How to Use Food in Fiction

[Story_Marc]

My end of the month break is over, so it's time to show the fruit of my labors! Starting with this little discussion on how to use food in fiction. Hope this helps out for those who want to up their craftsmanship!

 

[SailusGebel]

My end of the month break is over, so it's time to show the fruit of my labors!​

Heh.

 

[JHarp]

Pocket Burger just reminds me of Weird Als song parody 'Fat' and the pocket pizza.

As less of a joke about song parodies, I think it's also worth noting that the concept of 'pocket burger' can work but intent/reason/context matters. Someone could just as easily be snacking *due* to the stress of the situation, I know I've always kept sweets, small snacks and otherwise when I go out and have my bag with me or anything.

And yes I know that it now serves 'a purpose' but I'm more directing it at the scene you provided at the end, having possible valid reasons and outcomes for that already, if the person writing that story had proper intentions or planning, as well as that character depth or design. Mostly to say that depending there isn't a blanket 'don't eat food in X situation', but to agree/further that purpose, intent and everything in the scene, matters for it.

Or to try and condense my thoughts, what matters more is the purpose for the character eating that 'pocket burger' in that scene, more than the character actually eating in that scene; since it wasn't given more than that.

 

[Story_Marc]

Pocket Burger just reminds me of Weird Als song parody 'Fat' and the pocket pizza.

As less of a joke about song parodies, I think it's also worth noting that the concept of 'pocket burger' can work but intent/reason/context matters. Someone could just as easily be snacking *due* to the stress of the situation, I know I've always kept sweets, small snacks and otherwise when I go out and have my bag with me or anything.

And yes I know that it now serves 'a purpose' but I'm more directing it at the scene you provided at the end, having possible valid reasons and outcomes for that already, if the person writing that story had proper intentions or planning, as well as that character depth or design. Mostly to say that depending there isn't a blanket 'don't eat food in X situation', but to agree/further that purpose, intent and everything in the scene, matters for it.

Or to try and condense my thoughts, what matters more is the purpose for the character eating that 'pocket burger' in that scene, more than the character actually eating in that scene; since it wasn't given more than that.

AKA, exactly what I said? Including the things I pointed out to do and three factors to consider.

Though yes, it could work if it was a matter of him just being stressed or so on. First, I know he just ate because he was hungry and nothing more because I asked in my long list of trying to make sense of the scene. I asked a lot of questions. Also, if someone would do that well and play into it, you'd want to have the stress-eater trait already established. If not, then you'd want to draw attention to it in the scene by having someone else react to it, likely with someone having a reaction to it, and continuing to play stuff. It just happened in the most bizarre way (WHO CARRIES AROUND BURGERS IN THEIR POCKETS?!), and there being literally nothing else to it is part of why it was so dumb.

To not, the entire story was that level of incoherence. That moment just jumped out to me because a hamburger just materialized out of nowhere and was such a weird whiplash for me.

Heh.

 

[JHarp]

AKA, exactly what I said? Including the things I pointed out to do and three factors to consider.

Though yes, it could work if it was a matter of him just being stressed or so on. First, I know he just ate because he was hungry and nothing more because I asked in my long list of trying to make sense of the scene. I asked a lot of questions. Also, if someone would do that well and play into it, you'd want to have the stress-eater trait already established. If not, then you'd want to draw attention to it in the scene by having someone else react to it, likely with someone having a reaction to it, and continuing to play stuff. It just happened in the most bizarre way (WHO CARRIES AROUND BURGERS IN THEIR POCKETS?!), and there being literally nothing else to it is part of why it was so dumb.

To not, the entire story was that level of incoherence. That moment just jumped out to me because a hamburger just materialized out of nowhere and was such a weird whiplash for me.

Yeah, I do agree with you, just the end line of "please don't do this in your writing" could be misunderstood as any variant of "don't use food in X situation" but granted I'm not exactly in full focus mode so this might just be an edge case, I did try to listen over it again but you didn't really suggest alternatives beyond 'avoid this'. So it half sounded like you went 'this scene should never be done', hence me agreeing with you in general but having a minor thing about the ending story.

 

[Story_Marc]

Yeah, I do agree with you, just the end line of "please don't do this in your writing" could be misunderstood as any variant of "don't use food in X situation" but granted I'm not exactly in full focus mode so this might just be an edge case, I did try to listen over it again but you didn't really suggest alternatives beyond 'avoid this'. So it half sounded like you went 'this scene should never be done', hence me agreeing with you in general but having a minor thing about the ending story.

The literal video offered techniques on how and I outright said, and I quote...

"Turns out, he was just hungry. That’s it. I mean, come on! Purpose, clarity, and impact, folks!"

With me also saying...

"So please, don’t do this in your writing! Make sure that every food moment serves a real purpose in your story."

As for the actionable how, that's what the entire video is, such as for worldbuilding, conflict, connection, symbolism, and showing instead of telling. While grabbing examples from actual works and making ones. And I gave a whole breakdown on purpose, clarity, and impact to focus on before leading into the story as an example of something that doesn't have a purpose while making clear it didn't have a purpose. Which I learned it didn't have a purpose by asking questions. Which I made clear with, and I repeat...

"Turns out, he was just hungry. That’s it. I mean, come on! Purpose, clarity, and impact, folks!"

So, I'm struggling to understand how I didn't suggest alternatives. And how I didn't make clear why the example doesn't work. It's not like that one thing exists in a vacuum.

 

[JHarp]

Then sorry, I guess I am too distracted to have understood everything at the moment. It's a good video, I think I was just more expecting you to build on the example story at the end since you took issue with it, more as an example of turning what was bad into good or something.
But sorry if I've wasted your time or anything, you are doing good work here.

 

[Story_Marc]

Then sorry, I guess I am too distracted to have understood everything at the moment. It's a good video, I think I was just more expecting you to build on the example story at the end since you took issue with it, more as an example of turning what was bad into good or something.
But sorry if I've wasted your time or anything, you are doing good work here.

You haven't wasted my time at all. I can do something like that in the future. I unconsciously figured most could do it independently since I had already spelled everything out, but actively doing that with examples myself could be helpful for some future videos. It helps me remember that not everybody is the type of learner I am.

 

[Bartun]

Thanks! Food is somewhat important in my story

 

[CharlesEBrown]

As an aside, is this also posted to SubStack or did someone else do a Stack on the same subject in the last 24 hours?

 

[beast_regards]

Steaks, not stakes?

 

[Story_Marc]

As an aside, is this also posted to SubStack or did someone else do a Stack on the same subject in the last 24 hours?

What is SubStack? But yeah, it would be someone else just doing the same subject in the last 24 hours.

 

[CharlesEBrown]

Thought so (or maybe they posted a link to your video - just saw the subject and wondered if it was the same). SubStack is an on-line community originally for non-fiction writers which started, about a year or a little more ago, to embrace all forms of writers. It is kind of halfway between the old Yahoo! groups and Patreon; mostly in email but with subscription "levels" and just a bunch of stuff.

 

[TaciturnHuman]

"how to use food in writing?"
you take a potayo chip, and EAT IT!

 

[Story_Marc]

"how to use food in writing?"
you take a potayo chip, and EAT IT!

...DAMN IT, HOW DID I FORGET TO INCLUDE THAT?!?!

Time to delete the video and try again!

 

[Jocelyn_Uasal]

Thanks! Food is somewhat important in my story

View attachment 31770

Wow this looks so damn cool

 

[Bartun]

Wow this looks so damn cool

Thank you!