girl fight?
a lemon tart you can trust, words to scrub from your writing, and why we should embrace curiosity
I love it when you:
hey-ho,
I was chatting with a pal the other morning and I don’t recall how or why (most likely current events) but, as one does, we got on the subject of evil men. We were not talking about the beloved, capacious hearted men we all have in our lives, partners, sons, uncles, neighbors, cousins, and friends. We were talking world leaders, war mongers, greedy, perpetrators of violence, insecure, and frightened men who punch down rather than lift up. There was a moment of silence on the line, an exhale, and then we mentioned that we both know women who believe that the root of evil male behavior is a manipulative, ruthless, and cunning woman pulling the strings from behind. Okay, sure, Lady MacBeth is the poster girl for evil and manipulation, but let’s remember, she asks to be ‘unsexed’ in order to be as ruthless as possible.
Come you spirits/that tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here, and fill me from the crown to the toe top full of direst cruelty. Make thick my blood. - Act I. Scene iv. Line 41-44
Claire Underwood too is a sinister manipulator, as well as the IRL powerful wife of at least one Supreme Court Justice, Margaret Thatcher did well on her own, and yes, we’ve got good examples in Congress just now… plus this list.
But, come on, nearly always a woman behind the scenes?
And there aren’t many female mass-shooters. Right now Congress is looking at a bill to conscript female soldiers, so women aren’t lining up to join the military. As I mentioned to my friend, I remember in jr. high, (yes, I am that old, it was not called middle school…) the shrill and rare cry of “GIRL FIGHT!” ringing in the halls. It was a big deal because girls rarely fought. Everyone stampeded to the scene of the fight because the boys were hoping for a wardrobe malfunction! My pal and I were having a laugh about this truth, when her husband piped in (he was listening in, can you blame him?) “I was always hoping the fight would lead to kissing!”
I looked for a stock photo with the search language “girl fight in the schoolyard” and along with a picture of two kangaroos boxing and multiple women on the front lines for abortion rights, this is what populated! So much for girl fights.
Of course I’m not suggesting there aren’t evil women in the world and in art. In fact, I just put Claire Dederer’s book, MONSTERS in my TBR pile. Do you have favorite villainous female characters? Are they working behind a man, or doing the damage facing forward? Do tell! I’d love to read about them.
And, here’s an Evil Woman playlist:
read:
I’m reading some excellent examples of food writing and food in writing as preparation for a class I’ll be teaching. (See below!)
I’m thoroughly enjoying BITE BY BITE, from the delightful poet and speaker, Aimee Nezhukumatathil. The book is a memoir told in bite-sized essays. In an essay about Lumpia, the delicious Filipino finger food, tiny, crispy rolls filled with chicken or beef and chopped vegetables, fried and then dipped in sweet chili sauce, she drops in the meta phrases,
“This is not an essay that stays small and embarrassed.”
“This is not an essay that is ashamed.”
“This is a food essay that remembers jamboree.”
But of course, at first it is small and embarrassed, as Nezhukumatathil did not want her mother to serve the traditional food at her birthday party. She wanted pizza. The essay is about heritage and love. The book is full revelations about life and identity that come from food.
I’m also rereading, TENDER AT THE BONE, by Ruth Reichl, THE BEST AMERICAN FOOD WRITING, 2022, and HOME COOKING, from one of my favorites, Laurie Colwin, which is a book that I carry from my nightstand into the kitchen. Also, BELOVED, by Toni Morrison, for a scene in which a violent act is recounted while the speaker tries to divert her pain by making biscuits. Two poems, from Richard Blanco and Ross Gay, the story PET MILK, from Stuart Dybek, and LAROSE, from Louise Erdrich.
If you’ve got some favorite food writing for me, some favorite recipe inclusions (looking at you Nora Ephron), or a wonderful meal in literature, please LMK. Honestly, I would be so grateful!
For our next r.w.e. book group we are reading ELIGIBLE, by Curtis Sittenfeld, which of course is a re-telling of PRIDE AND PREJUDICE, by Jane Austen, which I’m pretty sure you have on your bookshelf. For extra credit, there is a fabulous PBS limited series of P&P with Colin Firth. As well as PRIDE AND PROTEST, by Nikki Payne, another retelling which I’ve not read but plan on diving in. It’s all meant to be fun for summer. We meet over zoom on 14 July from 9:30 - 11:00 pacific time. The book group is a perk for paid subscribers and let me tell you we are a lively bunch! Do consider joining. A paid subscription is a mere $5 a month, or the cost of one coffee!
Check my read.write.eat. Bookshop Store, where you will find many of the books I've recommended in the newsletter. Buying books from my shop is a way you can be a friend to the newsletter.
write:
A friend shared with me that she’s been deep into the final and supremely satisfying edits on her manuscript, spending many hours a day polishing sentences, making sure dialogue rings true, and removing duplicate, unwanted, and lazy words. This final act has been the best. She uses word search and pulls out words like these:
really, very: find stronger verbs or adjectives. For example, “He ate very quickly before the trial began.” can be, “He scarfed his lunch before he was called into the courtroom.”
that: If a sentence still makes sense after removing “that,” delete it. “This is the best cake that I’ve ever scarfed.” can be, “This is the best cake I’ve ever scarfed.”
just: too many justs can make your dialogue or prose repetitive, but sometimes I love… “Oh honey, just come home, please?”
totally, completely, absolutely, literally: no information is gained with the addition of these words. “I am literally out of patience.” reads the same as, “I have no more patience.”
definitely, certainly, probably, actually, basically, virtually: If the sentence makes sense without these words, definitely chuck them.
rather, quite, somewhat, somehow: a neighbor doesn’t have to be “rather delightful,” they can just be “delightful.”
wonder, ponder, think, thought, feel, felt, understand, realize: These words place a layer between the character and the thought, for example, “I wonder whether Desmond loves me.” can be, “Does Desmond love me?” Because it is written in first person, we know who is doing the thinking.
breath, breathe, inhale, exhale: These words… sheesh, they create a pause and I use them, but I fear with too much frequency. We must find another way to reveal characters’ internal landscapes. Breathe quickly, exhale sharply, I don’t know what to offer you… bit the inside of her cheek, licked her lips. The writer Janet Fitch recommends keeping a notebook near your TV and jotting down how actors portray their emotions through gesture and with their bodies. Also, you can try THE EMOTION THESAURUS. I confess to owning the THESAURUS OF THE SENSES and never using it. Maybe to my detriment?
fill in the blank________: what are your quirks? Once I used the word ‘wee’ all the time! I know, so ridiculous, as if I was suddenly some old Irish Nanny. You know your quirks! A book I recently read had the word tiny so many times I thought it should be a drinking game! Word search your quirk and then change it up.
Importantly, don’t beat yourself up about any of this. You did a great job getting the draft down. Now you get to fix it up.
Looking for a class to inspire you and keep you writing this summer? I have just a couple spots left!
Here’s the info on my one day workshop:
Briny cold oysters. Crisp and smoky bacon. Emulsified grease left in a frying pan on the stove overnight. A plate of pancakes or a slightly brown banana, all are concrete details that makes a reader's mirror neurons engage and enliven the writing. Food also carries cultural and status freight. Nourishment, or lack of, is an amazing way to learn about a character, a family. First dates and last meals carry heavy burdens that are perfect for stories. Join in here!
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eat:
I once had a grad-school friend who pushed me, not a girl fight, by pushed I mean she inspired me to strive harder, to be a more committed writer, a funnier and more creative parent, a better cook. I admired her and observed her closely, to the point of attempting this ridiculously difficult lemon tart. It was so complicated. Multiple times I ended up with lemony curdled eggs.
We lost touch. I gave up on her tart. Now I’ve found this one, so much easier and equally delicious. Sometimes the easiest route is best!
Meyer Lemon Tart
One pre-baked 8- or 9-inch (20-23cm) tart shell
1/2 c sugar
2 t cornstarch
Pinch of salt
Grated zest of 2 lemons, about 1 tablespoon
2 large eggs, at room temperature
2 large egg yolks
3/4 c freshly squeezed lemon juice (3-4 lemons)
4 T unsalted butter, at room temperature, cubed
2 T mild-tasting extra-virgin olive oil
In a medium saucepan, mix together the sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Grate in the lemon zest with a microplane. Using your fingertips, massage the ingredients together so the flavorful oils from the zest get infused into the sugar.
Whisk the eggs and egg yolks together in a small bowl, then whisk them into the ingredients in the saucepan, next whisk in the lemon juice, until smooth.
Cook the lemon filling mixture over low/med heat, stirring constantly with the whisk (to prevent lumps), until the mixture thickens and just starts to bubble. Immediately remove it from the heat and whisk in the butter until fully melted. Whisk in the olive oil until smooth.
Scrape the lemon filling into the prepared tart shell and refrigerate for 1 hour, until the filling is set.
Voila! Decorate with flower petals.
Stanley!
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xN
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