Thanks so very much to the marvelous Jean Levy for sharing with us her 5 perfect ingredients for making a book- on similar lines to the classic UK tv show, beloved of uni stiudents,Ready Steady Cook!
Oh boy are you in for a treat, this was a pure delight to read and I remain grateful to the wonderful authors who have taken this simple idea and stamped their unique writer-ly talent all over it!
I suppose this is by way of a confession. But here goes, my top five book-making ingredients:
First and foremost is PROCRASTINATION. I’ve practised this my entire life, from homework finished on the school bus to all-nighters cobbling together Power Point presentations and more recently the next draft. And over the years, my excuses for putting off the writing have become truly magnificent: reclassifying the genus Mentha, learning to play the Bodhrán (failed project), saving the planet.
Of course, throughout this putting-off period there’s always CONTEMPLATION, that essential process of mental preparation,
conceiving the plot, recruiting characters, rehearsing their dialogue. There are two main opportunities for this: whilst driving and whilst lying awake, unable to fall asleep. The disadvantage of both these scenarios is that by the time I get to where I’m going, or by the time I wake up, I’ve frequently forgotten all the good ideas. So, my car floor is littered with notes scribbled down at traffic lights and my bedtime book is usually desecrated with ideas written down without turning the light on.
But eventually, filled with self-loathing about the procrastination, I write. And the most essential pre-requisite for this is SILENCE. I’ve never been able to listen to two things at the same time so, if I’m to write, I have to listen to the words in my head. Not only the played-out dialogue, but all of it, as if I’m hearing the narrative as it emerges. That might be weird and might explain why doing my homework on the school bus was not an ideal strategy, but it’s necessary. This is not to say that a bit of background noise hinders me: the drone of the plane engines when everyone else is asleep, seagulls, gale-force winds, tinnitus can be ignored. But no way can I write against music. Because I just start listening to it. Favourite silent places are a hot bath infused with Seaweed and Arnica (which I’m convinced increases circulation to my brain) or after midnight in my writer’s garret with nothing to distract me but those strangely insomniac seagulls.
As far as chaos is concerned, clutter doesn’t bother me. This contrasts radically with my husband not being able to write anything until he’s hoovered and tidied his sock drawer. In fact, my ability to write surrounded by stuff really annoys him so it’s best if he’s in a different room. In truth, I’m happier writing when I’m ON MY OWN, anticipating imaginary readers and pausing briefly to grapple with the Guardian Cryptic Crossword. I used to like my cats around me, silent and encouraging, looking up briefly to follow some invisible something across the room. But a couple of years ago the last of our cat dynasty was run over by a shooting party on quad bikes so no more feline encouragement and, this year, a plague of fearless voles running about under the table.
Oh yes, COFFEE. That keeps me focussed. But mostly my staples are PROSECCO and CASHEWS. The prosecco also increases circulation to my brain, although as the winter draws near, my preference turns to a good South African Pinotage. The cashews are an all-year choice – to be consumed with care since the little bits in the bottom of the bag clog up the keypad.
And there we have it!
I don’t know about you but I completely loved this-Jean’s book, ‘What Was Lost’, is out now from Dome Press and you can find them on Twitter @JeanELevy and @DomePress
As is my want, here is a recipe combining Jean’s mention of coffee and cashews-https://pinchofyum.com/cashew-coffee
Also, one of my faves from the Good Food website, Prosecco Cake!
Author
bridgeman.lenny@gmail.com