for all those welcomes. I'm grateful and appreciate the comments. I'll try to be spontaneous—which is not a part of my character (glacial is an accurate term)—because that really does seem somehow to be fruitful in this medium. Writing though is a funny business. It's very difficult to "see" what you write when it's still hot on the page. Somehow all the thoughts that lead to one sentence are still connected in your mind to that sentence when you read it. When you come back later, the sentence can seem completely different because all those other thoughts are gone and all that remains is the cold hard sentence. Then you can "see" it. Also—who said this, Dorothy Parker?—how do I know what I think till I read what I write? A fact of writing: the very act itself helps to generate and determine the ideas. once I read what I write, only then can I begin to do the real writing, which is of course re-writing. That's why this blogging is simultaneously scary and thrilling.
And yes I would and will set down some thoughts about kitchen ratios, which is to the cook what the chart of chemical elements is to the chemist.
And my wife Donna, a saint in too many ways to count, points out that maybe, just maybe, there are a few people who don't know who I am, what my books are, or what on earth I'm doing on the faithful Meg's blog. For those people, here is a link to my web site, which has information on my food and non-food books as well as a current bio.
Thanks for the glimpse into your creative process. I always thought *real* writers somehow transcended the painful steps the rest of us (mere mortals) are forced to go through but apparently not. Maybe your threshhold of pain and/or patience is just greater?
Posted by: Rocket J | June 21, 2006 at 12:21 PM