Writing Examples

Hey writers,

Welcome back to Writing Examples. Last week, we showed you how George Orwell uses a single symbol to foreshadow his entire novel. This week, take a look at how John Steinbeck describes an apple pie.

But first, an announcement:

Countdown to Cohort 13

Cohort 13 of the Write of Passage Bootcamp is right around the corner: August 26. Enrollment opens on July 22 (save the date).

And we have a surprise for you. This year, we're offering free discovery calls. You can hop on the phone with a Write of Passage team member or alum and ask any questions you have about our five-week writing bootcamp. Come see if Write of Passage is right for you.

How to Describe Food

"The apple pie was golden and fragrant, its crust delicately browned and sugar-crusted, with the faintest hint of cinnamon wafting up. The apples inside were tender but not mushy, each bite offering a balance of sweet and tart that made my mouth water. The warmth of the pie, coupled with a scoop of melting vanilla ice cream, made each mouthful a little piece of heaven, evoking memories of long, lazy autumn afternoons."

– John Steinbeck, East of Eden

When your friend asks, “How’s your meal?”, do you describe your food like Steinbeck? Or do you respond with something bland and canned? 

Overly written cookbooks and elaborate descriptions on bougie restaurant menus have deceived you into thinking that writing about food needs to be complex. But that’s not true. Food is the most common part of the human experience. It’s woven into our lives, from grand feasts to microwave-meals. You don’t need fancy language to write about food well. Common language works just fine.

Steinbeck’s description comes alive because the words are layered and they appeal to multiple senses: sight, smell, touch, and taste. Look at the “golden,” “sugar-crusted” crust; smell the faint scent of cinnamon; and feel the tenderness of the apples with your tongue and teeth. These varied descriptions bring a real apple pie to your mind’s eye, without pretentious adjectives like “velvety."

The sequence of these details pulls you into the intimacy of the moment, much like a slow zoom-in shot in a film. Steinbeck moves from far away to up close, from eye to mouth to mind.

Next time you write about food, forget about the big culinary words and give your reader a gourmet, four-dimensional experience by enticing their senses of sight, smell, taste, and memory.

How I Write Podcast

Everything Nat Eliason Learned Writing His First Book

Two words: storytelling masterclass. 

Yeah, yeah, we know — “become a better storyteller” is probably the most basic writing advice out there. But this episode is far from basic. It’s all about the storytelling advice you actually need that you didn’t get in school. 

Once upon a time, Nat wrote online SEO blogs: simple, generic, and kind of boring. What he really wanted was to write a memoir: something narrative, beautiful, and exciting. But his storytelling skills didn’t match his vision. So, for two years, Nat disappeared into a cave to master the art of storytelling. He emerged with Crypto Confidential, a captivating memoir that Grammarly hates and readers love. And in this episode, he reveals the not-so-basic tactics he learned as a self-made storyteller. 

Want to write stories that people actually read? This episode is for you. 

Listen Now: YouTube | Spotify | Apple

Thank you for reading Writing Examples. This week, see how you can make your writing more vivid by engaging your reader's senses.

Happy writing,

The Write of Passage Team

P.S. Here's an essay recommendation with some great thinking on the craft of writing: "The Secret Architecture of Great Essays" by Michael Dean.