Making Tacos and Writing. (Or Honoring your Process.)

Dawn Alexander

I know this is supposed to be a writing blog and if you’re here to figure out how to honor your process, you are definitely in the right place. Grab a seat, get comfortable, we’re going to dive into that topic shortly. But first, I want to talk to you about something vital to my life… tacos. 

Don’t worry, I’m not about to give you the history of the day I came up with my famous taco spice combo and make you scroll through eight paragraphs of pictures and rambling before I give you the recipe. In fact, I’m not even going to give you the recipe. (I mean, if you really want it, email me. I’m happy to share. That’s just not the point of this.) 

Why am I not giving you the recipe? Because mine is very specific to my family. Not in an “old family secret” sort of way, but in a “my husband hates all things tomato” sort of way. So the way I make my tacos and the way my family enjoys them might be completely different from your favorite recipe and the way your family thinks tacos should be. 

Here’s the deep secret: 

That’s okay. 

Just like however you are getting the words of your story on the page is okay. 

There’s a lot of choices and methods when it comes to taco making. Chicken or beef or even fish? Sour cream? Lettuce? Cheese? Avocado? Do you throw everything in a crockpot and let it simmer for hours? Do you toss it in a skillet and have something on the table in twenty minutes or less? Do you have pre-cooked meat, already seasoned, and waiting in the freezer for those busy evenings? 

Anyone else getting hungry? 

My point is: Look at your writing process like you look at making tacos and find what works best for you. 

Figure out what ingredients you like to use. What flavors fit your taste? What level of spicy and heat? What is your favorite topping? 

• Adventure? 

• Romance? 

• Mystery? 

• Horror? 

• Tropes?

• Paranormal? 

• Twisty, angst-filled plots? 

• Zany characters? 

• Characters with dark backstories? 

• Talking cats? 

What method of preparation fits you best? 

Pouring out the story as quick and as rough as you can first, then revising and adding to it later? Think of this like throwing the meat and spices in the skillet to cook and having all the extras waiting on the table. You bring the main part to the table and ensemble from there. Just like in a rough draft. The meat of the story (hahahaha, see what I did there?) is done. It’s just waiting for those layers of additional flavor. Emotion, description, introspection, etc. 

Do you prefer to let the meat simmer?  You get a hint of an idea but you need to think about it. It needs to sit and let the seasoning fully soak in as it cooks in your mental crockpot. This still counts as writing time. Your brain is still working on the story. 

The secret to that is to know when the time is up. Thinking and pondering are absolutely legitimate parts of the writing process. They can also become avoidance techniques. At some point, you have to bring that meat to the table or the tacos will never get made. If it doesn’t taste quite right after you start dressing it up, you can always pop it back in to cook a little longer. * 

*That’s only a metaphor. I’m pretty sure you don’t want to put the meat back in the crockpot. 

You can also find a combination of the two. Maybe the meat cooks in the crockpot but you add your cheese, sour cream, and lettuce, maybe even put a little beans and rice with it, before you bring it to the table. Meaning you write a little bit then edit a little bit. Then write a little bit and edit a little more. 

The important part is that you’re still cooking. No matter how you’re choosing to do it. You still end up with a taco. 

Try New Things

Here’s another important part, especially if you’re new to this. It’s perfectly okay to try out someone else’s recipe. 

The goal is to honor your process but that doesn’t mean you can’t look for ways to improve it. Try other people’s recipes/processes, but don’t beat yourself up if you don’t like the results. Keep what works for you. 

Try the quick skillet method. But if writing when the story isn’t fully formed makes you anxious and kills your progress, dump the meat in that crockpot and give yourself time to think. 

Try the crockpot method. But if the plot doesn’t flow and the characters don’t talk until your hands are on that keyboard and words are appearing on the screen, start writing! Even if editing and revising will take you longer than your friend who thinks for days or even weeks before she starts writing. 

Be open to new combinations and methods. Maybe outlining every scene works perfectly for you or maybe you just need to know a few key things. Maybe seeing the entire arc of the story is a necessity before you can get started or maybe you just need to be able to envision a few scenes, or even a few paragraphs ahead to keep yourself moving. 

Let yourself try new things in the interest of perfecting your own recipe. Remember that someone else’s recipe is not going to be perfect for you, and that is okay. 

• Things that are okay: 

  • Editing as you go

  • Not editing as you go

  • Writing linearly 

  • Skipping around and writing the scenes that inspire you

  • Writing every day 

  • Not writing every day

  • Writing in first person/third Person

  • Writing in present tense/writing in past tense 

  • Writing in layers 

  • Dictation instead of typing

• Things that are not okay: 

  • Berating yourself because someone else’s recipe doesn’t taste right to you

  • Trying every new recipe you see and not actually getting any cooking done

Find what works for you and unashamedly hold on to that! 

For more about honoring your process and setting realistic goals, join us on Story Strategy Live.