Bob's Write from the Start: Big Boss Betty's Bakery Bakes Beautiful Bread

Bob's Write from the Start

Bob’s Write from the Start, a blog sharing the roller coaster ride of this renewing writer’s feelings and actual experiences, began March 2017. That January, I began with a two-sentence contribution to a local Writing Group. I am now a Guest Columnist for a local paper and have contributed to small and online magazines. My comments for new and renewing writers? Start by starting. Join a writing group. You are unique but not alone. Once you start work, you will not be in Kansas anymore.

Tuesday, November 3, 2020

Big Boss Betty's Bakery Bakes Beautiful Bread

This is a longish piece of free verse recently published in the on-line magazine Story Quilt.

Better believe Betty's bakery business bakes beautifully

Betty's biscuits, buns, brownies

Behold!

Blissful breathtaking banana bread . . .

You get the idea.

The original version started life as a creative exercise in a writing group I belong to. And, yes, it is more than a bit of a stunt. At the same time, my writing it uncovered some learning I have accomplished and some tendencies I feel I'm still a long way from mastering.

It was fun and painful simultaneously. When isn't writing just that?

I re-wrote and edited it, and tidied it up more times than I care to admit. Why didn't I just let it go? Because I knew, even though the piece is lightweight, to say the least, it was not as good as I could do. I wasn't aiming for perfect, just good enough to let out into the world. I was proud of myself for insisting on "better" without holding out for "perfect".

As it turned out, after sending a link out to Facebook, LinkedIn, and some email connections, I received a number of positive reactions, many from unexpected sources. This little piece brought some temporary joy to some people. That's a big thing.

Keep writing.

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About Me

Name: Bob's Write From The Start

Location: Sarnia, Ontario, Canada

Born, raised and living in Sarnia, Ontario, Bob Boulton began writing poetry, short stories and humorous articles for his high school newspaper in the period just after dinosaurs roamed the earth. His article on the mysteries of the Chess Club was particularly well-received. Bob’s excruciatingly naive teenage sonnet was published with positive mention in the high school yearbook. In University he wrote pretty much indecipherable essays on Existentialism and Phenomenology. Then, early in his working career, Bob also wrote short feature articles in the now-defunct (not his fault) Weston York Times. For this, he was paid $5.00 per article, which didn’t quite cover his transportation and parking costs. Then after a short break of thirty-five or forty years as an executive and leadership coach, Bob reactivated his passion for writing. The alternatives he considered were learning to yodel or trying to play the bagpipes. Bob’s loving and supportive family voted enthusiastically, and quickly, for writing.