ErinNudi.com

Author: Erin Nudi

  • What do your characters want? (writing exercise #13)

    As with a couple other writing exercises we’ve done, this one does not create a new story, but is working with one you already have.

    Typically I use my novel that has been in the works for a long time now, but recently I have taken a much needed break from that and am concentrating on short stories.

    I’m currently working on a scary short story (I like to do them around Halloween time) and I’ve also been revisiting my novella to submit somewhere – it’s my novella I’ll use for this one.

    Characters want something – this is a fundamental fact of fiction. If they don’t, they’re probably nothing more than a prop.

    Behind the more specific wants – I want to dump my boyfriend and get out of this dead end relationship – are the more general, abstract wants that most folks can identify with: love, individuality, security, etc.

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  • Food history: Bananas Foster

    This food history is almost embarrassingly short and sweet.

    Most of the time with Food History posts, it is difficult to decipher the background of a dish, because many meals simply evolve and grow over time. Or, the food item can be traced so far back the precise origin is unclear.

    Then there are the biggies like coffee and ketchup, where the history is so expansive it’s impossible to cover it all in one blog post.

    But with Bananas Foster, we’ve got the exact, undisputed, quick history right here.

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  • Difference between: apple cider and apple juice

    As promised, here is one more apple post for the year – and a thank you to a miss Jennifer Cole for suggesting it: the difference between apple cider and apple juice.

    We’ve already explored the history of apple cider – let’s find out how it differs from its more readily available counterpart.

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  • Food history: candied apples

    In the history of candied apples we’ll of course also have to check out caramel apples.

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  • Difference between: Honeycrisp and Fuji

    Honeycrisp and Fuji apples both have higher amounts of sugar in them than other apples, making them intensely sweet. The sweetness in conjunction with that perfect, crisp crunch makes for one darn good eating apple.

    Let’s check out the difference betweeen Honeycrisp and Fuji, and if they’re good baking apples as well.

    We’re also going to examine why Honeycrisp apples are so darn pricey.

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  • Food history: apple cider

    Cider as we tend to think of it here in America is of the nonalcoholic variety. It’s sweet, and wholesome, and we buy it at farmers markets and orchards during September and October.

    To the rest of the world, cider equates to hard cider, which is how it originated.

    Let’s look further into the history of apple cider.

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  • Difference between: McIntosh and Empire

    Empire apples are a cross between McIntosh and Red Delicious. So, in checking out the difference between McIntosh and Empire apples, we’ll naturally have to briefly touch upon Red Delicious as well.

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  • Food history: apple pie

    Continuing on through apple month, also known as September, let’s find out what the history of apple pie is.

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  • Difference between: Gala and Pink Lady

    Gala and Pink Lady: They’re both small, mildly sweet apples, making them highly kid-friendly. And, they have that lovely red blush over a yellow/green skin.

    Let’s check out the difference between Gala and Pink Lady apples.

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  • My top 5 wedding surprises

    I took wedding preparations very seriously. It was a two year engagement, so I had a lot of time to plan for every teeny tiny thing. And I did. With the help of several significant people, the wedding was pulled off successfully.

    Admittedly, towards the end I stopped caring about the minute details.

    There was a noticeable crease on the guest stone sign – I did not reprint it. A jewel came off of the center of my dress – I let that roll off my back. I should have touched up the roots of my hair one more time before the big day – I couldn’t be bothered.

    Of course, no amount of preparations can assure a completely surprise-free wedding.

    Here are the top 5 things I wasn’t expecting. (This is separate from the major things that went wrong, which you can read about here.)

    All photos in this post except the first one are courtesy of our fantastic photographer, Jim McLaughlin.

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