Comments on: A Pancake Maker’s Guide To Writing Well http://confidentwriting.com/2008/02/a-pancake-maker/ Because our words count Thu, 09 Sep 2010 17:21:57 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=abc By: Joanna Young http://confidentwriting.com/2008/02/a-pancake-maker/comment-page-1/#comment-1381 Joanna Young Thu, 07 Feb 2008 18:42:45 +0000 http://confidentwriting.com/?p=320#comment-1381 Hi Cynthia Thank you for entering into the spirit of the pancake making analogy! You raise an interesting question, about what we choose to do with the sacrificial pancake... I guess it depends on the context for our writing. Your writing challenge has a particular format, and your colleagues are probably right, you need to keep posting and listen to and learn from the feedback. It'll be a hard task-master - but you'll become a better, stronger, more skillful pancake maker in the end. If you're writing in a public forum, for business, to get paid for an article... well sometimes the sacrificial pancake needs to be trashed...although hopefully we can still learn *something* from the experience while we scrape the gloop off the plate :-) Joanna Hi Cynthia

Thank you for entering into the spirit of the pancake making analogy!

You raise an interesting question, about what we choose to do with the sacrificial pancake… I guess it depends on the context for our writing. Your writing challenge has a particular format, and your colleagues are probably right, you need to keep posting and listen to and learn from the feedback. It’ll be a hard task-master – but you’ll become a better, stronger, more skillful pancake maker in the end.

If you’re writing in a public forum, for business, to get paid for an article… well sometimes the sacrificial pancake needs to be trashed…although hopefully we can still learn *something* from the experience while we scrape the gloop off the plate :-)

Joanna

]]> By: Cynthia Mueller http://confidentwriting.com/2008/02/a-pancake-maker/comment-page-1/#comment-1380 Cynthia Mueller Thu, 07 Feb 2008 16:26:10 +0000 http://confidentwriting.com/?p=320#comment-1380 Good morning, Joanna. I find that I am unable to accept the concept of the sacrificial pancake (with pancakes and writing). It sounds good when you say it, but I can't tell you how many awful pancakes I've gamely choked down in my stubbornness. This week on our Dickens Challenge I posted, perhaps too eagerly, an extra chapter that flowed a little too easily. Then I got a constructive comment from a friend and went back to take another look at this pancake. The "pancake" should have been sacrificed (rewritten), but I was too hungry and posted it anyway. I admitted my gaffe, and posted a response stating that I was going to toss the chapter and re-post this weekend. No dice...my fellow challengers have insisted that let it go and move forward in the spirit of the challenge. I reluctantly agreed. Today, I am standing next to the trash bin, staring at this big ugly pancake while my griddle waits for the next batch . . . and all I can think about is the big ugly mess on my plate. Good morning, Joanna. I find that I am unable to accept the concept of the sacrificial pancake (with pancakes and writing). It sounds good when you say it, but I can’t tell you how many awful pancakes I’ve gamely choked down in my stubbornness. This week on our Dickens Challenge I posted, perhaps too eagerly, an extra chapter that flowed a little too easily. Then I got a constructive comment from a friend and went back to take another look at this pancake.

The “pancake” should have been sacrificed (rewritten), but I was too hungry and posted it anyway. I admitted my gaffe, and posted a response stating that I was going to toss the chapter and re-post this weekend. No dice…my fellow challengers have insisted that let it go and move forward in the spirit of the challenge. I reluctantly agreed.

Today, I am standing next to the trash bin, staring at this big ugly pancake while my griddle waits for the next batch . . . and all I can think about is the big ugly mess on my plate.

]]> By: Joanna Young http://confidentwriting.com/2008/02/a-pancake-maker/comment-page-1/#comment-1379 Joanna Young Thu, 07 Feb 2008 09:28:09 +0000 http://confidentwriting.com/?p=320#comment-1379 Hi everyone Such a pleasure to wake up to all these lovely comments! @ Sylvia, thank you. It was fun looking about for pancake making tips (I learned something there too!) and then trying to find a way to apply them to the writing craft @ Amy The sacrificial pancake was the key concept to me too. I think you've hit the nail on the head here : "Being kind enough to yourself and permitting yourself a sacrificial pancake actually goes a long way to getting some words on the page which are genuine keepers." @ Sarah S aha! you are clearly already a more experienced pancake maker than the rest of us! @ Michele thank you :-) As I said to you before these food posts are really fun to do - it's like letting my more creative side come out to play. And I never know what she's going to come up with! @ Deb, well there you go, you're not alone, in writing, pancake making... or anything else for that matter :-) Joanna Hi everyone

Such a pleasure to wake up to all these lovely comments!

@ Sylvia, thank you. It was fun looking about for pancake making tips (I learned something there too!) and then trying to find a way to apply them to the writing craft

@ Amy The sacrificial pancake was the key concept to me too. I think you’ve hit the nail on the head here :

“Being kind enough to yourself and permitting yourself a sacrificial pancake actually goes a long way to getting some words on the page which are genuine keepers.”

@ Sarah S aha! you are clearly already a more experienced pancake maker than the rest of us!

@ Michele thank you :-) As I said to you before these food posts are really fun to do – it’s like letting my more creative side come out to play. And I never know what she’s going to come up with!

@ Deb, well there you go, you’re not alone, in writing, pancake making… or anything else for that matter :-)

Joanna

]]> By: Deb @ Three Weddings http://confidentwriting.com/2008/02/a-pancake-maker/comment-page-1/#comment-1378 Deb @ Three Weddings Thu, 07 Feb 2008 03:45:34 +0000 http://confidentwriting.com/?p=320#comment-1378 Hmmm, think I'll make pancakes tomorrow. I love all these tips, especially #3. What a fun way to make a point. I thought I was the only one who had the sacrificial pancake. :) Hmmm, think I’ll make pancakes tomorrow. I love all these tips, especially #3. What a fun way to make a point. I thought I was the only one who had the sacrificial pancake. :)

]]> By: Michele L. Tune - Writing the Cyber Highway http://confidentwriting.com/2008/02/a-pancake-maker/comment-page-1/#comment-1377 Michele L. Tune - Writing the Cyber Highway Thu, 07 Feb 2008 00:41:43 +0000 http://confidentwriting.com/?p=320#comment-1377 You'll always get people's attention by talking about food - how clever, you are! I really enjoy your food-related writing posts. They're awesome! And you always squeeze in so much advice and so many tips. :-) Smiles, Michele You’ll always get people’s attention by talking about food – how clever, you are!

I really enjoy your food-related writing posts. They’re awesome! And you always squeeze in so much advice and so many tips. :-)

Smiles,
Michele

]]> By: Sarah Stewart http://confidentwriting.com/2008/02/a-pancake-maker/comment-page-1/#comment-1376 Sarah Stewart Wed, 06 Feb 2008 22:28:35 +0000 http://confidentwriting.com/?p=320#comment-1376 We always have family fights over who doesn't get the sacrificial pancake - I always try to palm it off on the kids because it is usually too fatty and stodgy! We always have family fights over who doesn’t get the sacrificial pancake – I always try to palm it off on the kids because it is usually too fatty and stodgy!

]]> By: amypalko http://confidentwriting.com/2008/02/a-pancake-maker/comment-page-1/#comment-1375 amypalko Wed, 06 Feb 2008 22:03:54 +0000 http://confidentwriting.com/?p=320#comment-1375 I love the sacrificial pancake point! A couple of years ago, I read Annie Lamot's Bird By Bird, in which she talks about shitty first drafts, and that just really appealed to me. I can get so hung up on needing my first draft to be perfect that the project can become completely crippled. Being kind enough to yourself and permitting yourself a sacrificial pancake actually goes a long way to getting some words on the page which are genuine keepers. Great post, and a lovely podcast, Joanna! I love the sacrificial pancake point! A couple of years ago, I read Annie Lamot’s Bird By Bird, in which she talks about shitty first drafts, and that just really appealed to me. I can get so hung up on needing my first draft to be perfect that the project can become completely crippled. Being kind enough to yourself and permitting yourself a sacrificial pancake actually goes a long way to getting some words on the page which are genuine keepers.
Great post, and a lovely podcast, Joanna!

]]> By: Sylvia C. http://confidentwriting.com/2008/02/a-pancake-maker/comment-page-1/#comment-1374 Sylvia C. Wed, 06 Feb 2008 19:28:21 +0000 http://confidentwriting.com/?p=320#comment-1374 What a wonderful post. I learned some great tips for pancake mixing, and I love how creative you made this comparison best, Sylvia C. What a wonderful post. I learned some great tips for pancake mixing, and I love how creative you made this comparison

best,

Sylvia C.

]]> By: Joanna Young http://confidentwriting.com/2008/02/a-pancake-maker/comment-page-1/#comment-1373 Joanna Young Wed, 06 Feb 2008 16:52:36 +0000 http://confidentwriting.com/?p=320#comment-1373 Hi Brad The history and origins of these things is fascinating indeed. I fear that most of us nowadays enjoy eating the pancakes but don't go for the other part of the equation and give things up for lent! I was interested to learn the phrase Fat Tuesday yesterday - it was the first time I heard it. Made a good change from all that "Super" stuff I was hearing about too :-) Joanna Hi Brad

The history and origins of these things is fascinating indeed. I fear that most of us nowadays enjoy eating the pancakes but don’t go for the other part of the equation and give things up for lent!

I was interested to learn the phrase Fat Tuesday yesterday – it was the first time I heard it. Made a good change from all that “Super” stuff I was hearing about too :-)

Joanna

]]> By: Brad Shorr http://confidentwriting.com/2008/02/a-pancake-maker/comment-page-1/#comment-1372 Brad Shorr Wed, 06 Feb 2008 13:54:46 +0000 http://confidentwriting.com/?p=320#comment-1372 Hi Joanna, thank you for the mouth watering post! In my neck of the woods we call it Fat Tuesday. We learned in church last Sunday that in the old days in Europe, people would give up eggs and flour for Lent, so they'd use all those ingredients up on Fat Tuesday by making pancakes. That tradition may have come from the Jewish tradition of removing leavened bread from the home prior to Passover. All this has nothing to do with writing but I thought it was interesting. Hi Joanna, thank you for the mouth watering post! In my neck of the woods we call it Fat Tuesday. We learned in church last Sunday that in the old days in Europe, people would give up eggs and flour for Lent, so they’d use all those ingredients up on Fat Tuesday by making pancakes. That tradition may have come from the Jewish tradition of removing leavened bread from the home prior to Passover. All this has nothing to do with writing but I thought it was interesting.

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