Of Portals, Grand Pitches & A Soupçon of Parisian Magic

Some days feel like they’re winking at you — and 12.12.12 is one of them. A global portal day, a little extra voltage in the air... the perfect moment, apparently, for San Miguel ExMas MixUp to claim a spot as a Semifinalist in The Great Pitch Competition (showcasing outstanding creativity, originality, and commitment to the craft - their words!).

From several thousand scripts down to under a hundred... and my magical-realism Christmas body-swap set in San Miguel is still standing. Fitting, really. The story has always had a mischievous sense of timing.

And because the universe enjoys symmetry, tonight I’m off to a Parisian five-course cooking class featuring Steak Diane and a Grand Marnier soufflé. Not because I need to learn how to make them — I’ve set enough pans aflame in my lifetime — but because it sounds like a fun Friday night. That’s the part people forget: doing something different, stepping sideways from your routine, is often where the sparks come from.

Half the scenes I’ve ever written started the same way: a smell, a taste, a sudden memory ambushing me out of nowhere. One minute you’re cracking eggs, the next you’re solving a character arc.

That’s the whole spirit of Eat Write Roam — roam in your own life, and the writing follows.

So here’s to 12/12, portals, semifinals, soufflés, and the reminder I keep circling back to:

It’s never too late to surprise yourself.

Photo Credit: Charles Vollmer, Epicurian Global Exchange