09 February 2006

The Return of Cake Jones

I admit that I lost my desire—not for cake but for writing about cake. My first semester at school didn't meet my expectations for a combination of reasons in and out of my control. But that is a waterbath under the cheesecake, so to speak.

I have just returned from Asheville, North Carollina (see the pictures) with a renewed sense of purpose, place, and thing. I am [noun]; hear me [verb].

Joe Mackall, my mentor this semester, has suggested that I write 300 words in the next four months. This is four pages a day, by my calculations. And with all the other things I need to do (and wish to do), it's undoable. But I'll have to work on my ability to churn out the words willy nilly, without regard for structure and order. I'll have to channel some of Ann Lamott's courage to "write a shitty first draft," one that no one's going to read.

And so I've begun to put my interview notes into prose.

Meanwhile, I have several things warming in the oven. First, comedian Jim Gaffigan (gaffe again?) has a standup routine based on cake, something my husband saw on Comedy Central while I was in Asheville. I'm trying to secure an interview with him, either by phone or e-mail or in person when he hits DC in April.

Second, I'm hoping to interview a man who gives all the town's bakers their start, a man even my first interviewee could say nothing nasty about (a feat, let me tell you).

Third, I'm looking forward to the Joy of cake when my friend, Brownie, comes for a visit and we have crabcakes at Kocos and real cakes at my sister's 40th birthday.

Lots of events on the horizon. I hope you'll stay tuned. Oh, and for a tidbit too big to leave on the cake blog alone, check out A Doggy's Life.

4 comments:

Jane said...

Welcome back, Ms. Jones, you've been missed.

4 pages a day seems a lot to me, too. You'll do what you can, sometimes more, sometimes less. And then, someday, you'll turn around and say...

"woof".

Oh, no, you'll say "Holy CRAP! I just wrote a book!!"

And then I'll read it.

The end.

fuquinay said...

LOL. I just noticed you answered something in your profile with, "Because a vest has no sleeves." That's one of my all-time favorite jokes.

I wrote 5,000 words today!!!!!! Sixteen pages!!!!!!

MsC said...

You know, the guy in The Shining did that too...did you write more than "All work and no play..."

;-)

Brownie said...

Cake, mmm, good.

Jane's right and smart too. Listen to her.

You didn't write about Jack being a dull boy did you?