On Scotch eggs.

Boiled egg.

Wrapped in sausage.

Breaded and deep-fried.

That's all a Scotch egg is. Served hot or cold, solid or runny, it's an age-old bar food and breakfast snack from across the pond. Deceptively simple in its construction and execution, but still, so many factors to consider.

The egg must be boiled if its shape is to hold, but chilled to avoid overcooking. The sausage layer cannot be too thick, lest you risk uncooked meats in contact with the egg. The breading must be golden-brown, not burnt to a crisp while the whole thing cooks.

And when eaten, what a symphony these three elements compose! The toothsome crunch of the fried, the juicy runoff of the sausage, the tender bite of the egg. Should you choose soft-boiled (as I always prefer), you are absolved of a yolky mess if the white tears, for you have a shell of sausage and fried to contain it.

Situations are never just as easy as adding each element together. It's important to remember how each element interacts with another. Orson Scott Card once wrote that writing a new character wasn't just creating the character itself, but understanding how that character reacts to the others. That two characters are really three, that three are really six. It's what makes a whole greater than the sum of its parts.

Whether you're changing up a recipe or writing a story, thinking of a new hire or getting a new pet, think about not just what brings change, but the changes it will bring.

If you want to think big, start small. And maybe grab yourself a Scotch egg to mull over.