Think of a voyage, whether it’s one you’ve taken or an imaginary one. Describe it in detail, making sure to include key sounds that help place your reader in the setting.
Daily Writers’ Fix: Sound
Month: September 2010
Daily Writers’ Fix: Smell
Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, or Chardonnay, root beer, lemon soda, or water… what are you drinking right now? Exercise your sense of smell by turning off your tastebuds for a few sips and trying one or both of these prompts:
- Using only your sense of smell, and without telling what you’re drinking, see if you can write a description that would make anyone instantly know what’s in your glass.
- Does the smell tell you anything about where the individual ingredients came from? Does it take you to a lush vineyard or a refreshing spring? What about a noisy factory or a flavor lab? Spend five minutes freewriting about this, starting with smell and then going wherever your imagination leads.
Daily Writers’ Fix: Sight
What’s peeking through the grass? What is he/she/it looking for?
Daily Writers’ Fix: Grab Bag
The most brilliant of stories–fiction or non-fiction–come from nothing more than a seed. Devote at least part of your writing time today to pulling out your collection of writing ideas and see if you can find new potential in old seeds. Does time give you a new perspective on a topic, making a previously disregarded idea now seem bursting with life? Does a character sketch you never fully developed suddenly fit perfectly in the story you’re writing now?
Daily Writers’ Fix: Grab Bag
What is your pet thinking about right now?
Daily Writers’ Fix: Taste
Summer is on its way out. But before it fully gives way to the full bounty of apples, squash, and stews, among other fall foods, capture your summer memories by describing the tastes of the last three months.
Daily Writers’ Fix: Touch
The cold paint cans in her hand, the texture of the wall or appliance serving as a blank canvas–your character is doing some home improvement. What emotions does she feel as she holds a can in her hand for the first stroke? Is she covering up past memories, good or bad? Is she starting a new phase of life? Is she reinventing herself?
Daily Writers’ Fix: Sound
Describe the sounds surrounding this tree.
Writer’s Kitchen: Quick coconut cookies
My book group starts in just two hours and I have a delicious tarte Tatin in progress. However, I got to thinking, if I was low on time and still wanted to offer hospitality with some homemade baked goods, some Scandinavian coconut cookies would be a great alternative to a French tart.
With just four ingredients and no fancy cooking techniques (just measure, stir, form, and bake), they come together so quickly. That makes them perfect not only for company, but also for a sugar craving that might hit while you’re writing. Happy baking!
Coconut Cookies
Adapted from Aquavit
2 1/2 cups unsweetened, medium grated or shredded coconut
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heat butter in a small saucepan until melted. Remove from heat and stir in coconut. In a separate bowl, beat eggs to combine, then add sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Mix everything together and drop by rounded teaspoons onto a parchment paper-lined cookie sheet. Using the bottom of a glass, gently press down on each cookie to slightly flatten. Bake for 8 to 11 minutes, until golden.
Serves about two dozen.
Photo and recipe originally published on my blog Outside Oslo.
