Discipline, Serenity, And Chili
The awesome Maggie Stiefvater made an interesting comment on my Spec vs. Organic post last Friday.
But you forgot the funny combination of those two — which is when you sell a two-book deal where only the first “organically written†book is completed. Then you find yourself in the funny position of having to write an organic novel almost to spec.
So I think that even organic writers need to acquire the discipline that romance writers practice all the time.
I’d actually not thought of that, because I rarely write stand-alone books. Most of my organic stuff is in the context of a series, and my to-spec stuff is mostly in series form too. I guess I’m just most-comfortable with the series-novel form–I find short stories very, very difficult; they take a lot of planning. So any organic novel I do is almost certainly meant to go in a series, and I have an idea of how long the series will go and what will happen at each stage.
As for the discipline, I consider it something any professional writer needs. You’re just not going to get better without the discipline to practice and to keep learning (and taking what one can from the critique of one’s editors, betas, readers, and self requires discipline too). Discipline is such a core component of art in general and writing in specific–but we all know how I feel about that. *grin* I won’t bore you with repeating myself.
Something new: I’ve got my serenity back after the weekend. It’s taking me less and less time to bounce back after something like that. It’s funny, but a while ago at the end of a long jag of insomnia, I heard birds singing as the sky began to lighten outside and suddenly this wave of calm broke over me. It was like someone tapping me on the head with a magic wand and saying, “Everything is going to be all right. Relax.”
Since then I’ve been possessed of an amazing sense of serenity about stuff. A few minutes of closed-eyes and deep breathing per day seems to run that serenity engine just fine, and recharge it.
The past weekend strained that serenity, but it’s back now. I don’t know from whence it came, but as long as deep breathing will keep it around, I’m not going to ask too many questions.
Oh, and another cool thing: chili! I finally found out how to make chili! It’s a two-day deal.
Day One: In the morning, put beans in water with a little bit of salt to soak. Around 10PM, turn your crock pot on low. Put the beans in, cover with water, add some seasoning (go easy on the salt), garlic, and a bay leaf–and (secret ingredient) drizzle some unsulphured molasses over ‘em. Go to bed and forget about it.
Day Two: Stir the beans in the morning, don’t worry about how they smell. It’s okay. Brown whatever meat you’re using (I use stew beef, myself) and toss it in with some onions. You can chop up some celery, too. Throw in some tomatoes and a can of tomato paste (I used about five Roma tomatoes for a pot o’chili) and some cumin (half a teaspoon, more to taste) and a little bullion base. (Beef. Chicken just doesn’t work well, I’ve found.) Turn it up to high at about noon and stir occasionally.)
Here’s something I’ve found out about chili: don’t add your cayenne until about a half-hour before serving. That way you can control the spiciness much better, since it will get spicier as it cooks down. Best to add your cumin, garlic, thyme, tarragon, etc., at the beginning of day two and wait on the spice, especially if you have picky eaters who like it bland (like my little, darling Sir Pewksalot.)
Turn it down to low at about three o’clock (make sure the beans are nice and soft) and season to taste. You can serve it at about six–and here’s another thing, grating up some smoked gouda and dumping it on the bowls for your less-picky eaters is a Good Thing.
I serve chili with cornbread and Cheez-Its. (Dude. Cheez-Its on chili is teh awesome.) I used to date a guy who chopped up Oreos and put them in at the last second, a la Martin Riggs. Plus, I usually put the cayenne and garlic powder on the table so everyone can fine-tune their Chili Experience. It’s also good over brown rice with a little butter and just a touch of brown sugar. The possibilities are damn near endless.
And there you go. I can’t believe it took me this long to come up with a workable chili, and it’s kind of time-intensive, but very Worth It.
Today I’m doing a pork tenderloin with some coconut milk and basil. If it turns out well, tomorrow we’ll have another recipe. If it doesn’t…well, at least I’ll have a good story.
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