Tasty Cure for Writing Insecurity

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Welcome to my 100th blog post! :D

When I am feeling insecure about my writing, I put down my pen and power down my computer. During this off-time I tell myself learning is all part of the writing process, and not to get mad when I learn something new. I also have to remember why I started writing in the first place and that was for the pure love of it. Not because I wanted to be a best-selling author, to have thousands of readers, or even to share my work. All of that came later, but the real purpose was because I simply HAD to write. Finally, I have to remind myself my writing style is different from other writers and that is fine. Actually, that is GREAT! After all, I am my own writer.

If all else fails, I eat cookies! 

WRITER'S SPICE COOKIES

YOU'LL NEED:

2 cups of William Shakespeare (flour)

1 cup of Jane Austen (light brown sugar)

¼ cup of Anne Rice (dark brown sugar)

3/4 cup of Stephen King (shortening)

1 Dr. Seuss (egg)

2 tablespoons of Debbie MacComber (milk)

1 tablespoon of Nora Roberts (vanilla extract)

1 teaspoon of E.L. James (cinnamon)

¼ teaspoon of Sidney Sheldon (nutmeg)

A pinch of The Brothers Grimm (cloves)

¾ teaspoon of J.K. Rowling (baking soda)

1 teaspoon of R.L. Stine (salt)

1 cup of Ronald Dahl (white chocolate or milk chocolate chips)

½ cup of Edgar Allen Poe (walnuts or whichever you prefer)

Your favorite sprinkles

**Feel free to substitute authors to make this your own. I just tried to select well-known authors from many genres to create a well-rounded list.

STEPS:

1.    Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease cookie sheets.

2.    In a large bowl, cream together the shortening, light brown sugar, and dark brown sugar. Beat in the egg. Then add the milk and vanilla, creating a light and fluffy mixture.

3.    In a separate bowl, combine the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, baking soda, and salt; add it to the batter, making sure it is blended well. Mix in the chips and nuts last.

4.    Drop spoonfuls onto the greased cookie sheet, leaving about two inches between each cookie. Press a pinch of sprinkles onto the center of each cookie then bake for 8-10 minutes, or until the bottoms are a golden brown.

5.    Remove from cookie sheet and let cool.

TIPS: Since these cookies are small you can use mini chips or chop up normal-sized chips. If you don’t have or want to buy light and dark brown sugar just use whatever you prefer for both portions.

THE STORY BEHIND THE INGREDIENTS:

William Shakespeare is essentially the foundation of literature as flour is the foundation of all baked goods. Without Shakespeare, literature today wouldn’t be what it is. Jane Austen has always been the sweetheart of literature with her classics like Pride and Prejudice, Emma, and Northanger Abbey. Is it any wonder why she is light brown sugar? Anne Rice is the one responsible for introducing vampires to our modern age. She also brought out our darker sides and that says dark brown sugar to me. Stephen King changed horror forever and without his wisdom many writers wouldn’t exist today, as cookies would fall apart without shortening. Dr. Seuss gave birth to our imaginations. For a lot of us, he gave us the egg that cracked and spilled forth our interest in books and writing at a very young age. He also wrote “Green Eggs and Ham”! Debbie MacComber is milk because milk is cozy. You can curl up with one of her books for a cozy read as you can curl up with a glass of milk before bedtime. Nora Roberts has influenced a lot of writers including me. She specializes with romance, and vanilla is a very romantic flavor. E.L. James is known for her erotic-romances. For many women her books were literary-aphrodisiacs, and Cinnamon is a real aphrodisiac. Sidney Sheldon is a best-selling mystery writer, and nutmeg is always the secret ingredient in many dishes. The Brothers Grimm created folktales that had dark elements; witches that ate children, witches that poisoned apples, evil stepmothers, etc. Their slightly violent tales have since influenced our fantasies and writing, and the spice of cloves definitely influences the taste of cookies. J.K. Rowling brought magic into our world. Her Harry Potter books expanded the minds of younger generations almost in the same way that baking soda expands baked goods. R.L. Stine has written hundreds of books with a dash of horror and humor, and cookies always need a dash of salt. Ronald Dahl was a big part of many children’s childhoods. Looking back, we can remember being read his stories, and those memories are as sweet as chocolate! And Edgar Allen Poe was as nutty as walnuts. There . . . I said it.

What about the sprinkles, you ask? Well, the sprinkles represent the most important and best part: YOU!

QUESTIONS: What do you do when your writing insecurities get the better of you? Do you love cookies? What’s your favorite?

Mine is a pumpkin white chocolate chip cookie I make every year near Halloween. :) One reason I didn't use this recipe is because I wouldn't have been able to decide which author would represent pumpkin puree. :P