top of page
Search

TNT-The Birthday Cake Dilemma-Example

Now, in a past blog I talked about the Twine and Thread Technique but hadn't provided an example. The reason I hadn't is the first time I started to use it was in The Repeated Moments RIM Trilogies.


First written book called Just Imagine That which I thought in the dream might be a small one off book but my Chewy interrupted the dream sequence saying he needed tending.


The writing of a small bit was so fast I had all of it writen it all in under a day, but saw three structures immediately. Triple dreams like that are a little harder, had it been one thread, it would be an hour.


Now, I am not without writing skills and any sort of thought can get me on a piece, but the powerful ones come from dreams.


When searching for examples with some directed dreaming, I did get my example but also the other book in the same moment decided to show off and revealed its far more interesting and I am going to go with it. But we needed a family friendly example.


I am going to walk you though a very comment momment in our lives: An Upcoming Birthday Party.


A third‑grade girl is picking her birthday cake.Her friend Penny is allergic to chocolate.The girl suggests two cakes so everyone can eat.


That is the setup right, and you're like is picking a cake out ever that big of a conversation.


But let me take you into the minds of different inner strings within the same moment and show how various thoughts pull the story many ways and how powerful thought is.


I’m not showing you “the one right way.” I’m showing you how powerful TNT is when you let more than one real thought exist in the same breath.



1. Base Scene: One String (The Child Only)

We start with a single string: the birthday girl.


No TNT yet. Just her.


Mia sat at the kitchen table with the bakery flyer spread in front of her, circling cakes with a dull pencil.


“Mom, I want a marbly cake,” I said. “One half chocolate, one half white.


Penny’s allergic to chocolate, remember?


Maybe we could do two little cakes. A vanilla one so Penny can eat it, and a chocolate one ’cause I love chocolate.”


I looked up, pleased with myself. I solved a real big problem. Marbly cake has a danger edge or they go and do the little blocks like Jenny discovered when she asked for a marbly cake and didn't get it be this side that side. Penny never got cake that time. Her mom at least had chocolate and vanilla. But I like vanilla so we are good there.


From this string alone:

  • Mia feels clever and kind.

  • She thinks she has solved a problem.

  • She is sure she is making her friend happy after having suffered a disappointment due to a baker not understanding the request.


Mom is just “quiet at the counter.” Mom say something, anything. Am I not clever?


If we stay here and never go into anyone else, that’s the whole beat: girl suggests, Mom “thinks,” answer comes. And would you want to have mom 'reflect' later?


TNT asks: What’s actually happening in that silence?


2. Variant 1: Jealous / Possessive Mom (Twine Inside Her)

Same setup. Same child words. This time we open Mom and now we have Twine. We have genuine intimacy and power to give silence observed narrative depth. And what is Mom's thoughts.


The Voice inside Mom's String

Jealous / Possessive


Two cakes. For Penny.That girl is already glued to my kid. Every story is “Penny said, Penny did.”Now I’m supposed to spend extra money to make sure Penny’s happy too? Mia is my daughter. I barely get her to myself as it is.


Wise / Loving


Now look at her. She remembered the allergy. She wants everyone safe. This is the heart I want her to grow. Thoughtful. Kind. Including the friend who can’t eat what everyone else eats.If I shut this down hard, she’ll learn that caring is “too much.” Its never too much. Just a bit expensive, but a child's safety must be first. Solutions... solutions.... to troubling puzzles.


Both strings exist in the same silence while Mia waits.


The spoken line shows which one Mom chooses to feed.


Example 1a – Mom lets jealousy win:


(MOM) “Two cakes is a lot, Mia,” I said, my jaw a little tight. “We can’t make everything about Penny. We’ll do one chocolate cake. She can have ice cream.”


Wait to flip to Mia’s inner story (even if we don’t open it fully) heads toward:

  • “Kind ideas cause trouble.”

  • “Thinking of my friend was wrong / too much.”

(Mia) "Mom is it too much money." I forgot about rent for a second. Dad's on fur... fury...oh that big word that means he is home. Like him home. "Mom we just get vanilla."


Example 1b – Mom lets the wiser string win:


(MOM) I exhaled slowly. “You know what? I like that you’re thinking about Penny,” I said and then nodded. “We’ll figure it out. Maybe a chocolate cake and something special just for her.”


(Mia) "Mom that might work as Dad is having to wait for something to get working."


(MOM) My daughter understands my pressure bless her. Her birthday always seems we don't have as much. I'd call it unlucky, but how can I be unlucky with a girl who thinks of others. "Love its called a furlough. I know big word. He's still working but well he isn't getting a paycheck or much of one. But two cakes are expensive. She does like cookies."


(Mia) Yeah she does like them but it be a tray of them. She'd see it as a bonus item for everyone and once more no cake. That really blows. "Mom lets get vanilla."


(Mom) To give up her wants so easy to be included now how can I not think of something else but for now that is the solution.


Mom might not say a thing she didn't right but the thought is so much better than Mom nodded with a smile. But we can drop back to Mia’s thoughts see how she sees that smile as when you are in your thoughts we don't always consciously say I nodded and smiled we just do:


(Mia) For a second, Mia had worried .... (WRONG) Your in her thoughts its not THIRD PERSON she is speaking again... Careful so careful easy to flip.


(Mia) For a second, I was sure mom would insist on chocolate. I do love it but what is more important to me is we include everyone. Mom smiled and nodded and that reassured me as much as any word she would have said.


Practical / Worried Mom (Not Broke, Just Stretched)

Same child moment. Different adult mind.


Here, Mom isn’t jealous. She’s tired and practical.


Two cakes. Okay, yes, that’s sweet. Also: plates, cups, juice, decorations, the gift she circled last week.I can’t keep saying yes to everything, or we won’t make rent, but how do I say no without making her feel unloved?


“I love that you thought of Penny,” she said. “But I can’t buy two fancy cakes. How about one cake and we bake a spare cake together for Penny instead?”


The story becomes about:

  • compromise,

  • honesty about limits,

  • and still affirming Mia’s instinct.

Different TNT than jealousy. Same external setup. But I think we know Mia enough that she'd come back saying we just get vanila but can we back some cookies in bonus as I do love chocolate just to have at home.



4. Variant 3: Broke Mom + Dead Oven + Cupcake Solve

Now we bring in the version I want: Mom is actually broke, and she doesn’t want to say it out loud. Same child lines. Same table.We open Mom, and this time the money panic is real.


Two cakes at the store?I checked my account this morning—twenty‑two dollars until Friday. The power bill is due, can I let it slide? Get a little time for a proper break. I hate this. I hate being broke.


But look at her. She remembered Penny’s allergy all by herself. That is good. I am not going to teach her that caring is a problem.


I said nothing to her as she needs not to worry about adult troubles. I will bake. I went and bought two cake boxes. And in the middle of the first one in the vanilla cake, the cake just isn't rising. Why isn't it rising? Its dead just dead. That has to be the priority and I can’t fix the stove and buy two cakes. I can barely buy one cake.Do I get chocolate, the one she loves, or vanilla so everyone can eat? I hate that it has to be either/other.


I decided on chocolate and a cookie. I called Penny's mom and let her know what was going on. (We will pull in that thread later as you can still be reflexive at times as sometimes pulling it to an after can give you bonuses. Combined techniques add even more power at times and helps you feel the tapestry)


My husband comes in with a small ray of sunline. He's back to work finally and that means we can use a little bit of credit. But then the prices... the prices are so much higher. I shouldn't spend that much.... My eyes slid to a little picture in the corner: a clear plastic box of plain vanilla cupcakes. Oh look at that single one. If that doesn't say I care about you nothing does.


Cupcakes. Why not just get cupcakes? Those are cheap. Already on their own “plates.” Kids don’t care if they’re fancy and there are those tiny icecream cups possibly a tiny bit extra but still cheaper than ice cream bowls, but the other options is cones. I do love a good sugar cone and she does too. Score!


Skip the fancy balloons. Get the dollar stores oh that animal ballon pump. And we will all try and make our best shot at something ha ha ha. Who cares about the fancy icing after a small tick, I can get a small chocolate cake for Mia and a tray of these vanilla cupcakes. Penny will have something she can eat. So will every other kid. I can live with that.


But let's throw now back to the call with Penny’s mom (just lightly; you can expand as much as you like):


I breathed three times and dialed, "Laura, this is Mia's mom Geramiah." I always have to say it like that to her. What just because you live on snob hill doesn't mean I am worthless you .... stop breathe. You're about to tell her there won't be two cakes. “I wanted Penny to know about what is happening. I was baking the two cakes...”


"Oh good and now what are you about to say you burnt them and can't afford another box. Need a loan to give your child even a cake."


You could stay in Geramiah's head right but you can't even see this woman on a phone. Single POV you see it, feel it, sense it you can share it. You can't go suddenly I see through the telephone wires. Not happening stuck unless you do a ping pong and why with this lets just twine it and kick it into Laura's head.


Oh good and now what are you about to say you burnt them and can't afford another box. Need a loan to give your child even a cake." Damn it all the people are bugging me lately. Just because my husband decided to save some money during the downtime at the plant and furlough workers doesn't mean I suddenly have extra money. I hate poor people. They should have saved better. "Okay how much you need."


(Geramiah) That ... oh that woman thinks I'm asking for funds. I know full well she's not lending you it at cost when her husband was the one that shutdown after forcing all the workers to work overtime for three months so he had a stockpile. Maybe not work people to death, but breathe we won't be insulted. "Not that I have enough for a cake. It will be chocolate." Snap I said it forciblely I am sure. I know she'll take it that I value my kid more or being spiteful.


So many ways that could explode and shape do we show the party or do we jump maybe to AFTER IT. We already know Mom went and found her solution.


5. Playground: Same History, Simple Dialogue

Now we jump forward to Monday on the playground.


We do not need to be in anyone’s head here. All the intimacy already happened in the kitchen and on the phone. But someone would be listed as the POV... just .... not the girls as their thoughts are not as powerful as another. They are in harmony. I denote it on the chapter heading when I am changing the available POV down to someone not already on my thread list.


Chapter School Yard POV Matt


“Mom said that cupcake shocked her,” Mia said, dragging the toe of her shoe through the dirt. “She said it not being a cake like mine was kind of a smack at me.”


Penny shrugged. “What why? Mom got us all cupcakes. They’re cheaper and instead got us those CONES score. She'd have gone fancy and I think she's worried on it not being some superhero or something..”


Mia snorted. “Your mom overthinks everything.”


On the surface, it’s just two girls repeating what they heard at home.


Because of the earlier TNT work, we know:

  • Those sentences are loaded with:

    • mothers’ jealousy,

    • shame,

    • money fear,

    • and attempts at kindness.

  • The kids are now carrying that weight in their own mouths without having all that adult process. We could still be intimate with just them, but we pull back there so when we hit the powerful thought it hits harder.

6. New Outside String: “I Want Them to Be Enemies”

Our POV is Matt recall.


Option A – Literal Other Child


Chapter School Yard POV Matt


“Mom said that cupcake shocked her,” Mia said, dragging the toe of her shoe through the dirt. “She said it not being a cake like mine was kind of a smack at me.”


Penny shrugged. “What why? Mom got us all cupcakes. They’re cheaper and instead got us those CONES score. She'd have gone fancy and I think she's worried on it not being some superhero or something..”


Mia snorted. “Your mom overthinks everything.”


I wanted them to be enemies. I hate them both and love them. I hate the world. My dad is flat and mom is too. Penny's mom destroyed my family. I want her destroyed.


(OH MY Snap right! He was just watching them and you're pulled from your mass intimacy for a bit and it feels lighter. And then bam you got the BIG HIT of a silent thread that SINGLE POV gets you.)



7. Why Don’t We got the head and Follow Every Head at the Party


You sometimes lose the pay off of 'excluding' a moment and you'd be expecting more voices of the kids. We can do it but we have to be careful. The more voices running makes matts easier to hit you.


Sometimes, dropping out the party or just waiting until you have Matt leading you with just his warped thoughts is the call to make. I am leaving it as this to allow everyone to take the prompts and make their own small stories. Teachers this might be a great one for kids left as it is. See what they make of the mom returning and back. I could claim it but we instead give it.


Hope you enjoyed the narrative woven in our small example. Take enjoy have fun. Weave yourself a bit of magic. Get when making the TNT Page and then making pictures things changed a bit. The story inspiries the art, the art inspires the story, and when I touch some thing I make it bett

er. I always do.


Alright here is the link to the page



Teacher’s Corner


Okay, all you teachers, I give you permission to totally pull it in this story and change it however it fits your classroom needs.


You're like she’s giving permission. Yep I am giving permission to take the story into the classroom and make it your own!


You can keep it simple:

  • Pick one character.

  • Write what they see, say, and think about the birthday cake and the allergy.

Give the kids some ideas:

  • If your parents came back and said I can’t afford the cake? What do you say

  • Have you ever had to change a plan so a friend with an allergy could be safe?

    • Do you accept the cookies baked or do you swap to what everyone can have even if you adore chocolate, strawberry, whatever it is your friend can’t have. DWAR’s daughter was allergic to icing of all things. How many of you want a cake with 0 frosting?

  • What would your mom / dad / caregiver think if you asked for two cakes?

  • What if you were the kid who couldn’t eat the main cake at someone else’s party?


You can:

  • Rewrite the kitchen scene in your own way.

  • Or jump to the party and write what happens when Penny sees the cakes.

  • Or write Monday on the playground from Mia, Penny, Matt, or another kid’s eyes. What did that party mean for them? Do you see why maybe Matt was hurting?


Make this story all yours and let them know I think they are all amazing. They might not know who DWAR is yet and that is okay. Dream Writer, Lady Ariarose, at Your Service Forever Friends Faithfully if asked and bugged. I do have the Language Learning Corner for them, Snuggle and Pumpkin, the original Turning Tongue Twisters. All sorts of fun here, but this isn't about that. Its about spreading around the EMPATHY thoughts.


F.F.F. Because if you have a friend who makes you strive to be better than you are, who supports you when the chips are down, you hold onto a friend like that. When they need the support, you are there for them faithfully and honestly. By this mutual support and understanding, you are not just Friends but forever friends faithfully. Support doesn't mean always agreeing but being fully there and present and coming to them honestly and earnestly.


My solution for the icing on a budget has been to simply have several jars of icing on the side and tubs of whipped cream. We made cupcakes without any frosting at all and did DECATATIONS as we wanted them. My favorite is simple whipped cream, but I love making a little variety on a shoestring. But I know kids are amazing.


Have fun and weave yourself a bit of magic.





Below is the finished Narrative with a writing prompt built in as found on the website.


 
 
 

Comments

bottom of page