Writing breaks are like... lasagna?

Sometimes when a writing idea hits, I'm better off waiting. And that brings up lasagna.

Photo by Stefen Tan on Unsplash

Sometimes when an idea or solution to a plot problem hits, I have to run to the keyboard and write. I need to catch it, hold it tight, and GET IT DOWN before the brain breeze blows it away. It’s happened many times. “I’ll do it tonight.” Or, “I’ll do it in the morning.” And then, coffee mug in hand and smitten that I’ve got something ready to go, I sit at the keyboard and realize… IT. IS. GONE.

The “lasagna moment.”

But that’s not what this post is about. This post is about lasagna. I’m from an Italian family and I grew up eating a lot of lasagna. Which brings me to the opposite idea situation with writing. There are times when an idea germinates in my brain - a possible plot direction, a character’s response to a situation or an accusation, whatever… and my gut tells me this is a “lasagna moment.”

What does that mean? It means WAIT. Let it sit and rest. If you like coffee more than lasagna then you can use “percolate.” For me, it’s lasagna.

LEGGO my day-old lasagna!

Have you ever eaten day-old lasagna? There’s a lasagna fairy that comes to the refrigerator overnight and sprinkles magic culinary dust all over the leftovers. It seeps into the sauce, the cheese, the pasta, the basil, and all the other goodies and by the time you open the fridge the next day it is NOT the same lasagna. It’s lasagna with a +3 bonus. Everything in that layered dish bonds together, gets richer in taste… and extra delicious.

It’s a weird gut thing for me. Sometimes I don’t listen to my instinct. I sit down and try and write. And fail. What comes out is ok, but it doesn’t have the leftover, day-old literary deliciousness. When I can identify writing ideas that need time to sit, I produce a far better result. Usually it’s a day for me. More than that and I can feel it start to slip away. I’m getting better at identifying lasagna writing ideas with each book I write.

Anyone else know what I am talking about? Maybe in writing or any other creative pursuit? Who knows, maybe I’m just hungry…

Thanks for reading. There’s Nevair a Dull Moment!

-Jonathan