Secrets from the deadline cave
Friends! It's been a while since I've written to you, many apologies. But you see, I have a deadline staring me down soon, and I barely remember what day it is these days, only the number of days left and the number of words in my current draft and the number of chapters I have left to revise before I start from the beginning again, and I don't know why I can suddenly remember all of these numbers, math has never been my strong point. But before I get to some of the things that have been keeping me upright and alive for the past few weeks, here's a piece I wrote for Oprah Magazine about why I started writing, and why I love writing about black women. (I forgot to tell my mom about that piece, and she found out because one of her friends sent it to her and called to yell at me, oops).
First of all, I've raved about these elsewhere, but these pajamas, you guys! I love them so much! I bought a pair last week, and now that I (mostly) work from home, they're my new daytime loungwear, and they're so perfect -- as soft as advertised, really comfortable, super cute, and I still feel put together in a way that helps me work in them, not just want to take a nap. I bought another pair two days after I got the first one, and I very well might get a third (they come in a few patterns too). Many thanks to my friend Margaret Willison, one of the Two Bossy Dames, for this recommendation.
Second, a few weeks ago on Instagram, I mentioned that I'd been rereading one of my favorite craft books while working on this draft, and I got a lot of questions about which craft books I like best: I'm about to give you a whole list! First, a big caveat: don't go into any craft book thinking there is One True Way to write, and that if you don't do it the way that writer instructs, you are Bad and Wrong -- the best way to write is the way that works best for you! There's a lot in all of these books that doesn't work for me, I just ignore it, and learn from the stuff that does work for me. That said, here are a few of my favorite books! I read both On Writing and Bird By Bird when I first started thinking about writing, and they both made me think "yes, I think I might be able to do this?" Years ago, I read Writing Down the Bones and got a lot out of it; I started rereading it last night and I'm loving it all over again. And I adore both Story Genius and Wired for Story; they make me think hard about characters in a way nothing else does. Finally, though it's not a craft book, last year I read How to Write an Autobiographical Novel, and it inspired me in that same way, and helped buoy me both about writing and the writing life.
Okay so I've learned some secrets about life this week that I'm going to share with you all. (Spoiler: none of these are actual secrets, many people have told me these things, I've even learned at least the first one before and forced myself to forget, but here we are). Secret 1: exercise first thing in the morning makes me more energized, more productive, and in a better mood all day. I HATE THIS but it's true. I've done this three days this week, and boy has it made a difference for...everything. Secret 2: if you, like me, are a person who enjoys going to her local farmers' market and buying lots of fruit and vegetables, if you get home and IMMEDIATELY wash and chop them all up, it makes your life so much easier, AND you are far more likely to actually eat all of your beautiful vegetables before they go bad. This week, I went to the farmers' market, and then energized by my morning exercise (ugh) I chopped up three kinds of greens and a big head of broccoli and stored them in their own little baggies (with paper towels inside to catch excess moisture), and every day since then I've eaten salads. Sometimes, even twice a day! And they're easy to throw together, because the hard part is already done! Specifically, I've made a version of this salad three times this week now. It's a great and filling salad for lunch or dinner, and it's easy to vary it for how it works for you. I'll give you my variation below, but feel free to play with it!
Winter Italian Chopped Salad
1 1/2 cups chopped romaine lettuce
1/4 cup chopped radicchio
1 can garbanzo beans, drained, rinsed, and dried
6 marinated artichoke hearts (from a can) drained
10-12 pepperoni rounds, cut into quarters
1 ounce provolone, diced
10 kalamata olives, chopped
(Other things I've added this week: roasted broccoli, hearts of palm, roasted asparagus, chopped pepperoncinis, pepitas. All are great.)
Dressing:
1 teaspoon dijon mustard
1/4 cup lemon juice or red wine vinegar
3/4 cup olive oil
salt
(other additions: anchovy, garlic, herbs, green onion, green garlic)
Turn the oven to 450, and on a big rimmed cookie sheet, pour the garbanzo beans and the artichoke hearts. Drizzle with about a tablespoon of olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Roast for 16-18 minutes, until the beans are crunchy. [Note: the original recipe has you add the pepperoni rounds here, and I did that the first time, but they get almost burnt in the time it takes the garbanzo beans to get roasted enough, so I'd rather either not crisp them up at all, or do them in their own pan and take them out after five or so minutes]. [Instead, I used the other space on the cookie sheet to roast either broccoli or asparagus along with the beans]. While this roasts, add everything else to the bowl, along with some of the dressing. When the beans are ready, take the pan out of the oven, let it all cool for about a minute, and then add to your bowl; add a little more dressing and toss.
To make the dressing
(The original recipe had a much more complicated dressing recipe; I made some of the vinaigrette that I make all the time -- this will make more than you need, but it keeps easily in the fridge. I usually do not measure when I make this and just add oil and taste and then add more and taste, but this is a good starting point if you don't usually make your own dressing.)
In a jar or 2 cup measuring cup, add the mustard, acid, and salt, and whisk with a fork to combine. If you're adding any of the other additions, add them now too. Then, slowly pour in the olive oil, whisking the whole time, until it's all combined and emulsified.
Have a great weekend, everyone! Happy Spring!
Jasmine
P.S. The cover for The Wedding Party is all glittery! The cover designers at my publisher are magicians. Coming in July!!!
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