Getting to the "Grist" of it by Heather Waldorf

Grist
By Heather Waldorf

Sixteen-year-old aspiring writer Charlie faces a bleak summer in Springdale, Canada. Her widowed father is increasingly preoccupied with his new girlfriend. Her best friend and crush, Sam, has moved to Australia. She has fallen out of favour with her beloved creative-writing teacher, who challenges her to gather the grist of life experiences as fuel for her writing. So she heads for her grandmother's cottage in remote Lake Ringrose, Ontario, hoping to reconnect with the memory of her mother.

Questions to pondure:

What exactly is meant by the word "Grist" in the title?

What did Charlie's teacher mean when he told her that her work had no meat, no substance?

This book is getting rave reviews from all who have read it. What chord did this book strike with you , if any?