Because I’m tired & I can, I’m going to share with you my master metaphor for the writing process. It comes from the world of BBQ & is known as “the stall.”

The stall, for those who don’t know, is when a hunk of meat whose temperature has steadily been rising over several hours of slow cooking now suddenly stalls. You’ve kept the fire steady & done everything right & then wtf - why isn’t this cooking?

An hour passes, two. Nothing. Same internal temp. Should you wrap this thing in foil? Are you going to dry it the hell out with such a long time on the grill? The uncertainty & wondering are too much. You’ve already invested a fair bit of energy into this meal. Is it effed?

Should you maybe stoke the fire? Damnit, no. BBQ & writing cant be hurried. You blast that fire now & you will eff it up. Your manuscript is stalled so you inject some forced drama? Nope. Resist that impulse.

What’s happening is the slow cooking process has started to sweat out the meat—& the resulting evaporation is actually cooling things off. Not too different from how your own body regulates heat.

So you have to be steady & wait & trust. Your brisket could stall six hours, & your book could stall six months. No shortcuts.

You have to hang around & tend that fire—& while you’re at it, have a cold one. Pet your old dog. Live, ffs, because worry lends a bitter flavor.

& I promise if you keep the faith everything will come out right in due time. The process will feed you. In the faith, the feast.