In the chapter of Natalie Goldman's book Writing Down the Bones entitled "Baking a Cake" the author begins by discussing the process by which one goes about baking a cake. She states that if one takes the ingredients for a cake and mixes them together, all one will have is "goop." It requires heat (energy) for a cake to take form. The point of this metaphor is that simply writing down the details from one's life experiences will not make for an intriguing read - one must add energy, which, in this case, refers to "the heat and energy of your heart" rather than that of an oven. What she seems to be saying is that passion is the glue that transforms the details of one's experiences into cake, or, in this case, purposeful writing. Simply relating to someone the details of an experience without adding one's feelings about those experiences will render the telling dull and ineffectual. Goldman implores the reader to "caress the details," to give them life. She also discusses how some writers use only heat (i.e. energy) to try and bake their literary cakes. Such dishes, she states, leave the reader with "nothing to bite into." That is to say that they lack the details, the spice, the emotional reaction to one's experiences that shape a good piece of writing.
Interestingly enough, Goldman does not, an any point in this chapter, attempt to explain the delicious nature of no-bake cookies.
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