One Small Fix (a.k.a. why I finally let the butter soften)

And the eggs come to room temperature!

Oh hell, friends. I’m not going to pretend everything’s rosy.

You know it’s not. I know it’s not. Unless you live under a rock (and frankly, if you do, may I join you?), you can feel it: we’re teetering. On the brink of… something.
Chaos? Collapse? A sequel no one asked for?

I saw a thread earlier where an author said trying to work in a library, parent through the apocalypse, and still write was damn near impossible.

And yes! Exactly.
Part of my fury at the state of things is how much brain power it’s stealing.
Energy I won’t get back. Not ever.

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So what now?

Is there a way through, provided this has a happy ending and doesn’t read like a YA dystopian?

Here’s mine: I stress bake.

Luckily, there’s a graduation party on the horizon, so filling my freezer with butter, sugar, and flour feels... productive.

Baking helps. It requires just enough focus to keep me in the present, but not so much that I can’t mentally plot a novel in the background.

(Also, I love sugar. Addicted. There. I said it.)

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Now here’s the kicker:

For years, I’ve ignored the advice to bring ingredients to room temperature.
Who has time for that?

I always assumed it didn’t really matter. But this week, I tried it.
I softened the butter. I let the eggs sit.

And guess what? The cupcakes were better.
The earth didn’t move, but still—better.

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Naturally, I thought about writing.

Because I see the world from the an author POV. So what’s one small thing you could change in your manuscript that might make the whole thing work better?

• Cut a crutch word

• Untangle some clunky dialogue

• Replace one “smile sadly” with something that actually says something

Small fixes don’t require massive energy—
but they can shift the meaning, the pace, the tone.
And that shift might be enough to pull you out of the funk
and back into forward motion.

Because when the world’s a dumpster fire, sometimes the best resistance is progress. Even tiny, crumb-sized progress.

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TL;DR Takeaway

🧈 Softened butter = better cupcakes
✏️ One small writing fix = better novel
🚀 Start there

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Want help spotting your one small fix?
Leave a comment and tell me what you’re stuck on. Or email me directly! (Or just tell me your favorite stress bake. Both are valid.)

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On the Writers With Wrinkles podcast: Available now: part one of a mini masterclass on drafting with editor Joel Brigham. I can’t say enough about how GOOD this episode is! Full of excellent advice you will want to write down.

Reading: The Love Haters. by Katherine Center. Not sure if I love or hate it yet? Will report back.

Watching: MurderBot. I offer no explanation. It just is.

Book Coaching: Need eyes on your project? Structure? Sanity? I’ve got you. Email me and let’s figure it out.