Recipe for a Beautiful Book (Journal 29)

He turns to the first page and instantly the tower and the sky, the desert and his very breath, his very heartbeat are snatched away and he is inside the book...the most beautiful book he has ever read” (from Keith Miller's The Book of Flying, p. 253).

Recipe for a Beautiful Book

Ingredients:

1 round, dynamic character

½ cup vivid verbs

¼ cup point of view

1 ¼ cup vibrant setting

¼ teaspoon motivation

1 ½ cup conflict

3 recurring motifs

2 pinches mood

¼ cup unsweetened symbols

1 dash atmosphere

4 tablespoons suspense

2 cups figurative language, firmly packed

1 climax, well stirred

1 cup semisweet stock characters

½ cup melted resolution (be sure to trim all loose ends)

12 archetypes, crushed

3 teaspoons tone extract

¼ cup witty dialogue

2 tablespoons allusion

Topping:

½ cup whipping theme

1 ½ cups fresh ideas, rinsed and thoroughly dried

a sprinkling of finely chopped metaphor

Baking Instructions:

   1. Heat oven to 350°F (175°C). Parchment or wax paper line and grease a 12-inch round baking pan.

   2. In a medium bowl, mix together round dynamic character, vivid verbs, point of view, motivation, and conflict. Set aside.

   3. In a medium saucepan, melt recurring motifs , mood, unsweetened symbols, and atmosphere over low heat. Remove from heat. Stir in suspense, figurative language and climax. Add semisweet stock characters, blending well. Stir in melted resolution, crushed archetypes, tone, dialogue, and allusion.  Add to mixture in bowl.  Blend well.

   4. Spread mixture in prepared pan.

   5. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until wooden pick inserted into center comes out with moist crumbs. Cool in pan on wire rack for 15 minutes. Invert onto wire rack; remove parchment or wax paper. Turn right side up; cool completely.

   6. In a small bowl, beat whipping theme until stiff peaks form. Spread over top of cake and top with fresh ideas and metaphor. Refrigerate until serving time.

Makes 1 entertaining read.