On Writing

Stephen King
Scribner, 2000

“Purge this quisling thought! Don’t be a muggle!” Quisling is a word I learned from King’s book. For anyone who may not know, Vidkum Quisling helped the Nazis overthrow Norway in World War II and had himself installed as Minister-President. His name now has the meaning of traitor. Muggle came into existence through J.K. Rowling’s writing and means without magic. These two short, declarative sentences are the essence of King’s message.

Don’t be a traitor to the rules of excellent writing, and believe in the magic of imagination.

The book is nicely organized into three parts. There is his writing memoir, a section on basic writing methodology with the business of publishing, and a last section of returning to writing when life gets in the way with a traumatic event. Don’t expect a free pass for a sensitive spirit, but then you also won’t be bull-whipped by a self-satisfied overlord. The man just says what he means and means what he says–stay in his classroom and take notes to use for a career, or drop the illusion of being a good writer and go do something where you’re actually good.

Read. Write. Read. Write. He is baffled by the writer who claims not to have time to read widely, so he offers his help in identifying moments of off-time that can be used. There are the moments of waiting for others, during stalled traffic, while dining alone, and on it goes. At the back is his reading list of classic to new fiction.

What I would have liked a few pages on is how he reads critically or records the writing of others. What does he do? Memorize photographically, make notations in the book, keep a notebook, or periodically jot a line in an open computer file? What about the writing? How does he look at that as a reader? I’m believing the hints are in the how to write section of the book, but is there more?

King’s method of writing is covered. A situation will hook his imagination and he will dive into the scene with no particular place to go. He writes daily until he has a first draft, which seems to seldom be longer than two months. Only then does he seriously look for the metaphor and meaning. His treasured first reader, his wife Tabitha, adds to the impression and purpose. Through a time away period, revisions, careful thought, and a sure writing hand, he dresses up and refines the piece until he’s pleased.

Yes, there is much to be learned from this writing book about inspiration and what has been of practical use. Oh, and Mr. King, what about the language?

Utah to Arizona #17, Leave A Happy-Spririted House

“Why am I doing this for someone else’s benefit?” The charge could

The view I was bent away from.

have come from demon, Irma Prattle, but I can tell the difference and this wasn’t an Irma screed. I was up on my backyard mountain to clip the iris plants that had finished blooming and do some general clean-up and weeding. I was bent over, head to the iris plants and mountain, back end in the air waving over the house’s roof to the Salt Lake Valley. Twelve inch clippers I’ve let get a bit rusty were snapping off the fanned leaves and tall stalks, some of them already with a seed pod at the top. That’s why I clip them. I’ve read that if they are cleanly snipped at the base after blooming they don’t have to spend energy keeping leaves pretty and their rhizomes will spread faster to cover an area.

Courtesy Wikipedia

It seems to be working. What was a half dozen or so has turned into over thirty blooms in three, maybe four years.

“Why am I doing this for someone else’s benefit?” I asked myself before we put the house on the market and moved to Arizona. Arizona! I wanted to do SOMETHING every day that prepared for the move. So much to get rid of, fix, or pack. That day it was clip the iris and clean the mountain which was counterbalanced by a trip to Costco for a four pack of toilet bowl cleaner, toilet paper, a giant jar of vitamins, and a couple of bags of chips. We weren’t moving the next day.

So why did I clip the iris? Because I intended to leave my home that I loved since 1996 in good shape and ready to be loved by the next owner. I started saying good-bye to the house because I knew it is time, but when it finally was that day, I wanted both it and me to feel good about it. And yes, I think somehow houses have an energy of thought that needs nurturing and respect to make it a happy home. I did it because I wanted to leave it a happy home.

It worked. I think the young family will enjoy and energize the home

The Arizona new home.

that became a bit staid with us living there so long. Now, I’m working to establish the spirit in a new home.

On Rue Tatin

Susan Herrmann Loomis
Broadway Books, 2001

If you’re not lucky enough to have a friend who loves food, cooking, and has moved to France so she can tell you about the details of French life, this book may be for you. It is a chatty, friendly recitation of life details reminiscent of Under the Tuscan Sun by Frances Mayes.

Most lives don’t have a literary storyline arc of building to a climax and neither does Loomis’s book. But if a reader is happy with reading of renovating a French house built in the 1600s, which was a nunnery for three hundred years and raising a son in a foreign country with notes of touching her thyme because it is a plant that needs daily contact, this book is enjoyable.

There are colorful neighbors, glimpses into customs and routines of daily country village French life, and humorous scenes of her efforts to explain a few American customs like the baby shower. There are parts that were a tad ponderous, but only because everyone has a patience level for daily trivia and mine was occasionally exceeded.

A reason I enjoy biographies and memoirs is there are often glimpses into people and ideas that are startling with revelation or convince me once more how right I am and I can feel momentarily smug. An example is a heated argument with a neighboring priest. The priest told Loomis and her husband they were the most selfish of people and he would never allow the building of a new entryway. When they ask why, he replies, “I have my habits.” Because I hear the priest’s response as a selfish reason, I can use the example to support my belief that very often the quirks that aggravate us the most in others, are in fact, our very own (or we wish they were).

Loomis adds a few reasonably easy recipes at the end of each chapter. I tried the Rustic Apricot Sorbet since I had a load of ripe apricots at the time. It was good and not too sweet. There are a few others I will try, like the walnut cake and the chicken in white wine and mustard.

The writing is superior with flowing lovely sentences that are easy to read and move reading along. A bonus for me is Loomis’s courtesy in providing translation for every French phrase she uses.

Rustic Apricot Sorbet / 6 servings

Note: Chilling the poached and pureed apricots before freezing makes for a better-textured sorbet.

1 C/250 ml bottled water, 1/2 C / 100 g sugar, 1 pound / 500 g apricots, pitted, 1 T freshly squeezed lemon juice

1. Place water and sugar in small saucepan over medium-high heat and bring to a boil, stirring all the while. When the sugar has dissolved, add the apricots, return to the boil, and reduce the heat just until they begin to turn tender, about 5 minutes.

2. Remove from heat and cool completely. Puree the apricots and their poaching liquid in a food processor until smooth and slightly foamy. Strain the mixture if you like, though a fine-mesh sieve, to remove any bits of skin (This isn’t necessary, but it does produce a finer, more sophisticated sorbet.) Chill the mixture in an airtight container in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour and up to 24 hours.

3. Just before freezing, whisk in the lemon juice. Transfer to an ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

Utah to Arizona #16, Sam’s Birthday Dinner and Looking for Friend Spores

My husband’s birthday request is that I cook dinner for his birthday. This year he wanted a dinner featuring lamb shank. That spelled trouble. After planning the menu, I called the three closest grocery stores. All three have the basics of this abundant food nation from rotisserie chicken to frozen pizza, but my spoiled, some say near

Not in my little corner of Arizona.

snooty food preferences, have not easily found some basics: Chinese Five Spice, tomato paste in a tube, or fresh bean sprouts. By phone I located a lamb shank twelve miles away.

The morning of his birthday was the first meeting of a writing critique group I wanted to join. Not because I want a critique group. They are great at the right time, but I don’t have the writing I want critiqued right now. The reason I wanted to go is I need acquaintances so in time I will have friends. I call these ventures into human stranger territory, “Collecting Friend Spores.” I left the house 75 minutes ahead of start time.

Six writers of varying age above forty were in attendance. We went around the circle until all four women and two men had their work critiqued. It was a good group which means they are excited about their work, diverse in style, and ready to improve. But the round-trip was over 120 miles. In a city of about six million, there should be people closer to me, don’t you think?

Happy birthday, Sam! I was happy to be home and turn my thoughts and action to the day’s main event of dinner.

Appetizers

Two Appetizers

Stuffed mushrooms / Recipe below

Grilled Scallops in Remoulade Sauce (made possible by two leftover scallops from night before)

Hearts of Palm Salad (looks too similar to scallops to be eye-appealing, but at least they were different courses)

Hearts of Palm Salad

Main Course Served with Medoc Wine

Lamb Shank

Roasted Potatoes

Carrots in Butter and Triple Sec with Pistachios / Recipe below

Dessert

Bakery Eclair

Stuffed Mushrooms From George Washington Ate Here! by T. Upton Ramsey. Upton was a friend of Sam’s in a raucous group called the Salt Shakers. They were ribbon-cutting entrepreneurs who welcomed new businesses through the Salt Lake Chamber of Commerce.

My abridged version for two people instead of six: Mushrooms, butter, cream cheese, bleu cheese, minced onion, fine herbs.

Remove mushroom stems, melt butter, saute mushroom caps about two minutes, mince stems, and add rest of ingredients. (I used handy Italian Herb Mix.) Fill caps, broil until bubbly.

Carrots and Pistachio

Pistachio Carrots From Cooking in the Nude by Debbie and Stephen Cornwell. This little sixty-one page, dog-eared recipe booklet was given to Sam and me by my mother when our son went to college.

Steam 8-10 baby carrots until crisp tender. Melt 2 T butter and saute pistachios two minutes. Add Tripe Sec, remove from heat, add carrots, toss.

Happy birthday Sam!

Birthday Eclair