Saturday, April 1, 2017

A is for AND SO IT BEGINS #AtoZChallenge 2017: FOOD FOR THOUGHT

 
This year for #AtoZChallenge, 
I decided to combine two concepts in my under-300-words daily posts:
FOOD For THOUGHT
 
Each day's post contains an appealing food choice
combined with the emerging thoughts of an incurable writer. 
 
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AND SO IT BEGINS.
 
Eating an artichoke, petal by petal, brings a multitude of thoughts to mind. After peeling the layered petal from the boiled artichoke, I dip the tender end into my concoction of mayo and lemon juice gently place the petal between my front teeth, and slowly strip away the flesh. The soft pulp blends with the acidic flavor of the dip, sending my taste buds soaring, along with my imagination. 
 
Of course, the exotic or erotic could easily come into play here. But my mind gravitates toward mystery. As the petals peel away from the artichoke's center, I peel back the layers of a character's personality. Dip my protagonist's fingers into someone else's business. Strip away the barriers that conceal a killer's motives. And once all the petals are removed, I've laid bare the artichoke's heart. Just as, while fleshing out the details of a plot, I also discover the heart of the mystery.
 
After all the boiling and peeling and stripping away of unnecessary parts, not unlike eating an artichoke, the meat of the project reveals itself on the page, and on your tongue.
 
Nirvana.
 
Are you energized when your story's plot is laid bare and all the pieces fall into place?
 
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12 comments:

  1. Great start! I look forward to the rest of your entries!

    John Holton
    A to Z Challenge Co-Host
    The Sound Of One Hand Typing

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  2. Thanks for visiting, John. Morning starts later here, and I'm just getting rolling!

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  3. Confession: I love antichoks. As a matter of fact, I'm cooking them tomorrow ;-)

    @JazzFeathers
    The Old Shelter - 1940s Film Noir

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  4. Sarah, I just wish they were easier to fix. Eating them is the fun part.

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  5. The older I get, the more I like artichokes. Something about them no longer tastes like lard.

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  6. Funny how our tastes buds mature over time, Jacqui! Or maybe they capitulate.

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  7. I LOVE this challenge theme and look forward to reading more "food thoughts" throughout the month!

    I must confess I had my first artichoke only a few years ago. At the time, no one explained how to eat one, so it was not the best experience...

    I know several people who adore them, however, and after reading your post, I am not so intimidated to try preparing them at home.

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    1. It is definitely not a "user friendly" vegetable! Thanks for visiting today, Molly, and I look forward to reading your journaling posts throughout April.

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  8. Artichokes, yum! I will admit to typically going straight for the artichoke hearts (especially at the salad bar), so I enjoyed your idea of stripping them down as a kind of unveiling of a mystery. Looking forward to more Food For Thought this month!
    –Laura at World's Coolest Jobs

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    1. Yes, so much easier to hit the salad bar for the hearts! Thanks for visiting, Laura. I look forward to seeing you through the alphabet at World's Coolest Jobs.

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  9. Wonderful start to the A-Z! I love artichokes..okay, so I've only had pickled ones, but I love them! ;)

    DB McNicol, author & traveler
    Theme: Oh, the places we will go!

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  10. Wow, you've introduced me to so many amazing food already! Now I want to try an artichoke.

    I'm a pantser whose characters control the show, so I never know what's going to happen in my books. It's always a nice surprise. Sometimes I watch them painting themselves into horrible corners and say, "Okay, fine, but I hope you guys know how to get yourselves out of this mess, because I have no idea what you're doing."

    Thankfully, they do. Eventually.

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