Scarlett had Uncle Alan wrapped around her
4 year old finger.
A family reunion was the scene of the crime. My plan last week was to familiarize myself more with Substack, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter- but instead opted for swimming with unicorns, playing Candyland with Scarlett’s ever-changing rules and jumping on the bed.
When she said “Jump!” Uncle Alan said “But of course.”
Publishing a manuscript requires a robust online presence. Unfortunately the expertise needed to effectively utilize social media is not in my possession. A shrug accompanied by “It’s so not me” is something I’m trying to change and have feebly been working on.
I can ride a unicorn in the water with the best of them and touch the ceiling when I jump on the bed though. Scarlett was impressed and I was gratefully distracted.
Social media presents a huge learning curve, one I’m trying to understand but at this point am certain I’m leaving a lot on the table, a term most any chef doesn’t care for.
Food analogies are personal to me. That would be like Scarlett not eating her broccoli which she loves.
Followers, likes, impressions, comments? What they mean and how they can help are questions on my social media mixtape. “Tagging” i.e. adding a name to a post that may amplify said post helps but makes me uncomfortable. Not that I wouldn’t adopt best practices if convinced (and I can get over it).
An Instagram post from an “influencer” dinner I did last month has over 17k likes and nearly 1,000 comments, crushing anything I’ve done on my own and yielding 100 new instagram followers.
Substack was suggested as another outlet for this blog so my internet goddess Melissa2 and I made that happen but again, we’re shooting in the dark here. Described by an author friend as having a more organic growth model (whatever that is) I asked her to set it up. It seems to be gaining followers on its own momentum, because all we’ve done is post a couple that people have found on their own, so there is an audience. While it’s good to see that I wonder what besides an ego boost it could mean.
How does any of the above help achieve the goal of publishing Home Cookin’- The Stories Behind The Food? Increasing your visibility doesn’t necessarily mean increasing your value although pretty certain it plays a role.
Fwiw, never mistake a busy restaurant for a successful one.
Being around Scarlett brings out the best in me and being Uncle Alan is one of my favorite things. It’s like this with all my nieces, nephews and kids in general, but she’s who I just spent the weekend with so is freshest in my mind. Trying to wrap my head around marketing finds me rearing quite the ugly head mainly because I’ve never done things I don’t like, well.
But swimming with unicorns and jumping on beds with my niece I’m great at.
Alan Lake
Chef/percussionist/writer/
Very excellent writing, I feel your Love (and your Pain) Love and Light MIK
Thank you brother
Alan,
Thanks for sharing this lovely story about your time with Scarlett.
Nothing changes your view of the world faster than playing with a niece or other young loved one who brings out your inner child. Moments like these are truly the bright spots of anyone’s day.
never knew i had an affinity w/kids until i started teaching them which changed my perspective entirely. the challenge of 500 words a wk is trying to keep on point while being in the moment.
I loved this one, drink deep jump high and ride unicorns…words from the occasionally wise. I will take heed.
swimming w/unicorns is my new band
Loved this, cuz- I watch things all the time on my phone- probably too much, but ask your internet gurus to set you up with your face and talking- the musicality of a Chicago accent is real and your face and personality are unique- each part of your book is of course an episode of you with a friend making a home cooked meal- what if you don’t get the book published until after your cooking show airs?
me? accent? cooking show?
the story i’m writing is by far the most powerful i’ve told. figured if i was going to start again it better be good.