It’s all About the Cheesecake by Therese Walsh
See Bio at bottom:
So you work on a novel for, oh, let’s say six years, and you’re tired in a million ways. You’re wondering, Why would I ever, ever do this to myself again–besides the fact that you have to do it again, because you have a two-book contract. (You’re sure to throw in a little self-recrimination too, because you’re complaining and how many writer friends would want a two-book contract?)
And then, a miracle happens.
People. People like your book. They’re reading it–like, really reading it.
And they’re enjoying it, or so they say.
And it reminds you of making cheesecake–the hours you’d spend in the kitchen, bent over that cheesecake, babying that cheesecake, making the pastry crust and lining it with dark chocolate, and integrating the raspberry topping into the batter. It reminds you of the cheesecake because as you are dealing with the backache of making that cheesecake you are asking yourself, "Why, oh why, do I do this? This can’t be worth it!" But then, later, your brother-in-law, who requested the cake for his big 3-0 dinner, takes a bite and his face turns a million shades of happy; or a complete stranger approaches you at a party and says in a soft-serious mutter, "Thank you for making this. It is divine."
I will write again, not because I have a two-book contract (oh, okay, okay, I will, but just listen a second); I will write again, because of emails like this:
“I finished reading your book a few days ago and I wanted to tell you what I thought about it. I really enjoyed it and im so happy to have found it. It was the kind of read that kept me thinking for days- at work, at home, and in class. That is when I know a book is really good- when it keeps me thinking, when I wish I hadn’t already finished that novel.”
Isn’t that nice? That will keep me writing. Honest appreciation of one’s work motivates more than anything else–at least for this cat.
What motivates you to write?
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Bio:
Therese Walsh’s debut novel was recently released by Random House (Shaye Areheart imprint). The Last Will of Moira Leahy is about a woman who lost her identical twin about a decade ago, but reconnects with her former life after purchasing an artifact from her past. Through interwoven narratives, we see Maeve Leahy as she was and what led to the tragedy with her sister, Moira. We travel with her in the present day as she unravels the truth about the artifact–who’s following her and leaving her notes—as layers of her past are peeled away and the course of her future is forever altered. Therese is also the co-founder of one of the Writer’s Digest best sites for writers, Writer Unboxed. You can learn more about her and her novel at her website: ThereseWalsh.com.
Tags: It's All About the Cheesecake, Theresa Walsh, WOW
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6 Comments to “It’s all About the Cheesecake by Therese Walsh”
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By Jodi, November 16, 2009 @ 7:45 am
In my world there are two types of writing: the stuff that pays the bills and fiction. So basically the pile of bills motivates me to write most of my stuff but the characters motivate me to write fiction–sometimes they’re in my dreams.
By Sue Pinto, November 16, 2009 @ 11:28 am
My kids; with 5 of them, there’s A LOT I can write about. Also, my family and various experiences. Those are where the ideas come from; whether my MG novel or various PB’s get published or not (though published would be AWESOME!), I have a certain satisfaction of knowing that I have completed manuscripts that someday I will give to my kids.
By isabella mori ( from moritherapy), November 16, 2009 @ 1:33 pm
what motivates me is the itching in my fingers when i see a keyboard; the words that tumble around in my head; a beautiful white page; the rhythm of haiku; a new pen; the need to sort out my thoughts; the adventure of seeing what happens when i let my characters loose; the inviting blankness of a screen …
By Teri COyne, November 16, 2009 @ 3:48 pm
Great post! As a debut author myself who spent 10 years on my first book I have gone through similar emotions but also find great inspiration from the readers who take the time to send me feedback and comments.
The other thing that motivates me is desire to get the images and dialog I have floating around my head down on paper. I feel like the story comes to me for a reason, that it is my duty to tell it.
That combination keeps me writing…
By Carrie Callaghan, November 16, 2009 @ 6:04 pm
It wasn’t until a college internship (with a nuclear non-proliferation group, of all things) that I realized I was not happy if I was not writing. Until then, writing had been such a constant in my life, that I hadn’t noticed how our relationship (me and writing, that is) had developed.
Now, I write because it is the best way I know to explore. Often, I have a thought, a feeling prompted by a beautiful song or a moving story or a mysterious painting, and I want to see how I can retrace my steps, through words, back to that sensation. Of course, I also write to explore characters, or to make an argument. But primarily, for discovery.
By Jona Scharf, November 18, 2009 @ 9:54 am
STRESS! Stress motivates me. Anger, Hurt feelings, Tension, Burdens, …all need an outlet, and so I write, write, write to reshape my life. Short stories emerge, stories with twists and turns, and at times, believe it or not, with humor!