Cooking Up Something Good

I currently have a guilty-pleasure television show. I’ve seen the episodes on Netflix at least twice apiece, and I look forward to the latest episodes with great anticipation each week.

It’s not a crime drama (networks have beaten that genre, which I never liked anyway, to the ground). It’s not a sitcom (nothing can hold a candle to the classics). It’s not Big Brother (I can’t even . . .).

It’s the Great British Baking Show.

STOP LAUGHING. It’s a delightful program, and I have noticed many parallels to the writing journey within it.

–The judges, Paul Hollywood and Mary Berry (I’m not making that up—those are their real names), are tough but fair. If a cake is undercooked, Paul will point it out. Mary will call out a pie with a “soggy bottom.”

Good editors will also be tough but fair, pointing out underdeveloped plots, problems with flow, and tiny technical errors that creep through. At the end of the day, they’re doing their job to make our writing better. Don’t we all want that?

Like Paul and Mary, editors are also free with praise when they find something they like. Getting a handshake from Paul when he tastes something good is the ultimate compliment. Mary is fond of branding certain treats as “scrummy.” It’s a happy moment when an editor truly likes something we have written.

Now, if an editor starts complaining about a soggy bottom, that’s another story . . . but I have received comments about my “saggy middle.”

–The contestants help each other. This one fascinates me. Even though it is a competition with big stakes, the bakers on the show are generally nice, everyday people who regularly come to each other’s rescue. They are quick to offer a word of encouragement or a gentle hug to each other when needed.

Shouldn’t we, as writers, be that way? Sure, we might be competing for the same readers, but we are all in this thing together. I could not make it without the support of my fellow writers, who cheer me on and even cheer me up when I need it most. I know if I needed someone to lend a helping hand with my leaning multi-flavored eclair tower, a writer friend would jump right in there.

–The contestants’ individuality comes through at every step. Even in the technical round, when the competitors have to bake the exact same thing from limited directions, each person’s final product is unique. One of my favorite contestants, Frances, was often criticized for her fanciful bakes, decorated to the hilt according to thoughtful, creative themes each time out. Other contestants go for a simpler approach, with limited extras.

God made each of us writers to be unique, with a voice all our own. Some of us write fancy, exquisite prose, while others prefer to keep it simple. I can’t write like you anymore than you can write like me—and would we really want to do that?

–Hosts Mel and Sue provide comic relief amidst the tension of competition. Their puns and funny asides keep the show rolling in a breezy, enjoyable manner. The two funny ladies prove to be a perfect foil for the serious judges, and their banter often puts the nervous contestants at ease.

What more can I say? Don’t we need some humor in our writing? Even if you’re dealing with serious subject matter, lightening up now and then can help your readers. I know, I know, I lighten up all the time, but that’s who I am.

Even with all of these similarities with the Great British Baking Show and the writing process, there is one noticeable difference: I don’t think anyone reading this blog writes in a big ol’ white tent on the grounds of a pristine estate in the British countryside. But, hey, it could happen.

Maybe I’ll head out to the tent to write something . . . and to enjoy a scrummy snack.