Monday, November 2, 2009

Burnt Cookies & 85K




My advice, don't bake and write at the same time.

These lovely black cookies were snickerdoodles in dough form. My 5 year old loves to bake cookies with me on Sunday, but yesterday one thing after another cropped up and we didn't get around to it. So this morning we decided to make a batch of snickerdoodles. My daughter loves to mix the cookies until her hand gets tired, then it's "Mom's turn."

So it's her job to tell me when the buzzer is ringing. Unless I'm in the kitchen I rarely hear the timer due to other household noises such as radios, washing machine, tv or (heaven forbid) the computer.

We did well for the first two pans, then on the third pan my daughter decided to go and play with a friend. I let her, thinking I'd listen extra carefully for the buzzer. Some time later as I was merrily typing away, I smelled something burning. I immediately suspected the small heater in my office that sometimes gives off a burnt smell. Then I realized . . . cookies. At least I got to the smoke before the smoke detector could go off.

But in less smelly news, I hit 85,000 words today in my WIP--Alma the Younger. This was my first draft goal! Basically I'm connecting chapters that I wrote out of order. I hope to finish it by this weekend, then for the straight read-through (which can be quite scary). Once I get through the 2nd draft, the book will probably be about 90,000, then onto the alpha readers!


**More book reviews of Alma came in. Check them out:

Review from the Association for Mormon Letters. Thanks to reviewer Kathleen Dalton Woodbury!

Review from Six LDS Writers and A Frog. Thanks to Julie Coulter Bellon! She is the published author of several suspense novels, including the recent All's Fair. I was really blown away by her review. Julie is a tough editor and her review really gave me a lot of motivation to get this next book finished on time!

5 comments:

Cheri Chesley said...

Ok, they're black--but the shape and all looks great! :)

Josi said...

I call those ones my tithing cookies, I get a batch everytime I make cookies, which reminds me to get to my oven quick (Butterfinger cookies are not good when they are overdone)

Heather Moore said...

Yes, they are very round :)

Josi, I think that's how it is with me--it seems that one batch always goes south. Usually either the first one or the last one.

Cheri Chesley said...

I'm great with cookies--and a timer. But pancakes take a starter, every time. If we had a dog they'd get the first pancake.

* said...

Congrats on hitting your first draft goal! That's lovely amazingness!!

PS: thought those were chocolate cookies at first, scratching my head where the "burnt" part came in. Then i read on. Ooohhh, once upon a time snickerdoodles. Got it. :)