Why Baking Is Like Writing

To me, writing stories is much like baking a cake.  There are the main ingredients that you usually have to use:

• Idea (Sugar)
• Plot (Flour)
• Character (Butter)
• Setting (Eggs)

Granted, you don't absoulutely have to use them but it's a very good idea to stick to the basics - at least to begin with.

Of course the quality of the ingredients will have an impact on how good your cake/story is.  If you use margarine instead of butter your cake probably won't be as rich in taste and texture.  Likewise, if you use a stock character rather than one which has been fully rounded, that has their own quirks, dreams and flaws, your story may become a bit flat and unoriginal.

Once you know what you're doing with your ingredients, you've become a competent cake-baker, you have the chance to experiment.  You may vary the portions slightly or you may add your own ingredients creating chocolate, lemon or carrot cakes instead of run of the mill average.  Not that there was anything wrong with the cakes before, but they didn't have anything that made them different.  The same goes for your stories.  You can vary the types of characters, the setting or you can add another element such as structuring your timeline, or mixing it around.

And finally, there is the icing.  Of course you don't have to put icing on your cupcake but be certain that if you do you'll attract a lot more attention.  People want cakes that have variety and can offer them something unique.  It's the same with writing (bet you didn't see that coming), you need to show your style through your choice of words.  You need to make your writing stand out from the crowd by offering something different, your own personal twist.

And yes, the pics are of cakes I have baked :)  Can't say my writing is quite up to that standard yet but working my way there.

The Icing On The Cake

Life can get us down. The wrong weather, realising that the top you want to wear is in the dirty laundry pile, having deadlines that you're convinced you will never finish by.  That's because life is hard. OK, so it doesn't have to be hard, but for the majority it is.  But in all this stress and pain and busy busy busy lives of ours we forget that life is the icing on the cake.  We are alive.

Don't worry I'm not going to get philosophical on you, mainly because my outlook is often misconstrued as depressing.  But amongst the business of our lives and the stress we put on ourselves to be the best, to have the best, we often forget to actually live.  As far as I'm concerned we only get one life (you can argue we have more but if we can't remember them then it works the same) and it doesn't matter why we're here as long as we don't waste our time.  I'm not suggesting that everyone reach to try and change mankind - though a movement like that might actually work - I just mean we shouldn't be so hard on ourselves every day.  Take time out to find out what you really love about being on this earth and then find the time to truly appreciate it.  I'll start:

I appreciate that I have money to spare
I appreciate that I love my family and my family loves me
I appreciate my boyfriend who has stuck by me when I'm really not that fun to be around
I appreciate Christmas
I appreciate words and books
I appreciate having the time to waste it on facebook
I appreciate cupcakes

And so many more things.  These are my icing in life and I plan to enjoy them and remember to enjoy them.  Please chime in with what you appreciate in the comments.

Temptation

I know this isn't strictly about cupcakes (or, you know, not at all) but it follows with the theme of sweet delights.  So here's a little snippet of my writing that I wrote for Ficly (click here to go to my profile) last year (I really need to start writing more short pieces).  So, anyway, enjoy:

It was there, right in front of her. It’s dark eyes dotted about stared at her, daring her to take it. All she would have to do is reach out, pick it up off the plate and take a bite. The more she stared at the cookie, the more it’s power pulled her in. She was transfixed. She shouldn’t take the first bite, she should just leave it. But surely one bite wouldn’t hurt. Just a little bite.

She took that first step, felt the biscuit crumbling on her lips, the chocolate chips melting on her tongue. She was right. She shouldn’t have taken the bait. She had been right, the cookie had her now. But she could defeat it. If she ate it all…there wouldn’t be any proof that she had fallen for it…the cookie would be gone, and only she would know.

She sat there, looking at the empty plate, no crumbs were left, there was no proof. But she felt the guilt set in. The cookie had won afterall, it wasn’t there anymore, but that was what it had wanted all along. For her to eat it, and she had.

Cupcake Week

This week is National Cupcake Week so to celebrate I have lined up a few posts to do with cupcakes - because, let's face it, we all love cupcakes.  They are just so beautiful and yummy and, you get the idea.  So I'm kicking off today with a few pics to whet you appetite.

[all images from WeHeartIt]

Why Me?

Quite often I ask the question 'why me?'  It isn't fair that I have to stay in bed or need help to get changed in the evening or that I often have to have someone else cook my dinner.  I'm probably sounding quite depressed and 'oh poor me' right now and that is how I was feeling last night.  And how I've felt many times that have always ended up in tears.


But I don't want to be an 'oh poor me' type of person.  I know I will never be truly happy with my lot in life because, let's face it, it can suck quite a lot.  But in thinking about how much my life sucks I forget how lucky I am and how many things don't suck.  I have friends, family and a fantastic boyfriend all willing to help.  I'm able to continue my education.  I can eat what I want (even though I sometimes wish I couldn't, overall I know it's something to be grateful for).  And there are so many things that make me happy.  But I never ask 'why me?' for the good things (okay, I sometimes ask how the hell I got so lucky with finding the right person for me right now (aka the boyfriend) but that's another issue).  I take them for granted and I'm certain I'm not the only one (at least I hope I'm not).


Why is that we always focus on the negatives and forget all the things that make our lives special and worth it to keep plodding along?  What is it that you've taken for granted? Take a minute and remember something that made you smile - and please share as a smile can make someone else's day.

How I Have Money Even Though I'm A Student

The cliche of a student life is one with dirty laundry, no money, living off pasta and take aways and generally slouching around doing not a whole lot.  While my laudry pile has been, on occasion, gastronomically high, I eat a lot of pasta and take aways and can't vouch for what I do everyday - I do have money.

I'm not talking millions at my disposal, I certainly couldn't buy a house or anything, I am talking enough to live on comfortably and buy the things I need with occasional treats for myself.  I don't have a job, nor a mysterious benefactor - I have a student loan.  If you want to argue that this money isn't really mine because it's a loan this may not be the post for you as I personally don't see it as debt.  Sure, I have to pay it off but not until I'm capable of paying it off.  But back on track.  I have a student loan.  This is my income.

So how do I manage to still have money in my bank account at the end of summer?  I plan.  It really is that simple.  I know how much money I have.  I know how long that money has to last.  And I know how much I have to pay (rent, bills).  The point is - I know exactly (okay, so maybe not exactly) how much money I have to spend on food and going out and anything else I might want.

I don't force myself to go without things - if I really really want something I will find a way to be able to buy it, even if it means not having money for anything else for a month.  Actually when you know you won't be able to buy any more food or be able to go out if you buy that special something, it's amazing how quickly you can decide that you don't really want it.  The key here is moderation.  It's like chocolate.  The moment you tell yourself you can't have any you'll want it much much more until you break and eat a lot of bars of the stuff which then leaves you feeling guilty and generally down on yourself.  If you allow yourself to have a little chocolate regularly you feel better as you're able to stick to your resolution and with any luck the pounds will disappear (or walk away if you're on Doctor Who).  Knowing that you have money that you can spend works the same way.  The moment you tell yourself not to buy anything you will inevitably fail and land yourself in the trouble you were avoiding.  If you're worried that you will overspend, a trick I use is to take out a set amount of money each week and that is all you have for the rest of the week (I take out between £30-50 depending on what I think I'll need and how much money I have left).

And my final point is HAVE SAVINGS.  Seriously, if you don't have a savings account - get one.  And then put money in it every time you get paid/your loans come through.  Make sure you leave enough in your regular account for however long you need it as the idea is that you won't ever touch your savings account.  That way when you have an emergency you don't need to panic as you have back-up money right there waiting for you.  Or else you might want to save for a house.  It's up to you but a savings account is very important, particularly if you're not good with money.  It can save you a lot of pain and trust me, you'll feel a sense of pride as you watch your money grow each year (even if there is barely any interest, it's amazing what difference £10 a month will make to your bank balance.

What tips or tricks do you have to keep money from wandering out of your pocket?

Wheelchairing About

Yesterday I went to a quaint little seaside town that I've always had fond memories of.  When I think of it I think of running in the sea, shopping in all the shops selling completely useless but completely gorgeous knick-knacks, and enjoying the smell of the air, so clearly tainted by the sea.  Hence my wish to revisit.  However, this time I went in my wheelchair.  This meant no running in the sea - instead I watched from high above through a railing as my Dad and tiny brother threw stones into the water (the beach is half pebbled, half sand - which was almost underwater). 

The town smelt the same of course but I had forgotten the crowds of people summer brings and I'd never noticed just how wide the paths aren't before.  It turns out that the path is just big enough for a wheelchair and one other person to get past.  It was bumpy and uneven - something else I'd never noticed.  And the shops.

I love the town for it's quaint little shops filled with wonders but the one word there that doesn't bode well for wheelchair uses is 'quaint'.  Quaint doesn't mean easily navigated with plenty of space.  Quaint for me, now means small, awkward and likely to have a step at the entrance.  We managed to get into two shops.  A fudge shop which would have been awesome if I hadn't had to have been nearly tipped out to get out of it and a large store which seemed to have everything.  They had, thankfully, put ramps between most of the sections which were at different levels but as they began to close they blocked each with items from outside making it especially hard to find someone to pay and a way out that was still available.  I could have gone in one other shop though it was actually closed.  The owner saw us (did I mention that the boyfriend had to push me up and down all those hills?) and opened the door in case we wanted anything.  As I knew I wasn't actually going to buy anything I politey declined but I'm unsure whether I would have been given the same treatment had I been walking about.

Despite the complexities being in a wheelchair brought, I did have a good day though I was exhausted by the end of it.  If I hadn't taken the wheelchair I wouldn't have made it all the way to the sea from the car and while it may have been easier to get in and out of the shops (and around them) I probably wouldn't be well enough today to write this.  But perhaps in the future I'll reconsider why I like somewhere before I agree to take a trip as quaint is no longer my cup of tea.