Hilary Baudelaire, Author

Hello, my friends!

I've been getting to know my bread machine, and experimenting with the ratios of bread to flour.

Has anyone else noticed that the dough seems wetter / gloopier than it used to be, even when it's made with the exact same amounts of flour and water as you've used for the last twenty years? I have, and so has my Mum, and we're on a mission to work out the right ratio to use in this exciting new world where the recipes don't work as they once did.

This beautiful loaf - I think I cracked the recipe the first time, yesterday - was made with the Basic programme, to the following recipe:

510 g strong flour (50 % wholemeal, 50 % white)

330 ml water

30 g butter

1½ tbsp salt

1 tsp easy-bake yeast

1 tsp sugar

Today, I had another go (the first loaf didn't last long), with a ratio closer to 25 % wholemeal, 75 % white flour. At first, I couldn't work out why the crust was blonder than I was expecting it to be, when it came out of the machine, and then I remembered that I'm used to bread containing a lot more wholemeal flour.

It's turned out just as beautifully, through, and I'm looking forward to gobbling it up tomorrow, with my friends and family.

Gentleman's Embroidered Blue Silk Frock Coat, 1780s

Don't forget to reblog this post and let us know what your role is. It's going to be important later in!

REPOST!

Pretending isn’t just lying, no, it’s becoming a version of yourself that feels easier to manage (easier to love, or control, or survive inside.) It’s a mask that starts out as protection and slowly becomes a second skin. One that’s hard to take off, even when you want to.

✦ They mirror the people around them without meaning to. Their laugh, their phrasing, the way they sit, it all shifts depending on who they’re with. Like they’re constantly adjusting, matching the energy in the room, trying to be what they think people want.

✦ They’re vague when things get personal, and not because they’re secretive, but because they don’t know anymore. Ask them their favorite song, and they’ll pause too long. Ask about their past, and their answers are half-finished, polished at the edges, like they’ve been told too many times to keep it clean.

✦  They over-prepare for conversations. They run through the dialogue in their head ahead of time. Rehearse their jokes, their exits, their answers. Everything feels a little scripted, like they’re playing the role of “themselves” instead of just… being.

✦ They always look put-together, maybe almost too much. Their clothes, their hair, their whole vibe is carefully chosen. But there’s a difference between style and armor, and this is armor. A version of themselves they’ve curated, down to the last thread.

✦ They panic when the script slips. Catch them off guard, and it shows… like, they freeze and fumble. The real stuff, feels dangerous. Being authentic means being vulnerable, and they’ve learned the hard way how risky that is.

✦ They shift depending on the room. One version of them at home, another at school, another with friends, like flipping channels. It’s not manipulation, no guys, it’s muscle memory, and they’ve learned to survive by adapting, and now they can’t stop.

✦ They touch their face or hair when they’re uncomfortable, like they’re checking to make sure the mask is still in place. A nervous habit that’s half-grounding, half-ritual, as if letting their guard down even physically would let everything else fall apart, too.

✦ Their smile is always photo-ready. Perfect, pretty, practiced…But there’s something in the eyes that doesn’t match, like they’re smiling at you, not with you. Like they’ve learned what people want to see, and they’ve gotten very good at giving it.

Embroidered Petticoat

c. 1770-1779

Here are the central pair in my first Violins and Violets book, Barbara (left) and Katharina (right)!

Here are the central pair in my first Violins and Violets book, Barbara (left) and Katharina (right)!

Barbara and Katharina sitting in a tree,

NOT kissing because they will NOT acknowledge those feelings!!

Pose Reference from @adorkastock - source https://www.adorkastock.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/tree-18.jpg

Hello, friends! Today, I had the overwhelming urge to do some artwork, so I photocopied the line drawing I did on 6th July onto marker-friendly paper, and spent about an hour colouring it up.

General:

Were you confused at any point of the story?

What genre would you say this book is?

When did you put the story down?

Is the ending satisfying?

If you had to cut 3 scenes what would they be?

When did you feel like the story really began?

What was the last book you read before this story?

Characters:

Do you get any of the characters names confused?

Which character is your favorite?

If you had to remove a character who would you and why? (you don't have to remove the character, just make sure their role is meaningful)

Which character do you relate to the most?

Which character do you relate to the least?

Do the characters feel real?

Are character relationships believable?

Are the goals clear and influence the plot?

Are the characters distinct (voice, motivations, etc)

Setting:

Which setting was clearest to you?

Which setting was the most memorable?

Am including enough/too much detail?

Plot and conflict:

Are the internal and external conflicts well defined for the main characters?

Are the internal conflicts and the external conflicts organic and believable?

Are there enough stakes?

your inner child is so proud of the writer you’ve become