Into the Fire

Hamburgers can be made in abundant ways. Creative additions, seasonings, broiling, frying, or grilling, along with condiments and accessories galore to flavor their delivery to multitudes of eaters with all kinds of diverse desires for meat on a bun. 

Do you like pickles on your hamburgers? Dill? Bread and Butter? Or do you pick them off if they come served with pickles?

Most people who enjoy hamburgers own up to having a favorite place or two to purchase them. From McDonald's to Red Robin to that unique burger place stopped at during a vacation while traveling through some obscure location, lots of people love hamburgers even when they're cooked at home – or even especially when they're fixed at home. Gourmet or plain without cheese, hamburgers can be a family favorite food.

My probable favorite contains mushrooms on provolone melted on top of the patty with a bleu cheese dressing on a toasted bun, but I've only had one of those in my many years of eating hamburgers. But I remember it.

You know where I'm headed. Hamburgers are as common as novels. And they come in all flavors/genres. Many prefer plain/generic, and others prefer fancy/literary. Special servings stand out in the memory but aren't all that common.

You might think you create "steak" when writing, but the reality is fiction is not uncommon. Therefore, writing a novel is much like cooking a hamburger. You might think your additions will make it unique, but what happens when a reader who prefers "plain without cheese" picks it up and decides to blaspheme your preparation with a one-star Amazon review?

Realize the venue. It's difficult to present something different since so many creations already exist.

So the best I can suggest is this: write what moves you, what inspires you, what "tastes" good to you. Because you're the one who must take the first bite. If you don't savor it, who will? Almost anybody can make a hamburger. Doesn't mean you'll like it. But if you make it just right for you, and it kinda melts in your mouth, someone else is bound to like it. At least someone who can share your preferences. Pickles or not.

Father, we need you to direct our steps, our creative desires, our lives as a whole. May we never forget it. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.