(In case anyone's interested, it's still raining!)Last night, it was my turn to cook dinner. With my domestic menu severely limited, it usually comes down to chicken, chicken, pasta or chicken. Last night I decided to go crazy and mix pasta with chicken!
I was so busy dealing with the errant chicken that I forget to give my bubbling penne a little stir. When it came time to drain the water, the liquid whooshed out leaving... about 70 per cent of the penne clumped together to the bottom of the pot. Not good.
Naturally, whilst scraping glumpy pasta off the pot, my thoughts turned to writing. Do my thoughts stick together when I forget to stir things up? Sitting in my chair, day after day, am I getting... stale? (Um, YES!) What can I do to mix things up a bit, besides streaking to Harrods and spending my £10 on one luxury biscuit?
Usually, when I find my own noodle is getting glumpy (not a word, I know, but it's just so descriptive!), I go for a walk or a run. Fresh air just makes me feel alive again, and getting out into the real world puts everything else in perspective. And there's always coffee to get me stimulated.
How do you stir your noodle?
Pasta and chicken?! You are crazy! lol!
ReplyDeleteI love the way your mind works :)
I don't know what I do to stir myself up, but I think those little brainstorming bubble things, help me a lot. But running of course is the best:)
Talli, you remind me of me. I usually burn the pasta, and I generally think of writing afterwards. (I think of writing no matter what I'm doing.) I also enjoy walking, fresh air, and a bit of sunshine to get my brain working again. I really enjoy your blog!
ReplyDeleteDefinitely walking here too. It's so much more than just walking, it's observing, listening, contemplating, thinking. Sometimes taking pictures helps me get a different perspective on something I'm writing, too.
ReplyDeleteI love pasta and chicken and I like my pasta al dente. I also like walking. Fresh air and sunshine? Good stuff. :)
ReplyDeleteLOL. Only you could look at overcooked pasta and go, 'hm, this is like writing...'
ReplyDeletei like to see a good movie or read a good book.
ReplyDeleteOR, depending on the season, play some paintball. Nothing gets me zazzed up more than shooting my friends with painful balls filled with paint!
Hehe! I'm obsessed with food and writing - my two favourite things. They're connected in my brain!
ReplyDeleteFresh air is definitely a good thing. And I like Joanne's idea of taking photos!
Hi
ReplyDeleteThere's an even crazier recipe on the BBC recipe site...cheesy noodles. Yep. Cheese on chinse noodles.
I kid you not.
:-)
Anyway - I find playing with the cat - well ok teasing him with his favourite dangly toy - really helps clear my mind! Well it makes me laugh anyway.
I hope your pasta and chicken turned out ok!
Take care
x
I take a shower, usually. I do some of my best thinking in the shower, generally while shaving my legs. Seems they're always needing a shave, so the extra steam time helps me think.
ReplyDeleteIf I don't take a shower, then I usually go sit outside in the sun, walk around, look at pretty stuff, etc. Drink a beer, depending on the time of day.
I love pasta and chicken together too, and like Sarah, I also like mind al dente.
Al dente is the way to go! I like it that way, too.
ReplyDeleteOld Kitty - it was edible. That's about all you can ask for when I'm cooking!
Hey, I thought noodles were supposed to cook that way. I just cut mine with a knife. ;)
ReplyDeleteI stir my noodle with some serious people watching.
I vacuum or otherwise clean house. It really helps unstick my brain noodles.
ReplyDeleteMuch like KarenG cleaning helps clear my head. NO IDEA WHY!
ReplyDeleteBy the way - you crack me up!
Visit MY Kingdom Anytime
I get up from where I'm sitting and make tea. Failing that, I read or watch something very good that's totally unlike what I write.
ReplyDeleteBrilliant post btw :D
As long as it's somewhat edible, I say you did a fantastic job on the noodles (much better than I). As far as stirring my own noodle, I like to walk my dog. It's a good cover so that people don't call me the crazy lady who talks to herself.
ReplyDeleteI like to swim, and try to go a few times a week at least. I have an mp3 player that attaches to my goggles, so I can even swim to music. If I put on my writing playlist, while I'm swimming, it totally clears my head and gets me thinking about my story. Not only that, but it makes the swimming effortless. lol.
ReplyDeletePasty noodles and writing? I love it!
ReplyDeleteI USED to play guitar to clear my head, but I haven't picked it up for a while casue I've been obsessed with my book. Thanks, Talli, you've reminded me to mix things up a bit ;)
ReplyDeleteNice to see someone living life on the edge with the crazy pasta & chicken combo, I'm not brave enough!!!
ReplyDeleteI love how you compare writing and food together! It's brilliant and I pay attention for much longer! I love to go for a run or just get outside and breathe for a minute, it gives me a whole new outlook on life for sure! Excellent for ideas!
I stir my noodle by gardening or having a bath filled with LUSH.
ReplyDeleteI do that with my spaghetti, too! A walk does the trick, or a drive. Sometimes I have to let the ideas "simmer" before they go on the page as well. :)
ReplyDeleteJen, I know, chicken and pasta - true craziness!
ReplyDeleteKaren, I like the cleaning thing. If I can't cook, maybe I can do some laundry to make up for it...
I love the way writers can find a connection between any other subject and writing. How do I stir my noodle? Sit quietly in a chair and let my mind wander -- which is why I often have glumpy noodles.
ReplyDeleteAh yes, coffee. That often gets me motivated.
ReplyDeleteann
Mmmm... Pasta... That sounds so good right now. I can't even concentrate on writing this comment...
ReplyDeleteAhem.
And glumpy totally should be a word.
I will never again look at pasta without thinking of writing.
ReplyDeleteWalking clears the cobwebs for me that and a hot lavender bath.
oh whew! I'm so glad you told me about the rain! I was going crazy wondering about it!
ReplyDeleteLOL, I always find that taking the dogs for a hike stirs my noodle, so to speak. And incidentally, the dogs also like noodles.
ReplyDeleteTawna
Glumpy works for me. I think I need to unglump my own noodle--I just finished a second draft and it's time to reacquaint myself with the outdoors.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately I've been stirring my noodle more than sitting and writing. And glumpy sounds like a perfectly fine word to me!
ReplyDeleteHi - this is my first time on your blog. It's so readable & I love your banner graphic/tagline.
ReplyDelete"Do my thoughts stick together when I forget to stir things up?" Excellent question! I usually stir my noodle with a walk on the beach if I'm stuck & a mocha if I'm wiped out.