How Black Cake Author Charmaine Wilkerson Wrote a Smash Hit Picked by Oprah

Here are some of our favorite things we learned from Charmaine during her session. And remember, The Novelry members can watch more events from fantastic writers in their Catch Up TV library.

How author Charmaine Wilkerson wrote her way to success

Writing, for me, is very much a journey of discovery. It’s exploration, the seeking of answers to questions, and it’s very existential as a process for me. It’s an organic thing.
— Charmaine Wilkerson

• Charmaine began her writing career as a news and television journalist in California, having graduated from Barnard College and Stanford University.
• She went on to write award-winning short stories.
• Her first novel, Black Cake, is named after a rum pudding-style Caribbean dessert her mother made.
• The novel is an appreciation of her culture and an ode to family traditions.
• The story follows two siblings as they uncover the carefully kept secrets of their mother after her passing.
• Charmaine had moved around extensively in her own life, growing up in Jamaica, living in New York, and now being based in Italy.
• Her experiences inspired themes around cultural backgrounds, personal relationships, and changing family dynamics. The “black cake” itself serves as a visual metaphor throughout the novel.

Benny stands there in front of the refrigerator, letting the cool air fall on her toes, and thinks of the last cake her mother ever baked. She knows it’s sitting in the freezer but she can’t bear to look in there right now. Instead, she leans her forehead against the upper door of the fridge. This is your heritage, her mother used to say when they were making black cake, and Benny thought she knew what her mother meant. But she sees now that she didn’t know the half of it.
― Charmaine Wilkerson, Black Cake

Dubbed one of the best books of 2022, Black Cake has since become a beloved novel within writing circles. Here’s a glimpse into how Charmaine created her debut novel and struck gold on her first attempt.

Discovering what type of writer you are: a plotter and a pantser

Everyone has a different idea of how to categorize writers. There is the famous concept of the gardeners and the architects, for example: so named because one type tends to toil away and “prune” at their copy as they go, while the latter like to meticulously design their plots.

For Charmaine, she discussed the similar idea of the “plotters and the pantsers,” and the benefits of either side. As a self-confessed “pantser,” Charmaine dabbled in short stories and stray scenes before realizing these smaller ideas had the potential for full novels.

Writers tend to fall into one of two categories. You have your plotters and you have your pantsers. So the plotters are outlining and researching, and the pantsers, like me, are sitting around. And all of a sudden, we start writing.

I have found that with my first two published novels, and also with the third that I’m working on, there was always a question, an image, or a thought about a character, and I just started writing. But I didn’t know I was writing a novel, I just had a thought. I tend to write in scenes. So for me that’s interesting, because I’m always thinking simply in scenes until all of a sudden I see a whole world.
— Charmaine Wilkerson

This exact process happened to Charmaine while creating her debut novel, developing a key image she had in her mind of two girls swimming in the sea.

Soon, she understood that scene would be pivotal for developing Black Cake. Eventually (after writing “about 25–30 pages,” she estimated), the book began to truly form. But Charmaine doesn’t worry too much about writing in a linear sense, constructing her work through past memories or floating ideas, whether inspired by her own life or simply something that speaks to her. When coming up with the title, Black Cake, for example, Charmaine was able to view her full book through one clear concept.

As I wrote about a wedding scene, and in that particular culture, that kind of cake was obligatory, the moment I wrote the words “Black Cake” on the screen, I suddenly saw the whole story.
— Charmaine Wilkerson

Bringing your personal life into your writing

Charmaine’s themes of cultural heritage are hugely prevalent in her works, as they are in her personal history. Anchoring this history for her fiction was very instrumental for the author in terms of framing these narratives. When writing, how do you draw from your own backstory when crafting your characters?

I do a great deal of thinking around identity and certain emotional questions. How one moves forward and is able to live well in life despite trauma? There are a lot of people who talk about generational trauma. I like to think about generational healing. What is that mystery in life? That’s one of the connecting threads that tends to go through my writing.

As a person who comes from a multi-colored family who identifies as many hyphens... Caribbean-American, African-American... lived in different countries, speak a few languages... I think about experiences that cause us to shape new elements in our identity. Things that have happened to us that take over our ideas of self. Things that are denied us. All of that is always there.
— Charmaine Wilkerson

Shylashri Shankar’s guest blog on writing from within also speaks to Charmaine’s points.

How does a first finished draft make you feel?

With my first novel, Black Cake, I did not have an agent, I did not have a publisher. I went through one draft before I showed it to anyone at all. Then I would say I had a third draft before I approached the person who became my agent.
— Charmaine Wilkerson

So many writers have different perceptions of what makes a “first draft” an official first draft. That’s why we also look at the concept of a “zero draft.” Fantasy writer Holly Black mentioned recently to The Novelry that she felt like her third draft was the one ready to be seen by editors, and has tried to embrace the laxity of earlier versions.

Charmaine agreed that a third draft was the one she showed the person who would eventually become her agent. But before that, Charmaine recommends judging the drafting process through your gut instincts, and then stepping away from it.

I think it’s actually a very warm and fuzzy kind of thing, not so much a technical thing. Do I feel as though I’ve told a story? Do I kind of like this story? Do I think that’s pretty much where I need to be? It’s a feeling. Clearly, I will have had a number of chapters, clearly I might have done research, I might have looked back at things and adjusted them... But once I have a feeling that, “yes, that’s the story I’m telling” — that’s how I know my first draft is done.
— Charmaine Wilkerson

Working with editors and publishers

Black Cake was written entirely out of chronological order... The chronology was an issue. My editors said they loved my short chapters and jumping around in time — but it’s a lot for the reader to carry. So it’s an interesting transition to make: where at first, it’s just you. And maybe one or two other people who love that idea. But now you really need to acknowledge you’re having a conversation with other people.
— Charmaine Wilkerson

Because Charmaine likes to write in fragments not necessarly in order, her editors (she had a U.K. and U.S. editor on Black Cake) helped her string things together. As the process of refining a manuscript includes multiple revisions, Charmaine used a worksheet to account for her editors’ comments, so she could keep track of the feedback and decide which parts to push back on. Ultimately, she discovered a way to write in her own distinct style, while her editors helped her find the throughline for readers.

After all, successful books tend to cater to a clearly defined readership, as children’s author Ashley Thorpe explains here.

One of her most difficult edits was around language choices, with the publishers asking her to pare back some of her more flowery terms to keep the momentum of the book strong.

I do different things with the text. For example, one chapter was just a list. I tend to write between a spoken English and English that is more introspective and lyrical. I do both. So we were on the second edit, and the publishers were feeling very good but now getting very specific... Remember the phrase, “kill your darlings?” My darlings were sitting there looking at me! There were two passages I really loved that I’d written. And sometimes you might take something out, you might use it somewhere else. You might never. But I really felt stronger about those passages, so I managed to keep them, but I kept them by listening closely to the editor.
— Charmaine Wilkerson

As Charmaine previously worked as a journalist (“you always need another pair of eyes”), she knows all too well how to work with editors. And a few other darlings were indeed killed along the way. But Charmaine respects the beauty of the collaborative process and how it can transform a novel.

Writing ultimately is a form of magic, a form of communication that goes beyond words, and sometimes editing is that too. You need to sit with it. And something happens in the brain which allows you to go beyond the treatment of one line or one word, and you see the solution.
— Charmaine Wilkerson

If you’re having trouble managing critique, author Katie Khan has some excellent food for thought here when it comes to gathering objective feedback.

Keeping motivated

When I was facing a couple of edits that were the most difficult for me, one day I was having a boo-hoo moment. I was thinking, “If I take this stuff out, what is left of me? What do I have to offer of my individuality that makes this stand out?”
— Charmaine Wilkerson

Even after great success, every book is a different creative experience for a writer. After all, there are so many aspects to consider when jumping from one story to the next. So how did Charmaine stay motivated moving from Black Cake to Good Dirt? And beyond? Like so many of us, she keeps inspirational quotes in her notes, including some unexpected philosophers!

One of them, of all things, was from Denzel Washington, the actor, who had given a commencement, saying, “Fail big.” The idea being “just go, just do it!” Just because you’re doing a lot more doesn’t mean you’re accomplishing more, it’s okay to sometimes do less. It’s okay to take your time.
— Charmaine Wilkerson

Let us leave you with this perfect conclusion from Charmaine herself if you ever have wobbles during your own creative journey.

There is no one like you. There is no one else who can tell a story like you. You can tell the same story over and over again: Pygmalion, Romeo and Juliet, Things Fall Apart... just keep telling it over and over again and each time it’s going to be different. This is why we love books. This is why we write. This is why we love stories. Because each new text is a new gaze on our lives. And it’s a new way to process the world in which we live.
— Charmaine Wilkerson‍

Feeling inspired by Charmaine? Why not explore some of our other blogs from recent guest events, unfurling more writing tips and secrets?

• Fantasy author and “Queen of Faerie” Holly Black raises some very good points around the balance between logistical storytelling when working with supernatural elements
• The Mortal Instruments creator Cassandra Clare explores world-building and urban fantasy
• Chris Whitaker, author of All The Colors of the Dark and We Begin at the End, explains his research process while writing, and the joys of overwriting — but cutting brutally!

If all of this wisdom has left you feeling eager to focus on your own fiction goals, remember, you can still join The Big Write Challenge (starting September 8) and have a go at completing your very own novel in 90 days, aka before Christmas. Inspired by our course, The Big Write, you can learn more about this amazing initiative here.

The Novelry is the fiction writing school where bestselling authors and experienced publishing editors guide you every step of the way. Our program combines the standards of professional publishing with the warmth of a creative community. We’ve helped hundreds of authors complete their novels and land book deals. Ready to write yours?