Writing a Book Like Baking Pot Pie | M. G. Lorraine

Sep 23

3 min read

Writing a Book Is a Lot Like Baking a Pot Pie

Before we dig into the comfort of crust, filling, and story, let me welcome you into the world of M. G. Lorraine. M. G. writes romantic suspense through the Dorchester Sisters series, including Fossils, Antiquities, and the upcoming Sequins, along with children’s adventures such as the Dexter & Dixie Grandparent Adventure books. Across every age group, her stories are built with heart, curiosity, mystery, and the joy of discovering what comes next.

National Great American Pot Pie Day arrives every September 23, inviting us to celebrate one of America’s favorite comfort foods: a golden crust wrapped around a hearty, carefully layered filling. For an author, that image feels familiar. Writing a book is not so different from following a favorite pot pie recipe. Both begin with raw ingredients, both require patience, and both ask us to trust the process before the finished work is ready to share.

The Ingredients: Ideas, Characters, and Conflict

Every good pot pie starts with ingredients: tender meat, vegetables, seasoning, gravy, and that all-important crust. A book begins the same way, though its ingredients look different. Instead of carrots and peas, a writer gathers characters, setting, conflict, theme, and emotion. Some ingredients are planned from the beginning; others are discovered along the way. The trick is knowing what belongs in the pie and what should stay out of the pan.

The Recipe: Structure Gives the Story Shape

A recipe keeps the cook from throwing everything in at once. It offers order: prepare the filling, roll the crust, assemble the dish, bake until golden. A novel also needs structure. The opening draws readers in, the middle deepens the stakes, and the ending delivers satisfaction. Yet writing is not as exact as cooking. A recipe may tell you to bake for thirty-five minutes, but a story reveals its timing through revision, instinct, and attention to the reader’s appetite.

The Filling: Depth Comes From What’s Inside

The crust may be what people notice first, but the filling is what keeps them coming back. The same is true of a book. A beautiful cover and clever title can invite readers in, but the emotional center of the story is what nourishes them. Readers want meaning, tension, tenderness, surprise, and truth. Like a rich gravy that ties everything together, theme gives the story cohesion and warmth.

The Contrast: Books Don’t Always Follow the Recipe

Of course, writing a book differs from baking a pot pie in one important way: recipes promise a predictable result, while stories often surprise their creators. A cook who follows the measurements closely can usually expect dinner to turn out as planned. A writer may begin with an outline only to discover that a character wants something unexpected, a scene needs to move, or the ending must change. In the kitchen, improvisation can season the dish. On the page, improvisation can transform the entire story.

The Bake: Revision Takes Time

No one serves a pot pie before it has had time in the oven. The crust needs to brown, the filling needs to bubble, and the flavors need to come together. A manuscript needs that same heat and patience. Drafting gets the story into the dish, but revision lets it become what it is meant to be. This is where the writer trims what is too much, strengthens what is too thin, and lets the whole book settle into its final flavor.

Serving the Story

When the pot pie finally comes out of the oven, it is meant to be shared. So is a book. After all the planning, layering, waiting, and revising, the author places the finished story before readers and hopes it offers comfort, nourishment, and a little delight. On National Great American Pot Pie Day, that may be the best reminder of all: whether we are building a meal or a manuscript, we are creating something meant to bring people to the table. If this little reflection leaves you hungry for a good story, I hope you will explore M. G. Lorraine’s books, including the Dorchester Sisters novels and the Dexter & Dixie Grandparent Adventure series, and consider adding one to your reading stack today.

Here is a recipe for a tasty meat pot pie