Uncluttering Your Creativity and Molten Lava Cake

Don't let the sun go down before you take advantage of the information in this posting.

Okay, that was a cheesy way to try to make my La Jolla sunset photo a part of this week's post. Sorry. Couldn't resist.

Are you on Facebook? If so, let me know. I think I am there, Carol Newman (there are several of us - look for my photo -- same as the website). Actually, I got an “invitation” from someone to be her friend. I thought I was signing up to be her friend, but the next thing I knew, I actually had created my own page. Then I thought I was clicking on a photo of a friend’s friend’s children, but actually, I had just asked the person, a slight acquaintance, to be my friend. Because I thought I was just “fooling around,” my profile is incomplete and maybe even inaccurate, but there it is. I should heed the frequent advice of my young advisor: Stop clicking around!

On a lifelong quest to manage my piles of paper and books, I requested the book Clutter Busting: Letting Go of What's Holding You Back by Brooks Palmer Clutter Busting by Brooks Palmer. This fellow may have appeared on Oprah. (Television watching is part of my clutter – clutter up my day with unnecessary TV watching.) Anyway, for the first time, a book on clutter made sense to me and I have been getting rid of stuff. Two points that really resonated with me were: 1. You don’t have to keep something just because it was expensive. 2. You don’t have to keep something just because it was a gift.

Don’t we use our creativity to excuse our clutter? I sure do. Palmer’s theory is that our clutter holds us back from being creative. Get rid of stuff and feel your mind and spirit open up. Your library probably has the book. It’s worth a look.


WRITING TIP

This tip from Think Like a Genius will assuage your anxiety about getting rid of your clutter. It’s an opportunity for more instead of less:

Be prolific. Try for quantity before quality. To produce exceptionally good work, do a lot of whatever you're doing. It increases your chances for success and it means you will get more practice along the way. It also takes the pressure off, knowing that while an effort may be your first, it will likely not be your last. Most geniuses in history, whatever they were doing, they did a LOT of it, and not all of it was genius!

The importance of lots of practice is discussed in greater detail and with specific stories about successful people in the book Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell. This is a very interesting book, but, in a way, I found it a little depressing. Fun, but depressing. Depends. I guess the “be prolific” aspect would override the depressing aspects of luck and chance.

WRITING PROMPT

Great parties I have attended or given. Write more. If you write ten minutes a day, extend that to fifteen, or twenty minutes. Or write twice a day. Or write all morning. Or a couple of hours in the afternoon. This week, you are writing about great parties. That should be fun. Good motivation, huh?

CHOCOLATE INKWELL
Recipes now will be found here, in the Chocolate Inkwell.

Regarding the chocolate chess pie, I heard from Susan, who grew up in Tennessee, that chess pie is like pecan pie but without the pecans. She is adamant that chess pie never includes chocolate. When asked about how last week’s chocolate chess pie recipe may have come about, she suggests possible corruption of the recipe by a Yankee. Does that make you feel like exploding? Look at the following recipe from the Paula Deen website. Difficulty level of this recipe was labeled “easy.”

MOLTEN LAVA CAKE

6 (1-ounce) squares bittersweet chocolate
2 (1-ounce) squares semisweet chocolate
10 tablespoons (1 1/4 stick) butter
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
3 large eggs
3 egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons orange liqueur (As I looked at other recipes for this cake, I saw that many used Kahluah or strong coffee in place of orange liqueur. The coffee sounds most appealing to me.)
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Grease 6 (6-ounce) custard cups. Melt the chocolates and butter in the microwave, or in a double boiler. Add the flour and sugar to chocolate mixture. Stir in the eggs and yolks until smooth. Stir in the vanilla and orange liqueur (or coffee). Divide the batter evenly among the custard cups. Place in the oven and bake for 14 minutes. The edges should be firm but the center will be runny. Run a knife around the edges to loosen and invert onto dessert plates.


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Stay on Guard and Chocolate Chess Pie

Writing Tip


Thank you for the news, inspiration, and ideas you sent while I was away with my gentleman friend for a wonderful week by the ocean in La Jolla, California (between storms).

Do you ever feel like the lifeguard in this photo? Always on the lookout? The lifeguard at La Jolla Cove was watching for swimmers in the rough surf. We writers are always looking for new ideas, new characters, and new experiences to write about. Here are some writers who have been on the “lookout.”

Did you see the very, very important comment from Velda Brotherton about last week’s editing suggestions? She reminded us to save a copy of the original document before we start making changes. Give your edited document a new name. If your story is named “Blue Tulips,” for the sake of your computer files, you might name the revision just that – Blue Tulips 2 or Blue Tulips Revision. You can see more helpful suggestions from Velda by visiting her blog. See the blog list.

Maureen writes that Greg Mortenson, author of Three Cups of Tea has a new book out called Stones Into Schools. She says "Three Cups of Tea was really a good read and hard to put down so I hope this new book will be the same.” I loved Three Cups of Tea so I definitely plan to read Mortenson’s new book.

Wendy wrote, ”I'm going to take you up on the writing challenge of a Christmas letter to myself. The last two years have been, to say the very least, challenging. I haven't written anything or a Christmas letter to anyone because my life was so depressing. I kept breaking bones (7 to be exact) and my asthma had me coughing 24/7, not to mention the pneumonia and back trouble. After reading your blog, I think I may have a more entertaining vs. depressing way to report my life in a letter.”

Wendy, we are hoping the next two years are better for you. And – good for you for trying to refocus the events.

Terri-Lynn says she is going to try the chocolate bacon recipe. She is a good cook and has shared some great chocolate with us so I’m looking forward to hearing about the result.

Lynda wrote that she is not, not, not going to make the Heath Chocolate Trifle recipe, but that if she can’t control herself and does make it, she will being me a sample.

Speaking of the Heath Chocolate Trifle, Shirley said she made hers with Heath bits and avoided the process of freezing and chopping the candy bars. Good tip. Thanks, Shirley.

Here’s what Wikipedia says on Think-Like-a-Genius: Be prolific. Try for quantity before quality. To produce exceptionally good work, do a lot of whatever you're doing. It increases your chances for success and it means you will get more practice along the way. It also takes the pressure off, knowing that while an effort may be your first, it will likely not be your last. Most geniuses in history, whatever they were doing, they did a LOT of it, and not all of it was genius!

Writing Prompt

Write like a genius. Every day this week, write something sweet or about something sweet or someone who is sweet or about sugar and its evil twin high fructose corn syrup. (Why sweet? See below.)

The chocolate chess pie recipe that follows is pure genius, too. Chess pie can be made plain or in a variety of flavors, including pineapple. According to Wikipedia, chess pie is a sugary dessert characteristic of Southern cuisine. Another Southern attribute is the inclusion of corn meal in all variations. The name has no relation to the game of chess. Some suggest it was referred to as "just pie," shortened to "jus' pie," and then "chess pie." Or some think the name came from the piece of furniture: pie safe or pie chest. I sort of doubt that. If that were the case, would all pie be chess pie since all pie would have been kept in a pie "chest"?


Doesn't matter does it because Judy sent this recipe which she received from Shirley who found it in an old Baptist church cookbook with the recipe attributed to her mother. Now this is a pie with lineage. Here's what Judy said about it: (Thanks, Judy)

I made the chocolate chess pie, and it is divine. It is extremely simple to mix up and pour in an unbaked pie shell. It sort of separates into 2 layers while baking. The bottom is like pecan pie filling, and the top has more of a crunch texture. I assume that is the cocoa and corn meal. Yummy!


CHOCOLATE CHESS PIE

Oven: 325 degrees 45 minutes Yield: 1 (9-inch pie)

1 unbaked pie shell
1 cup sugar
3 Tbls corn meal
3 Tbls cocoa
3 whole eggs
½ cup melted margarine
½ cup white Karo syrup
1 tsp. vanilla

Beat eggs well. Add other ingredients. Pour into unbaked pastry shell. Bake at 325 degrees for 45 minutes or until firm. Tob each slice with whipped cream before serving.




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Seeing Again and Chocolate Bacon

Last week I said that if you typed all your scribbled scraps and pieces of stories, your work would be in a form where revising, editing, and finishing would be easier.


Here’s a great way to think about revision. I came across this at www.namw.org (National Association of Memoir Writers). Revision – means “seeing again.” All writing requires revision, so it is a useful skill to acquire. Take another look at what you have written with an eye toward moving toward a finished story.


Here’s how to do it: Choose one story. Remove it from the notebook. With pencil in hand, read it. Note places you want to expand. Include the senses. Consider adding -- or eliminating -- metaphors. Mark through sentences that meander along like the stream in the picture. Don't let your sentences stray from the story or theme and weaken the focus.

Substitute stronger words for weak ones. A simple example would be to substitute the word ran or jogged or sprinted for walked quickly. Tighten wordiness. A simple way to do this is to look for prepositional phrases – of, for, in. Rewrite concisely. In the margins, make notes for a stronger opening, conclusion or for expanding or going deeper and adding meaningful detail and references to all the senses.


After you have read and marked up the story, place the printed pages by your computer. Open the document on your computer. Transfer the penciled-in changes on your printed copy to the computer copy, including additions, deletions, and rewriting.

When that revision is done, run your computer's grammar check. It will help you find wordiness and give a final polish. For example, in the previous blog post, I wrote, Type every single thing. Grammar Check suggested I change that to Type everything. Keep your own voice and style, but let Grammar Check give you a fresh eye. (Find Grammar Check by clicking on Tools at the top of your screen and then Spelling and Grammar.)

Then you will be ready for a snack. Try the following recipe and let me know what you think.

Recipe

I'm not sure what I think the idea of this recipe; but having learned to cook by making bacon-grease-seasoned green beans, baked beans, gravy, and corn bread – and loving chocolate, I’m thinking – why not chocolate bacon? This recipe is from Home Cooking where it is touted as “simple yet so addictive.” The site urges us to “Keep a stockpile . . .” Can anyone say "Busted zipper?"


CRISP BACON APPETIZER

¾ cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons dark cocoa powder
½ teaspoon ground chipotle chile pepper or to taste, optional
2 pounds lean, thick-cut bacon

Preheat oven to 350. Place baking racks inside rimmed cookie sheets lined with foil. Whisk together brown sugar, cocoa powder, and chipotle chile pepper until well combined. Pour into a shallow plate. Cut the bacon into thirds crosswise. Press one side of each bacon piece into the brown sugar mixture to coat with a thin layer of the spiced sugar, brushing off any excess. Arrange on racks in prepared baking pans, sugared-side up, close together but not touching.

Bake for 45 to 60 minutes until dark brown but not burnt. Keep an eye on the bacon since oven temperatures vary. Let cool completely before serving.

Yield: About 64 pieces.


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Copyright 2010

Housebound Writing and Heath Bar Trifle

Now is a perfect time to rejuvenate your spirit for writing. Think I'm going to tell you to "get writing" on these snowy, freezing, housebound days? Nope. Just the opposite. Don't write. Round up all those bits and pieces you already have started – notes made while driving, notes made in the middle of the night, pieces you began for your writing group. Round those up and type them up. Get everything typed and in your notebook. You do have a notebook, don’t you?

Ah-ha! Look at that body of work you have produced. Later, later, later if some pieces need rewriting, you have the work in a form where the revising and editing can be done more easily.

Don't think. (You know how I feel about thinking.) Don't think. Just type. Let me know how it goes.

And then, I have an idea for a next step. That will be for next week.

Meanwhile, thank you to all of you who called or e-mailed letting me know the website Calendar had not been updated. Unknowingly, I had shot the update into cybserspace to some unknown Jane person instead of to the right Jane person. Whew! All is now updated so you can find January and February classes at Calendar. Class locations are in Mission, Kansas; Leawood, Kansas; and Tulsa, Oklahoma. Note that I don't personally facilitate at every location, but I have personally trained every teacher and they are using my methods and materials with my enthusiastic support. So don't just sit out there in the cold alone. Join a class.

And thank you to those who let me know they were encouraged by the "Here Is Good" theme. Some of you have had a couple of years of illness, health close calls, job loss, and relocations; but, you let me know you plan to write yourself that Christmas letter and remind yourself that "Here Is Good."

If you want to continue e-mailing your comments, that is fine with me; but, just so you know, there is an option at the bottom of the page where you can post your comments to the blog. Some of you let me know you didn't do that because you had to open an account. I think that is just a matter of putting in your email address and a password -- you can choose something easy like spelling your childhood hometown backwards. I can't promise, but I don't think you will be hit with a bunch of extra junk mail.

Recipe

And now for an energy boost. You know what that means. A chocolate recipe. My friend and fabulous cook, Shirley, brought this to a Christmas luncheon. She said it was easy, and it certainly filled the bill for containing chocolate. I Googled the ingredients and found this recipe for Heath Bar Trifle at www.cooks.com. If this isn’t exactly Shirley’s recipe, it is close enough.

HEATH BAR TRIFLE

11 Heath candy bars
1 (21.5 oz) box fudge brownie mix
2 c. chocolate chips
2 lg. boxes (5.9 oz.) chocolate instant pudding mix
5 c. cold milk
2 lg. containers Cool Whip
1 c. miniature chocolate chips.

Bake brownies according to directions, except fold in 2 cups chocolate chips before baking. Bake in greased 9 x 13 inch pan for 28 minutes. Do not overbake. Cool completely. Cut into ½ inch cubes.

Make pudding mixture as follows: Mix pudding and milk together. Stir with wire whip or mixer 1 to 2 minutes. Fold in 3 cups of Cool Whip and 1 cup miniature chocolate chips. Place ½ of brownies in bottom of large trifle bowl, then ½ of pudding mixture, 4 Heath bars (crushed), and a layer of Cool Whip. Repeat layers. Decorate with crushed Heath bars. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. (Shirley made hers the morning of the luncheon.)

Shirley served hers in a regular clear bowl, and cooks.com suggested using a punch bowl.

Tip: Freeze Heath bars before crushing.

For more writing tips and resources go to the website www.angelinyourinkwell.com

Right now, you are at the blog www.angelinyourinkwell.blogspot.com

Copyright 2010

Here Is Good

WRITING TIP & A Recipe Tip

One of the many things I love about the Christmas season is Christmas cards. I like real cards the old-fashioned snail mail way, I like e-mail cards, I really like the animated e-mail cards from the company that has the black lab jumping around in the snow; and this year, I found I even liked the cards that came in the form of Christmas letters.

My aunt, who lives in Ada, Oklahoma, has the best touch with her Christmas letter. She clearly identifies everyone so it’s easy to keep track of whether the people are high school friends of hers or her grandchildren. On the back of the letter are a few photographs, again clearly identified as to person and place. It makes it like reading a little story, and you know how important I think “story” is in your writing.

Now I have to confess that in the past some of the letters I received made me feel like my life was lacking. But there is nothing like a potentially life-threatening health problem to make even the most mundane life seem miraculous. So, while this year I still have no European travel to report, no awards, and no promotions, I am so glad to be here that every pile of dirty snow on the curb, dirty laundry on the floor and dirty dishes in the kitchen sink seems precious. If the sun doesn’t shine, it’s okay with me. If the sun does shine, that’s okay too.

Still, I managed to get a few small things done this year; and I’ll bet you did too. (Maybe yours were large things.) Either way, here’s what I plan to do, and I invite you to join me. Write an end-of-year letter to yourself – for yourself. Maybe you tried a new variety of plant in your garden this year. That counts. Put that in your letter. My friend, Shirley's, elderly inlaws learned to use their Jitterbug cell phone. For them, that counts. They could put that in their letter. Maybe you got the wood rot repaired on your house. That counts. Put that in your letter. I talked to my friend, Shelia, in Wichita Falls, Texas this week. She was happy that she went to New York City, stood in the street, and hailed a taxi, all by herself. She can put that in her letter – as well as her trip to Nova Scotia.

Where do the days go we ask, as we get older. Make writing this letter an annual practice and you will have a record of where the days went. If you are lucky (I now prefer the word blessed) the days went to living – every day. If the sun shines, that’s good. If the sun doesn’t shine, that’s okay too. You’re here. I’m here. Here Is Good.


Recipe

Even I have had my fill of chocolate so here is a quick tip for Deviled Eggs. Not only are Deviled Eggs good as a side dish, I think they make a great quick breakfast – for adults or kids. Cram a couple in your mouth on the way out the door, stuff a mini-bagel in your pocket for in the car, and you’re ready to “work like the devil,” – hence the name, Deviled Eggs. (Yes, I made up that part.)

EASY DEVILED EGGS - (Thanks to Lynda for this tip.)

Put cooked egg yolks from boiled eggs in a zipper top plastic bag. Seal, mash till yolks are all broken up. Add remainder of ingredients, reseal, and keep mashing it up mixing thoroughly, cut the tip of the bag, squeeze mixture into egg. Just throw bag away when done easy clean up.


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