MFK Fisher: How to write how to

A few weeks ago, I resolved to add MFK Fisher to my reading list.  Perhaps by studying some of her work, I might be able to kick my own instructional writing up a notch in the literary sense.

I found a thick collection at the local library, and heaved it home one Sunday afternoon.  To tell the truth, I only pushed through a few chapters before my interest wilted.  Like most model railroad writing, I found the book I’d selected, How to Cook a Wolf, lacked an “engine.”  It failed to snatch me, and called instead on my desire to learn to cook, which is a pretty feeble engine at the best of times.

That I got as far as I did into a cooking book free of food porn provides some tips for model railroad authors, however.  First of all, the instructional text is scanty — less than a sixth of the content.  It is set apart from the main text by italics, in the imperative tongue, and like all cookbooks hangs on convention and jargon — words such as boil, saute, sear, poach and broil.

The rest consists of personal anecdotes and ever-more outlandish opinions.  This was where I found the bulk of the entertainment value, and perhaps if the book were more timely, I might have enjoyed it enough to soldier on.  At its best, Model Railway Journal serves up a similar menu, and one of my favourite model railroad blogs, The Model Railways of Oly Turner and Chris Matthews, occasionally hits effortless Michelin star levels.

Sadly, I am not blessed with such wit or opinion, but I aim to cultivate the touch.