A Bakery of Words

I write cupcakes.

There’s no getting around it, the description fits: I write short fiction full of pop adventure, explosions, readily identifiable good guys and bad guys, and while my heroes don’t have it easy they always find the strength to come through in the end.

Short, sweet, and enjoyable.  Cupcakes.

It’s okay for me to write cupcakes.  Who doesn’t like cupcakes?!  Okay, aside from the people who can’t eat them for one reason or another?  That’s what I mean.  They’re just good, and sometimes in the middle of a bad day a cupcake can get you over the hump with a shot of pure sugared joy.

Just because I specialize in writing cupcakes doesn’t make me a terrible author, or a terrible person, or a terrible anything.  Entire stores, whole disciplines of culinary expertise, and entire schools of thought exist when it comes to cupcakes.  People have built wonderful lives one frosted mini-cake at a time, and I am no different.  Writing has brought me more joy, more friends, and more confidence than I could’ve ever imagined and I am grateful for every minute of it.

I’d also like to ask this question: Who says light, enjoyable, and sweet has ever been a bad idea anyway?  Ever heard of Amish fiction?  I cannot imagine a genre more devoted to a cake-like story-telling style in all my days, and it is ENORMOUSLY popular with both romance novel enthusiasts and those who haven’t read anything in romance but Amish fiction.

You don’t have to reinvent the wheel to be an excellent author.  Not every author has mastered writing in the multi-layered, multi-faceted, endlessly inventive world of pies.  They must be alchemists, I swear.  Reading the works of N.K. Jemisin and Ursula K. Le Guin not only fills your soul fit to bursting but also makes you a better person at the same time.  Not everyone can do that.  Not everyone should be able to do that, because then we wouldn’t have a chance to appreciate the intersection of genius and work ethic which produces generational talent.

I don’t begrudge the men and women gifted with the strength and skill necessary to craft amazing pie: I eat the freaking pie and say a prayer of thankfulness that I lived at a time when I could enjoy it at all!  I’m also honest enough to know that I am never going to equal their achievements.  That doesn’t mean I have to throw in the towel though!  There is plenty of room in this world for someone who is willing to pour the whole of their time and talents into writing the most delicious cupcake they can

So I bake cupcakes at my keyboard.  One day I’ll branch out into writing muffins, because it’s important to constantly push yourself, but for now it’s cupcakes.  I learn everything I can about making cupcakes, I lose myself to the thrill of experimentation, and I make sure that each new story is baked without an ounce of hesitation or fear.

I know cupcakes can’t change the world, but when was the last time a well made cupcake failed to brighten your day?

Bakefully,

The Unsheathed Quill