Let's Talk with Debra H. Goldstein
Celebrating and Understanding Days of Gluttony and Deprivation
May 28, 2026
When I find myself without a blog idea, I either consult a favorite book of quotes or check what holidays are being celebrated on the day my blog will appear. Today, May 28, I discovered an interesting contrast when I reviewed the featured holidays. For those who enjoy eating, today is International Burger Day, National Brisket Day, and National Hamburger Day. If you prefer embracing a more substantive cause today is World Hunger Day. In my mind, it becomes an ironic comparison of gluttony vs. deprivation.
Is there one side of the celebration coin that you would pick over the other?
As a writer, my answer is “It depends.” Sometimes words flow and I therefore am filled with burgers, brisket, and a feeling of accomplishment. Other days, my writing is at a standstill. There are no fresh ideas and all the words on the page seem pushed or boring. Those are my World Hunger Days. During each of these, I fear I will never write a decent sentence, let alone a short story or book again.
Those are the times that I wonder if it is worth continuing to write? I feel depressed and washed out, but then something happens.
Someone comes up to me or sends me an email saying, “I enjoyed your book,” or “Concentrating on becoming friends with the characters and solving the crime in One Taste Too Many helped me get through the hours while my husband was hospitalized after our car accident.”
That’s when it dawns on me why I write: to engage others and give them a distraction from their everyday lives. This realization fills me up, much like the burgers or brisket would do. So, I celebrate.
I celebrate, but I always remember that the cause or reason I enjoy the “fruits or meat” of my labor is because I address the needs of my readers and make sure I give back to them. In my mind, this is the defined essence of writing. As a reader, what do you think?
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Posted in Let's Talk, with Debra H. Goldstein • Tags: Celebrating and Understanding Days of Gluttony and Deprivation, Debra H Goldstein, Let's Talk, One Taste Too Many | 4 Comments
I don’t think I could ever be a writer – not creative in the way that’s necessary for coming up with a plot, characters, setting, etc. That said, I very much appreciate those of you who are creative in that way and who then share your creations with the rest of us! I can only imagine the challenges during “times of famine” and hope they are always followed by “times of feasting” with abundant ideas, flow and enjoyment in the writing process!
Hi Debra, I’m encouraged by readers who say my cozies give them an escape from stressful times. That keeps me writing.
Debra, what an apt analogy!
I’ve had plenty of World Hunger Days myself! I love getting feedback from readers and I was over the moon when I landed my first hardcover book contract from a library press. My sentinel, impressionable days as a reader were in that sweet spot of middle school, when there was so much yearning and not a clue what it was about. Two librarians took pity on me and hand-selected books out of the adult section (gothic romances) and my imagination took flight. I like to think that I have had a similar influence on some readers.