Released in October 2022, I ordered Amy Wallen‘s new book, How to Write a Novel in 20 Pies, Sweet and Savory Secrets for Surviving the Writing Life, as soon as I heard about it. Alas, I made it through the entire holiday season without picking it up and here it is, the end of January, and I finally had a chance to read it. Maybe your resolutions (the ones that made it past the first few days of January, that is) are starting to crumble faster than day-old cake and you, like me, feel the need for a little bit of mid-winter inspiration.
The Need for Completion
What captured my attention about Wallen’s book, wonderfully illustrated by Emil Wilson, whose contribution includes more than 200 full-color drawings, was what she said about completion in an interview. (I’ve racked my brain and can’t remember where I saw this interview, unfortunately, but it was enough to get me to buy the book so kudos to whoever it was.) And in Chapter 2, “Pie as Saving Grace,” she addresses the issue of frustration when it comes to drafting a novel. I’m dealing with this even now as I write, so what Wallen said made my ears perk up. We often get mired down in our own books and projects, so much so that you, like me, may wonder whether you’ll ever be able to say you have a finished draft, or finished anything.
Once I was reassured that I could complete something creative, I’d eat it up and then I would, and could, get back to work
How to Write a Novel in 20 Pies, page 17
Suffering from extreme frustration, Wallen turned to baking to “relieve [her] tortured mind.” Baking a pie was a creative endeavor she could start and finish in a short amount of time. Finishing the creation of a pie was what reassured her that, sooner or later, she would finish the book she was working on. It gave her a way to put “THE END” on something quickly, which is something that can’t happen with writing a novel.
I wouldn’t say my mind is particularly tortured but I can definitely relate to the idea that writing a book feels never-ending. I like the idea of having a short, self-contained project, something not connected to writing, either, that can get me away from the desk when I feel like it’s just not happening.
Practical Advice, Inspiration and…Recipes
I’ve never made a pie crust from scratch before and had to look up what Wallen meant by “leaf lard.” I’m not sure I’ll go the handmade route on the crusts right this minute, or that I can even find leaf lard (or would want to), but the twenty recipes all sound delicious. There’s enough variety to please everyone. I could barely contain my joy when I saw that she has a recipe for a carnitas and Hatch green chile savory pie, and that “chile” was spelled correctly. Granted, my joy at discovering this particular recipe was due more to the correct spelling since I’ve never had or even heard of a carnitas pie, but now that I’ve run across this recipe, I will certainly try it.
Other mouth-watering recipes include peach pie, artichoke pie, and cherry pie. Lemon meringue pie makes an appearance, as does chicken pot pie, with its accompanying hilarious drawings of chickens talking about being cliché. Woven throughout the practical advice related to writing your book, finding an agent, and publishing your book, the recipes themselves are sure to inspire the creation of other pies (and other books?).
The only downside to the hard copy of the book, and this is not really a downside, is that I love this book so much that I would never take it anywhere near the kitchen. I wouldn’t want to ruin the pages! I will have to take photos of the pages and use my tablet to do the actual baking. The second downside would be my lack of self-control when it comes to eating the pies. With only two of us in our household, I can see having a serious “pie butt,” as Wallen calls it, if I follow the “Eat Pie Here” icons too often.
Butt in Chair
As with a lot of other inspiring books for writers, Wallen emphasizes perseverance. One of my writing instructors told us on the first day of class that writing a novel is probably the hardest thing you’ll ever do, and Wallen echoes this. You can’t finish something you don’t start or continue to work on, and my favorite drawing in the book emphasizes the need to write every day, even when you “want to set the world on fire.” But other than sticking to the rule of writing every day, Wallen doesn’t take a tough love approach to this. She leaves plenty of room for baking – and eating – pies. Really, the only difficult thing is having to decide which pie I’ll make first.
For more writing inspiration, check out other recent posts.
Sign up for my occasional newsletter, Pulling at Threads.