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How To

How this Reluctant Plotter Learned to Plot

September 14, 2021 By Rachel Stedman

Panster – or Reluctant Plotter

True confession: I’m a pantser. I discover the plot of my novel by writing it – I am a very, very reluctant plotter.

This makes the writing process compelling; I never know what will happen next. However, it can also make the process extremely time-consuming. There’s been a few times that I’ve had to back up the truck (so to speak) and delete irrelevant sections.

It’s taken about seven books (and a lot of wasted energy) to figure out a process that works for me. Here it is.

Reluctant Plotter Process:

  1. Go for a long walk
  2. Decide on the main premise.
  3. Discover the main characters (also called MCs). Because it’s a romance, Born in Blood has two MCs: Brett and Madison.
  4. Jot down your story arc
  5. Summary outline
  6. Write the darn thing

Main premise

The story I’m writing at the moment, Born in Blood, is about a vampire Hunter who falls in love.

To write Born in Blood, I had to understand my MC’s backstories, hopes, wounds. I had to know where they lived. What their hobbies are, and what they look like. Most importantly, I had to understand their thought processes and the language they used.

Fictional Characters

Side note: It’s not easy to develop fictional characters. For Born in Blood, I wrote short stories; scenes of pivotal moments in their lives. This helped develop Madison’s voice and revealed her motivations. Crazy, I know – given she’s totally fictional, and thus a creature of my imagination, but hey, until your characters begin reacting by themselves, you won’t have a story.

Here are some other ways to create believable characters.

Once I have a handle on my characters, the story is a whole lot easier to write. Because then I know how they’ll respond to the many conflicts and pains that they’ll soon be facing.

Madison and Brett don’t know it yet, but they’ll be under stress through the whole entire story.

A story is putting your characters up a tree and throwing rocks at them.

Story Arcs

Once I know how my characters will respond, I cement their reactions into a story arc.

Master Class has a neat little summary of the classical story arc. :

  1. Exposition
  2. Rising Action
  3. Climax
  4. Falling Action
  5. Resolution

Traditionally, this is done in three acts (also called the three-act structure) .

I write my story arc on a large piece of paper (I like an A3), and using a black marker, I scribble what needs to happen to meet the arc’s requirements. Some people use post-it notes, others use a whiteboard. Some writers use a spreadsheet – that to me, is too far 🙂

Because I’m not a massive plotter, I find the action of writing/drawing/making a mess on paper helps.

history of publishing

Outlining

Once I know the basic elements of the arc, I create the plot outline. Because I’m lazy, I use a template: a list of the key scenes used in a particular genre.

For Fantasy/YA, I use the Hero’s Journey  For romance, I use Gwen Haye’s Romancing the Beat. At the moment, I’m exploring with a mash-up: action/adventure plus Romance.

Plot points

I put the arc on a piece of A3 paper, and write next to the key moments that will form the main events in the story.  I call these events ‘plot points’ and I write all my scenes toward a plot point.

Some folks call these ‘beats’ – but to me, a beat suggests movement; a rhythm that drives the story. Not an actual scene. That’s why I use the term ‘plot points’, because to me, these points hang the story together.

It may take a few scenes to reach a plot point. Usually, to reach each plot point, there’s a build-up scene, a connecting scene, and finally a scene where the whole plot point takes place.

I try to structure each scene so it, like a story arc, has a lead-in, dramatic event, and conclusion. The dramatic element doesn’t have to be high action (although often it is!) – it might be internal transformation.

When plotting, don’t just think about the events that happen in the story. You also need to be mindful of your character(s) internal changes. To create a truly satisfying story, your MC(s) have to transform.

writer's notebook

Software

After my rough, paper-based draft, I input the outline into  Plottr.

I’m still learning how to use this tool. Not being a dyed-in-the-wool plotter, I’m not totally in love. To be honest, I prefer a pen and a big sheet of paper. BUT the software helps keep a handle on characters, settings and action points, so I don’t have to hold every person in my head.

I’ve also found it useful for continuity. After I’ve finished a chapter, I add the key events into the software. This helps me remember who said what, when. Saves character’s repeating themselves or mentioning something out of sequence. (I could export the plot into word or scrivener at this point, but as yet, I haven’t bothered.)

Some writers use Scrivener to help them outline – plus, they write the story directly into Scrivener. This product hasn’t worked for me, but as it comes with a free trial, you may find it worth a try.

Starting to Write

Obviously, the best outline is nothing without a story.

I write in Word (MSOffice 365), and I turn on the ‘view navigation pane’ to help move through the story. This helps keep track of where I am in the story.  By the time your novel hits 70,000 words believe me, you need to be able to move around the story quickly.

Here’s a video on how to use Word’s navigation pane:

Word can be buggy, especially if you muck around with the formatting. That’s generally because of a style error. If you’re not sure of how to use Word styles, here’s a blog post that may help.

By the time I’m 10,000 word in, I’ll usually have both the Style guide and the navigation pane visible.

And finally…

After that, it is simply a matter of writing the words onto the page.

Ha! that’s the hardest part.

Filed Under: How To, Writing tips Tagged With: A Writer's Life, Behind the Scenes, How To, Writing Tips

How to Plot a Novel: Are you a Plotter or Pantser?

September 8, 2021 By Rachel Stedman

writer's notebook

Why do I need to Plot?

Writing a novel takes ages. Even seasoned writers, who write full-time and churn out 3000 – 5000 words per day will take at least a month to write an entire book.

For new writers, or part-time writers, or writers-who-procrastinate, a novel can take years.

This means it’s essential to have an idea of where your story is going – that is, the plot. You need to know your characters, your settings, and what’s going to happen.

All this forms part of the plotting process.

Questions on School Visit

Are you a Plotter or Pantser?

Generally, writers are either a Plotter or a Pantser.

Plotters tend to write each scene in advance. they know what the main turning points are, and the actions of each character. Sometimes their scene summaries are so detailed, they may as well be mini-novels. When they come to write the book, it’s simply a matter of adding the descriptive language, as well as some connecting scenes.

Pantsers (also termed Discovery Writers) discover what happens as they write. They’re called Pantsers because they write by the seat of their pants.

I’m a Pantser. So annoying!

I’ve always wanted to be a Plotter. Seems so much easier, and faster. No more writing and then deleting stuff that doesn’t make sense. If I was a Plotter, I could tap out a novel in a month. I’d be fast, streamlined, and in control.

Unfortunately, for me, plotting is like a kiss of death. Soon as I plot something in detail, I lose interest. Whenever I’ve tried to do a beautiful chart, setting out time and place and action and characters, I’ve never finished the book.

It seems that the reason I write is to discover what will happen next to my characters.

 

Risks of Plotting and Pantsing

Plotter Beware:

If you’re someone who plots each scene, be wary. Even though you know what’s going to happen next, your reader doesn’t. They don’t want to know.

Readers want to be surprised.

If you’re a detailed plotter, make sure your story doesn’t become static. Watch for formulaic writing.

Don’t forget about connecting scenes. They probably won’t be in your plotting, but they can be as important as the main action points.

If all you’re plotting is the action, it’s easy to forget about your character’s internal monologues; their inward motivation. When neatly laying out each scene, don’t forget, your characters are essential.

Pantser Problems:

The great thing about discovery writing is that your story will probably feel fresh, and exciting – because it’s exciting to you, the writer. And if you don’t know what’s going to happen, your reader won’t, either.

But if you’re a slow writer, like me, and you’ve not plotted out your story, there’s a risk that by the time you’re half way through the novel, you’ve actually forgotten what happened at the beginning of the story!

When Discovery Writing, it’s easy to disappear down a rabbit hole. Oh look, you think, I wonder what will happen if I introduce a new and quirky character? Then, before you realize it, you’ve wandered off on a tangent and your story has no structure.

WTF

Help! I’m a Pantser!

Don’t worry. There’s nothing wrong with being a Pantser, and nothing wrong with Plotting. Over time, you’ll learn which method works for you, and over time you’ll discover how to avoid the risks of each.

There’s nothing wrong with being a Pantser. Nothing wrong with being a Plotter, either. Whatever works for you is fine.

And probably, over time, you’ll gradually become a Plotter-lite, or a Panster-lite.

The most important thing is: Keep. On. Writing.

 

Filed Under: How To, Writing tips Tagged With: How To, Writing Tips

How to Write Authentic, Believable Characters: 10 Tips to Get You Started

June 25, 2021 By Rachel Stedman

How to write authentic characters

writer's notebook

True confession: I wept myself silly over Beth’s passing in Little Women. (Sorry if that’s a spoiler, but hey, if you’ve not read the book then stop press: BETH DIES) and oh boy, was I ever a wreck by the end of The Fault in Our Stars.

Do you know what’s so crazy about this? These people NEVER EXISTED. Yes, that’s right – neither Beth nor Augustus were real people. But oh man, how I mourned.

The reason I cared so much about these two (totally imaginary) characters? It’s because, for a time, I believed they were REAL.

They might be fictional, but to me, they felt authentic.

 

Writing Authentic Characters is IMPORTANT

Character is essential to story. The whole essence of a novel is an individual responding to conflict, so if you want your readers to keep turning the page, they must care about the people in the story. Your readers should be made so anxious by your character’s struggles that they can’t stop reading. They may (if they’re like me) cry if a character dies, and they’ll be triumphant when your character wins through.

 

Without characters, there is no story

1. Genre matters

For some genres, character is integral. If you’re writing a YA, believable, relatable characters are essential, and believe me, you’ll receive scathing reviews if they’re not.

For literary fiction, you may get away without exciting characters, providing the overall theme is interesting, or your prose is particularly elegant, but boy, great characters that pop from the page sure make for an easier read. The Thomas Cromwell character in Hilary Mantel’s The Mirror and the Light Series is a great case in point: Cromwell is so sinister, complex, and compelling you can’t help but read on.

Picture books may survive without deep characterization. I mean, there aren’t many words in a picture book, right, so you’re probably not going to be able to draft a fully formed individual with all their hopes and dreams – but still, the essence has to be there. Try reading a picture book out loud to a small child, and you’ll get my meaning.

Middle-grade readers love over-the-top characters, the ruder the better. Captain Underpants, anyone?

Roald Dahl was a genius at creating characters. Think James and the Giant Peach. The whole reason we love the story is because:

  1. we care what happens to poor orphaned James
  2. the centipede is really funny
  3. you can hear Taika Waititi reading it (with a host of friends celebrities) – okay so that’s not about character. Stop! Actually, it is – it’s the Waititi character that keeps you engaged.

2. Characters don’t have to be imaginary.

Small aside: I met Taika Waititi in an airport lounge. Well, what really happened is that he and I briefly occupied the same table at the same time. That’s what I mean by ‘met’. I looked at him. I smiled. He ignored me. Instead, he wrote busily in a large notebook. (Probably this was the script for an award-winning movie but that doesn’t excuse him, not in my books no sir.)

Anyway, that’s why I’m calling the on-screen Waititi a character. It’s because the fascinating Waititi in the clip above seems very different from the unexciting, occupied Waititi who totally blanked me in an airport lounge.

Taika Waititi blanked me.

3. What makes a great character?

Great characters, those that live apart from the page, have one consistent feature: They are flawed.

  • This can be physical: Harry Potter has a scar and glasses. Charlie, of chocolate factory fame, is small and weedy. In Little Woman, Beth is an invalid. In A Wrinkle in Time, Meg wears glasses and braces. Pippi Longstocking is amazingly strong.
  • The flaw can be psychological: Mr. Krupp, Captain Underpants’ alter ego, is mean. Hermione is bossy.
  • A flaw can be societal: In A Room with A View, Lucy Honeychurch is so scared of what people may say that she won’t allow herself to fall in love. In Brideshead Revisited, Sebastian Flyte is gay, in a world where homosexuality is illegal.

Flaws make for a much more interesting character than bland perfection.  Plus, they provide opportunity: help your character to overcome their flaw, and bang! you have a plot.

4. Main Character vs Side-Kick

I’ve always preferred the Weasley’s to Harry Potter. To me, young Harry is a bit boring; a bit too … good. This is one problem with characters: if you’re writing a hero with a journey, make sure the villains and/or sidekicks don’t take over. Sometimes they can, just because they’re a chance to break free from the heroic mold. So here’s a tip: make your hero flawed as well as heroic.

5. Syntax/Language/Words

In a novel, your character is defined by your choice of words. Make these consistent. And as you’re writing a novel (as opposed to a screenplay) you’ll need to consider language for the character’s interior landscape as well as their dialogue.

If your child is a six-year-old boy, they must speak like a six-year-old. If they’re an academic, they may use academic language. Characters with limited learning will not use long words, but erudite characters, on the other hand, will.

Your character will use language consistent with their profession, and they’ll use terms in a way that shows a professional understanding. If your character is a doctor, they probably won’t have someone breaking a leg: they’ll refer to the bone and the type of fracture. Mentally, they’ll think about complications, and they’ll use medical terms. If your character is a meatpacker, they’ll think about knives and mesh in a very different way to a non-meat worker. A composer may appreciate sounds differently to you (if you’re not a composer) and an artist will notice the way light falls, color, and the relationships between spaces.

Your character is defined by your choice of words

If you don’t share the same profession as your character, talk with people who do. Take a mental note of how they speak, and if you can, (and they’ll allow it), make recordings of your conversation.

If your character’s first language is not English, structure your sentence as if they were mentally translating from their own language. This may mean their internal monologues sound different to an English speaker. If you, as the author, don’t speak Chinese or French or whatever language your character speaks, then listen to people who do. This sounds easy, but I find it really, really hard. However, once you get it right, your character will truly jump from the page.

Mr. Darcy is a real person

6. Teens are special

Writing teen characters can be tricky, as teens adopt slang and use it ALL. THE. TIME.  Unfortunately, nothing dates a story as fast as slang (except for technology). If you’re writing in the present day then this can be tricky, as your teens must have some slang to be authentic, but not too much or you run the risk of dating your story in place and time. Unless you want to do strongly link your tale to a particular place and time of course, in which case, make the slang part of the story, (but make sure you get it right).

If you’re writing a fantasy, science fiction or historical YA then teen-speak is a bit easier, as it’s your world, your way. You can choose which words you’ll adopt or adapt for your story, as long as you’re consistent.

Alternatively, you can invent your own slang (as Burgess did in Clockwork Orange). Weirdly, sometimes slang words coined for novels have become real: it was William Gibson who first referenced cyberspace as the matrix (in The Neuromancer, published in 1984), and we can thank another 1984 for the terms thoughtcrime and doublethink.  

Neuromancer

7. Motivation

To develop a character, you need to understand what makes them tick. What do they really, really want? why? what was their childhood like? who were their parents? What house did they live in? You won’t need to answer all these questions unless they’re relevant to the story, but if your character is going to be a real, authentic character they must have had a past. They must be complex, because face it, people are complicated.

Here’s a tip: think of someone with a strong personality. An irritating, or eccentric, or just plain mental individual. You must know at least one person like this. If you work in a big workplace, like a hospital, you’ll be golden, because institutions like universities, hospitals and big multinationals seem to attract the mad strong personalities.

Can you tap into these characteristics? What makes them so unusual? How do they talk, how do respond to questions? Watch people, especially in groups, as it’s always intriguing to see how someone responds one on one vs in a collective. That’s where you can spot the internal tensions in a personality.

8. Check out the physical

Take notice of small physical characteristics. People move constantly, even when they’re supposedly still. They cross their arms, their legs, jiggle their foot. Some folk wave their arms excitedly when speaking, others barely move their lips. A teacher at my school stalked like a praying mantis, while another one barreled along, head down, and barely made eye contact. All these mannerisms can be reflected in your story.

Hobbies and habits help to build depth. You can offset a supposedly bland personality by providing them with a very bizarre hobby, or alternatively, you can tone down an over-the-top individual by providing them with an interest in something that most people consider banal. My favorite juxtaposition of this is The Accountant where Ben Affleck’s character, a small-town accountant (a supposedly boring profession), has a side-gig as a hitman.

If you don’t know anyone strange, mental or weird, take a trip around a university campus. 🙂 And remember, you can’t make up anything as strange as real life. Because in real life, people are as weird as fu*k.

WTF
People are weird

9. Techniques to Develop Character

A. Name your character

This is harder than it sounds. Names are tricky. Some people use name generators, like a phone book or the newspaper. I use a phone list from work and mix and match first names against surnames. This works okay, but can limit you to a particular demographic.

Some writers use or adapt names from history or mythology; others invent names using alliterative syllables that provide an insight into the character’s personality. Dickens was an expert at this – just think of Ebenezer Scrooge, Uriah Heep, Fagin, and Tiny Tim.

B. Appearance

I like to draw my main characters, especially my villains. Villains are complex by nature, so perhaps that’s why I like drawing them! (I’m a terrible artist, by the way – but that doesn’t matter, I’m not going to share my images). However, if you hate drawing, you can always find photos.

Some people paste images into scrapbooks. Some keep a scrapbook for each character while others use software like plottr or Scrivener to hold a digital version.

Don’t forget the other senses: what do they smell like? How do they laugh? What does their voice sound like? Do they speak in an accent, or have a lisp? Are their hands rough or smooth?

Personally, I find the process of putting pen to paper helps to cement the image of my character in my brain, so helps build a more three-dimensional personality, and scrapbooking sounds suspiciously like procrastination, but hey, each to his/her own, right?

C. What is your character’s background?

Everyone has a history. The Māori tradition of Pepeha (introducing oneself in a set structure) is very relevant here. To Māori, a person is anchored by their relationship to their land, their family, and their ancestors. Your characters will have their own pepeha. Where were they born? What mountains, rivers or lakes do they relate to? Where did their ancestors come from? Who was their father, who was their mother?

You can find out more information on pepeha here. (As I’m not Māori, please don’t take this as cultural guidance, I’m just saying the pepeha structure is really great at providing an overview of where a person comes from.)

Some people actually talk out loud like their character, introducing themselves, saying what their hobbies are, their religion, their favorite color, etc. This has always felt weird to me, so I don’t do it, but whatever works.

D. What is your character’s pain?

Everyone has history. Everyone is rejected, falls in love, suffers loss.

What events shaped your character = what created the flaw?

One of the best ways to understand your character is to write the wound-inducing scene. (Be warned: this can be gut-wrenching because your character will get hurt.)

10. Finally – if in doubt, steal borrow.

The oldest technique of all: copy!

Just be really careful if you’re basing a character on a real person. Partly, because of that little disclaimer that says ‘all events and persons in this book are imaginary but partly because you don’t want to get sued. 🙂

But hey, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, right?

 

So, what are you waiting for? Time to develop your own imaginary people.

 

 

Filed Under: How To, Writing tips Tagged With: How To, Writing Tips

How to Create a Writing Place: The Story of Zeph

November 14, 2019 By Rachel Stedman

Every writer needs a special writing place, where their imagination can soar. This is mine.


Meet Zeph. He’s a 1977 caravan. We bought him about 16 years ago, when our kids were little. Here they are, still small, when Zeph was looking pretty cool.

Zeph the Caravan - My Writing Place

I started writing in Zeph about 10 years ago. The first story I wrote was A Necklace of Souls

The track led steadily downhill towards the cliff. Just when I feared that we would fall over the edge it turned, descending through daisies and yellow bracken towards the sand. Breakers pounded, spray drifting in a white mist. The ocean’s roar blended with the wind, so it seemed the world was all noise.

++++

Then came Inner Fire, set in Devon. We didn’t take Zeph to Devon, it was too far, but I wrote these words inside him, much later:

‘Look.’ Rowan said. ‘See? A stone circle.’

And now I could see it — flat rocks placed upright in the shape of a ring. It was fairly atmospheric, with the mist and the gray sheep and the silence. There were … I counted the stones out loud … twenty stones.

‘Count it again.’ Rowan sounded amused.

So I did, going back the other way. Which was widdershins? And was widdershins good luck or bad? While I was trying to work this out I forgot which number I was up to. ‘Twenty-two,’ I said. ‘I think.’

He counted too. ‘Twenty-one.’

‘You must have left one out.’

‘And how could I do that, with the stones here in front of me?’

‘And how could I do that, with the stones here in front of me?’

Inner Fire

He grabbed me, pinning my arms to my sides. ‘What do they say?’ His face was close to mine.

‘Just … that they can’t count properly.’

He smiled, and kissed me full on the mouth.

Oh. My. God.

(Can you guess what genre Inner Fire is? 🙂 )

++++

Another visit, another story. This time, based in Berlin.

GS 0793-Peralta.jpg
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stolperstein#/media/File:GS_0793-Peralta.jpg

These are Stolperstein – literally ‘stumbling stones’: small bronze plaques placed in the cobbles outside the houses of those taken by Nazis. They’re speckled throughout Germany, especially Berlin, and we stayed in the Jewish Quarter, so you walked over people’s names and the dates of their forced removal and death every day.

I wrote this story, staring out at the rain-streaked windows of the old caravan:

In Berlin, the sidewalk marks the dead. Small bronze plaques, set into the cobbles, remembered those who’d once lived here. … Fatima took up her violin and laid her empty case, open for stray coins, near the Kessler family. They had been murdered in various camps over 1943, so at first, Fatima had felt guilty for choosing this spot. But it was a good place because the pavement was warmed by the train station underneath, and anyway, the Kesslers didn’t mind. If anything, they seemed to enjoy her music.

Alice
Alice: A Short Story

++++

Over the last few years, Zeph’s been deteriorating. We’ve been using him less and less for camping, and I’ve been writing at home, where it’s been warmer and dry-er.

Zeph - ugly caravan writing place

Last year, we decided it was time to improve Zeph, to take him out of his old paddock and make him pretty. Plus, the kids have just left home, so we needed a project.

We’ve been doing Zeph up over the last year.

++++

It’s been difficult to find the time to write, but I have managed to squeeze one story out – it’s coming out in the ODT this summer.

Petra always finished her run at the Esplanade. Here she’d treat herself to a take-out espresso from the café beside the shark bell, sipping the hot coffee slowly while she watched the surfers dancing with death on the tops of the waves.

She watched for sharks, too, but never saw any. They were out there though, because next to the bell was a memorial to the surfers taken by Great Whites, over forty years ago.

Petra liked to think of the enormous killers, swimming silent through the deep. They were apex predators. No-one messed with sharks.

++++

And – finally …

Here is Zeph, all bright and shiny new. We have just finished! He came home on Thursday night.

Now he’s ready for new stories.

Pretty caravan writing place

Here’s to Zeph, and more stories to come!

P.S. This blog post was first given as a talk at Wild Imaginings Hui, 2019

Filed Under: Behind the Scenes, How To, Story Backgrounds Tagged With: A Writer's Life, About my Books, How To

How to Make the Perfect Chocolate Cake …

May 28, 2019 By Rachel Stedman

Recipes for Writers

This recipe never fails! This chocolate cake is also called Dana’s Chocolate Cake, so of course it’s perfect for me, because the heroine of my SoulNecklace Stories is Dana, and she’s strong and feisty, just like … this cake? Actually, I’m not sure about that analogy. But whatever, this is a great recipe.

This cake is based on a recipe by Sophie Grey at The Destitute Gourmet – check out her website and books for more ideas.

Dana’s Chocolate Cake

  • 1 2/3 C flour
  • 1 1/2 t backing soda
  • 1 1/2 C sugar
  • 2/3 C cocoa
  • 1/2 t salt
  • 1 1/2 C skim milk
  • 100 g melted butter
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 t vanilla
  • 1 t instant coffee (granulated is best)

Pre-heat oven to 180 C. Line a large cake tin (about 30 cm) with baking paper.

Combine dry ingredients in mixing bowl, mix well.

Then add melted butter, milk and vanilla and eggs (preferably in that order, otherwise the eggs begin cooking), and mix well. The resulting mixture will be quite wet.

Pour into cake tin and bake for approx 40 mins.

Don’t overcook this cake: it’s quite dense, so you can take it out a few minutes early and it will continue cooking on the bench.

Frosting

  • 50g butter, softened
  • 1/3 C cocoa
  • 1 C icing sugar
  • 1 t coffee
  • 1 t vanilla essence

Cream butter and icing sugar. Add other ingredients and mix well. If too dry, add a smidgeon of milk. (Don’t overdo this, or you’ll be left with wet gooey icing.) Add cream cheese or marscapone and decrease the butter if you want a creamier flavour.

This cake is perfect for birthdays!

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by RL Stedman (@rlstedman) on Oct 4, 2018 at 11:55pm PDT

Variations: Sometimes I bake this cake in two smaller cake tins – this makes the cake go a little further. (Decrease the cooking time if you do this, or both cakes can end up too dry.)

Filed Under: How To, Recipes Tagged With: A Writer's Life, Recipes

How To Make the Perfect Pavlova …

May 25, 2019 By Rachel Stedman

Recipes for Writers

Over the last few months, I’ve been posting recipes out in my newsletters, and my readers love them! So I’m posting them here on my blog too. Hope you enjoy.

Recipe based on Nadia Lim’s Blueberry and Lemon Curd Pavlova

In the 1920s, prima ballerina Anna Pavlova toured Australia and New Zealand. In honour of her visit the pavlova was invented: a meringue-based desert with a soft, caramel-like interior and crispy exterior.

There’s ongoing debate over which country was responsible for its invention. Me, I think it was New Zealand. I’m not biased. 😀

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by RL Stedman (@rlstedman) on Dec 25, 2018 at 12:19pm PST

Today there’s many variations on the pavlova: my stepmother used to make a gorgeous one with coffee and walnuts. But usually a pav has a plain, creamy-coloured base, topped with whipped cream and fruit.

This particular pavlova is ideal for Christmas, as it looks somewhat like a wreath, with these beautiful seasonal colours.

The trick to a good pavlova is to separate the eggs correctly – the recipe will fail if there’s even a hint of egg yolk. And place it in a HOT oven, but allow the pav. to cool for ages – preferably overnight – before removing.

Recipe

  • 6 egg whites
  • 1 1/2 C caster sugar
  • 2 t cornflour
  • 1 t white vinegar

To serve:

  • 1 – 2 C whipped cream
  • 1/2 t vanilla (or vanilla seeds)
  • 1/4 C pomegranate seeds
  • 1 punnet blueberries
  • 1/4C sliced almonds
  • fresh mint leaves, to garnish

Preheat oven to 200 C. Line a baking tray with backing paper and mark an 18 – 20 cm circle on it. (You can use a plate or a bowl as stencil.)

  • Whip egg whites with electric beater until stiff peaks form (they must be really stiff)
  • Add caster sugar while beating.
  • Continue beating on high speed. The meringue mixture should be thick and glossy.
  • Beat it cornflour and vinegar.
  • Spoon onto circle on baking paper. You can smooth the top to look like a ballet-dancer’s skirt, or keep it rough, to form the idea of ruffles.
  • Put it in the oven and TURN THE OVEN OFF!
  • This is very important. Do not let anyone else open the oven, not for any reason. Not even your children, and especially NOT your husband. You may need to stick a sign on the door of the oven.
  • Leave the pav in the cooling oven for as long as possible, ideally overnight. Do not worry if the surface cracks, this is totally normal and will add to the homemade authentic look. Besides, you can fill up these imperfections with cream.
  • Once removed from the oven, and cooled, decorate with generous amounts of whipped cream and fruit, as in the picture above.
  • Alternatively, top with whipped cream and fruit of your choice.

An untopped pavlova will keep in a dry container for a while, so you can make this a few days before serving. But once it’s smothered in cream, keep in the fridge and eat quickly.

Nutritional information: best you don’t know.

Filed Under: Behind the Scenes, How To, Recipes Tagged With: A Writer's Life, Recipes

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