Writing is like making cookies...

Now yes, the title of today's blog is a bold and possibly rabble rousing statement. How can I compare cookies to writing a novel?! Well, it could be that I’ve blown out my last brain cells during the great cookie baking week-end of 2012.

Or I may have a point. ;)

Let’s start with cookies (always a great place to start ;)). I make a lot of different types, most all have folks for whom THAT cookie is their favorite. But they don’t all agree. What one person loves in my frosted pumpkin spice cookies, another may find too sweet.

So which person is “right”?

Both.

Cookie taste is subjective, I like all the cookies I make to varying degrees or I wouldn’t make them. I do use my friends as litmus tests- if everyone finds a cookie too sweet, or too something not good- I’ll modify that cookie recipe. But if person A loves them, person B thinks they are too sweet, and person C likes them but likes a different cookie from my collection better- I don’t change the recipe.

I make my cookies to the best of my ability- over the years I’ve created and modified recipes to suit my tastes. I am the first consumer of the cookies- if I don’t like them, others won’t either. But you are never going to have a cookie that EVERYONE universally loves.

Cookies are subjective.

And writing is subjective.

Ah, you knew I’d get back to the point—right? ;)

As writers the ONLY things we must do are to keep writing and to keep learning our craft. We can’t worry about making everyone who sees our work love it- that simply won’t happen.

All we can do is make the best cookies—er, books— that we can and keep an eye out for an ‘everyone hates the same thing’ mark. Otherwise, take feedback with a grain of salt, if it feels right to you- make the change. But don’t change every little thing because one person didn’t like it.

Believe in yourself.

Believe in your writing.

Don’t give up.

And make lots of cookies! J