The Grilling Technique

This summer I discovered the magic of grilling. During July Book-in-a-Week (BIW), I realized how the basic principals of grilling fell in line with writing. Hopefully you will find this process beneficial two-fold.

Remove any ash in the grill basin that accumulated from your last grill-fest. Clear your mind and focus on this new venture.

Place coals at the bottom of the grill in a pyramid or log shape along with bits of paper and dry sticks. Light the coals, wait for the flames to die down and watch for the coals to turn white around the edges. The coals represent your original story concept. Those gems you write in an idea folder, or in my case, jot down on a napkin when lightning strikes.

Once you put your meat on the grill, there is no going back. Same goes for your story. This is like committing to a writing regime, like BIW.

Open the vent, place the lid back on the grill and walk away. Depending on the type of meat you are preparing, check on it every ten, twenty or thirty minutes. The important concept here for both grilling and writing is: trusting the process. Not so easy to do on some days. In writing terms, this most closely resembles BIC HAK TAM-ing (acronym for butt-in-chair-hands-on-keyboard-typing-away-madly) with the internal editor turned off.

Lastly, season to taste. This is when folks take meat off the grill and dress it up with pepper, salt, and maybe a small bowl of sauce to the side. For writers, it is when we turn the internal editor back on.

If you remember anything, be sure to let yourself write and give your fingers freedom to type away with whatever idea is on your mind. By the end you will have a fresh, exciting, well-written story. Or, in barbeque terms, a yummy culinary masterpiece.