Three Things from the First Week of November
Thinking, Riffing, Improvising
What I’m Writing…
It’s been about three weeks since I got my agent’s notes on my new manuscript (and the great relief that she loves it). Her notes—as always—are brilliant and thoughtful, mostly involving strengthening the opening and clarifying a plot point. Since I read her email—which I read six or eight times—I’ve gone on a road trip around Andalusia, given a presentation at the Rhode Island Children’s Book Festival, taught for four days in Lubec, Maine, seen two Off Broadway shows, been on a panel at the Boston Book Festival, celebrated my niece’s 50th birthday, and spoke to prospective students at Salve Regina University about the low residency Newport MFA.
What I haven’t done is write or revise. That’s not because I’ve been busy; it’s because letting my agent’s suggestions sit for a while, allowing myself to mull them over, and work through possible ideas is—for me—the best way to revise. I suggest you try this too: rather than immediately implement changes, wait at least two weeks. It’s incredible how different and exciting revision is when you don’t jump right in.
Hmmm…I think this works when you’re getting ready to revise your life too.
What I’m knitting…
Remember that Crowberry sweater I started a while ago, only to discover I’d twisted a stitch way back at the beginning?
Well, when I did the event in Bryant Park for The Stolen Child last summer, to my great delight Carol Fitzgerald, founder and president of the Book Reporter Network was there. Carol is a fantastic knitter, and when I told her the rookie mistake I’d made, she gave me great advice.
“Don’t join your stitches for six or eight rows. Then it’s easier to connect them later without twisting.”
Brilliant, Carol! Why had I never thought of that?
There’s something else that I’m doing that’s not in the pattern. Thanks to The Grocery Girls YouTube podcast, I am not knitting the hem in a different size needle than the body, hoping this gives a looser fit.
And there’s more! I decided not to have the shaped back the pattern calls for and am just knitting it without short rows.
My heart pounds at all this riffing. I am a rule follower! What is going on here?
What I’m thinking about…
Not only am I rule follower, I’m also a recipe follower. Once, Michael and I were both cooking at a friend’s house. Michael was making stuffies, the Rhode Island specialty of quahogs stuffed with the quahog itself, breadcrumbs, onion, typically chorizo or bacon, and sometimes even corn. I was making orecchiette with sausage and broccoli rabe. The recipe I use for that has no onion. However, Michael came over to where I was cooking with his chef’s knife lined with chopped onions, and said: “I don’t need these so I’ll just put them in your pasta dish.” I stopped him from tossing them in. “This recipe does not have onions!” “Says who?” Michael—trained cook, recipe writer, innovator—asked. “Says Italy!” I told him. Also: I was strictly following the recipe.
Yet, just a month or so ago, when neither of my local grocery stores had broccoli rabe, I decided to change the recipe up and use regular broccoli. It was delicious!
Last night, Michael and I were both so excited to have a night at home at last. Feeling autumnal, I offered to make a dish that caught my eye in the NYT cooking newsletter: Craig Claiborne’s smothered chicken. My type A self not only checked Wirecutter’s picks for best store bought chicken stock because we didn’t have any homemade, but I even watched a video of Sam Sifton making the dish to better understand the instructions about weighting stuff on top of the chicken.
However, as I was making the recipe, I realized that it called for basically making gravy out of the chicken drippings, flour, and chicken broth. It just so happens that my father made the absolute best gravy. He made it for pork roast, chicken fried steak, and fried or roasted chicken. His secret was to add cream or milk to the drippings, flour, and broth. So instead of using a cup and a half of broth—as the recipe called for—I used one cup of broth and half a cup of half-and-half, which is what we had in the fridge.
Served over rice, with fresh peas on the side, this was hands-down one of my culinary triumphs. All thanks to Craig Claiborne, my father, and me stepping outside of a box.
And also…
As you can tell, revising is on my mind. My novel. My knitting pattern. My recipes.
About eight or nine years ago, at the age of almost sixty, I made the huge decision to revise my life. I got divorced. I moved from the 1792 Colonial house where for twenty years I’d lived on a pretty street in a historic neighborhood to a sprawling industrial loft in a gritty part of town. And I took a chance on falling in love again. This was the best revision I’ve ever done.
Friends, I know that revision can be terrifying. But whether in writing or knitting or cooking or life, please trust me, it is worth it.
PS…
I’ve got lots of opportunities for you to study writing with me coming up.
On November 17, at 8PM EST, I am doing an online class on “Finding the Story that is Growing in Your Heart” as part of the terrific Five Things I’ve Learned About series. Click the link to register for this two hour class.
And even though my street looks like this right now…
…2025 is coming at us! I’m happy to let you know all of the fabulous places I’ll be teaching, in the hopes that you can join me somewhere.
January 18-25 Writers in Paradise, St. Petersburg, FL
February 12-16 San Miguel Writers’ Conference and Literary Festival, San Miguel, Mexico
May 20-30, Dingle Writers Workshop, Dingle, Ireland
June 8-13 Come to Your Senses Writing Retreat, Collioure, France
June 30-July 7 Maine Media Workshop, Rockland, Maine
July 14-18 Truro Center for the Arts at Castle Hill, Truro, MA
And…
I’ll leave you with this image. My niece Melissa didn’t see the Northern Lights when she went to Iceland. But she saw them in her own backyard. In Boston.
Be ready for surprises everywhere.
As always, thanks for reading. Until I see you again in a couple weeks, what how will you surprise yourself? What new things will you try?
I never take Kitchen Yarns off the shelf near by kitchen work space. It's filled w the most wonderful inspiration. I too revised by life, a little before you and Michael. My "Michael" is my husband, Charlie, and all I can say is we are two extremely lucky women. Love happens!
Thanks so much for sharing your life with us. And the idea of revision, re-mapping. I think (hope) it keeps us young!