mint or ginger yet. Gotta throw that into the mix next time.
I start with an idea but I don’t have an outline, thought I do have a concept of how I think it will turn out. Then I sit down and start typing laying down thoughts without any editing. It gets really fun when the writing takes a turn I never expected. That’s when I know my creative process is in charge. And those posts have been my most successful. No recipe, just like your delicious soups!
Molly Stevens recently posted..What Else is on the Chopping Block this Thanksgiving?
that’s a really good analogy Corinne – even though I don’t make my own soup, I can see the process in my mind’s eye and how that translates to blogging – especially when you always “make it your own”!
Leanne recently posted..7 things about me
I have a similar recipe!
Heart warming post. Love the picture quote a lot..writing must be freshly brewed and stirred:)
This was good. I tend to get an idea I can’t get out of my head so I have to write it down. Then I edit out typos and errors, sometimes delete paragraphs because it either got too long or there were too many points going on with battle each other – then I hit publish.
nan recently posted..Smokin’ Hot S*x
I guess it is like cooking, I start with the idea and then use a notebook to flesh it out (work out the ingredients) I finish in WordPress (cook it) and then share it or serve it up through my blog!
Jennifer Koshak recently posted..Creativity Prompt Five
Ahh, I love this, Corinne! Wonderful analogy. I feel like the creative process can be adapted to suit just about any activity. 🙂 Thanks so much for linking up with us for #WODW. xo
Mia recently posted..Write or Die Wednesdays: The Write Stuff
I love this comparison!! I’m not a natural cook, but I can certainly see the similarities! So creative 🙂