Showing posts with label chapters. Show all posts
Showing posts with label chapters. Show all posts

Monday, 7 June 2021

Ginger Ricky & Betsy

In the lead up to my publication day of Cocktails At Kittiwake Cove, I thought I would share some cocktail recipes. 

Early on, whilst writing, I thought it would be fun to name each chapter after a cocktail. Over the next week, I'll be sharing recipes from chapter titles, and possibly some cocktails that ended up on the editing floor... 




The following recipes have been taken from a cocktail book I was given as a gift; Drink Me Now 150 cocktails for any emergency.

These two made it into the book... 


Ginger Ricky 

4 x 2.5cm (1 inch) cubes pineapple

2 lime wedges

1 1/2 measures London dry gin

1/2 measure ginger juice (see tip)

1 teaspoon lime juice

ice cubes

3 1/2 measures ginger ale

pineapple wedge, to decorate


Muddle the pineapple and lime wedges in the bottom of a cocktail shaker. Add the gin and ginger and lime juices and shake well.

Strain into a highball glass filled with ice cubes and top up with the ginger ale. Decorate with a pineapple wedge and serve. 

***

Tip: to make ginger juice, peel a large piece of fresh root ginger and blitz in a blender or food processor. Strain the juice before use. 

~

Betsy

2 measures gin or vodka

4 teaspoons lime juice

1 measure sugar syrup

2 strawberries, plus extra to decorate

1 sprig coriander

1 cup ice cubes


Put all the ingredients into a food processor or blender and blend until smooth.

Pour into 2 old-fashioned glasses, decorate each with a strawberry and serve.


***

Enjoy! 

Remember Cocktails at Kittiwake Cove is out Tuesday 15th June! 

Wednesday, 5 January 2011

Bite Size Chunks

I've started my first book for the year - Starting Over by Sue Moorcroft.  Probably a good book to start with, considering the New Year and all that!

I've been getting sneaky chapters in where I can, getting myself back into the routine of reading (sort of lost it with Christmas), and the great thing about this book is it's got nice size chapters to do so.

Personally, when writing, I try to stick to around 3,000 words per chapter.  Sometimes the chapter needs more, sometimes it needs less, but if I've got to around 5,000 words, then I'll see if there is a way to split it.  

It comes from my fan fic days, and posting for comments/constructive criticism.  I would sometimes look at others work and think, 'whoa, long chapter, save it for when I've got time' and it wouldn't get looked at until I was ready.  Therefore, considering my readers and their time, I would try to post my own stuff in bite size chunks.  3,000 words has sort of stuck with me.

And I'm the same with my reading.  I find I read books quicker if they've got shorter chapters, because it'll be way past my bed time, and I'll just be left on a cliffhanger and thinking, 'oh, just another one quickly!'  Where as, if I know I have a long chapter ahead of me, I've got to wait for a time when I'll know I'll get to finish it.  Or it will be left in the middle and I don't like doing that unless I have to.  I'm odd like that.  

Who prefers small chapters?  Do you have an average word count per chapter you try to stick to or have you never thought about it?

Am I just weird?