Author: Daytona

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Setting Writing Goals for the New Year

2013 Writing Goals

The New Year is always about a fresh start, an ability to think about goals with a clean slate and a renewed belief in one’s ability to actually keep a resolution going for the next 365 days. I love the optimism that the new year imbues us with, don’t you? Here at Nooks & Cranberries, we’re striving to help you keep your writing goals in 2013, so we’ll be talking a lot about them over the next few weeks. To start, it’s time to set some goals! What do you want to accomplish as a writer in 2013? In concrete terms, what bylines do you want to acquire by December 31, 2013? How many short stories do you want to write? Do you have a personal essay you’re trying to get published? Is there a magazine you’re dreaming about writing for? Do you want to begin writing about a new topic? Or how about landing an agent or book proposal?

My list of goals is still a work in progress–and to be honest it’s always evolving, but here are some of my writing-related goals for 2013:

  • Complete an enticing book proposal for my food memoir
  • Increase the number of publications I write for, particularly involving parenting, food, and all things Scandinavian
  • Put the finishing touches on my home office, which is where I aim to do most of my writing
  • Build a professional writer’s website
  • Get into a good blogging groove–I have three of them so it can be tricky to strike a balance
  • Set aside regular time for personal writing
  • Improve my photography skills to augment my writing
  • Master the arts of organization and time management–essential skills for productivity
  • Encourage other writers, particularly moms who are trying to find time for their passion while giving their all to their family

What are your writing goals for the new year? Leave a comment–we’d love to hear from you!

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Daily Writer’s Fix: New Year’s Idea Generator (December 31-January 4)

Happy New Year! One of the things we love most about starting a new year is a fresh opportunity to determine goals and settle into new routines and positive habits–especially related to writing. We’ll be talking a lot in January about how to set–and keep–writing goals and get the new year off to a good start. But in order to write, you need ideas, right? One aspiring freelance writer asked me recently how I come up with ideas. That got me thinking about creating a Nooks & Cranberries “Idea Generator.” That’s one of the new things you’ll be seeing here regularly, and this week’s edition of Daily Writer’s Fix seems like a great place to introduce it.

And with that, here is this week’s Idea Generator:

Make a list of things you’d like to learn more about. Examples could be include how to fall asleep more quickly, good nutrition for kids on the go, how to bridge the marriage or kids gap with single friends, or anything. List as many things as you can think about. Divide your list into five little lists–one for each day of this workweek. Each day, take your mini list of topics and develop each one into a series of article ideas. For example, how to fall asleep more quickly could lead to the following articles: 10 ways to clear your end for a good night of sleep, relaxation techniques for bedtime, bedtime rituals for the whole family, the sleep “diet”: how to eat well for sweet dreams, expert advice on how to fall asleep and stay asleep, etc. You get the idea. Think in terms of headlines, if that helps.

If you do this each day this week, by Friday you’ll have a large pool of potential ideas just waiting to be developed! Further refinement is necessary, but that comes with time as you start delving into a particular topic when preparing the query letter. In the meantime, you’ll start the new year with no excuses for having nothing to write about!

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A New Magazine for Photographers and Moms!

Click Magazine

Wondering how you’re going to spend the money you received for a Christmas gift? If you’re a writer who has a blog, chances are you’re interested in photography. And if you’re a mother (or at least have kids in the family) and a photographer–aspiring or professional–you might be interested in Click Magazine. Recently launched by Clickn Moms, this new magazine is full of tips for improving your photography, ideas and inspiration for new techniques and projects, as well as reviews and listings of products ranging from camera equipment to gifts and accessories for anyone who has a camera. It’s geared largely toward women who either want to capture their family life in photos or are building or maintaining professional family photography businesses.

I subscribed in advance of the introductory issue, and have been referring back to it time and time again. This magazine appeals both to the side of me who enjoys reading what other writers are up to and the side that is trying to stay up to date on the latest photography trends without getting too technical.

As writers, particularly if we’re also bloggers, we need to be able to take good photographs. Click Magazine is a fun resource that’s sure to inspire you to improve upon your photography!

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Daily Writer’s Fix: Holiday Edition (December 24-28)

Merry Christmas Eve! This week, in lieu of our usual daily writing prompts and inspiration, we’d like to encourage you to do something a little different. This week, dedicate your writing time–at least as much of it as possible–to blessing and encouraging others. Drop a handwritten letter in the mail to a good friend who lives in another state. Write a love letter to your spouse. List all the wonderful and endearing attributes you can think of about your child in a letter they’ll love reading for years to come. Try to do something like that every day. Who knows, by the end of the week you might just have a new habit you’ll want to keep in the new year!

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Writer’s Kitchen: Last-Minute Holiday Appetizers

Yesterday we covered last-minute host/hostess gifts, and today we have the answer to what to bring to a potluck when you’re strapped for time (perfect for when you’re on deadline!). Served with baguette slices and endive leaves, a Caesar salad-flavored dip will be a hit. And who wouldn’t enjoy the salty, briny flavors of baked feta cheese topped with warm olives? Keep reading for the recipes–complete with a last-minute trip the grocery store, you’ll have both recipes ready about two hours from now!

Caesar Cream

Caesar Cream
Adapted from Simply Classic

2 garlic cloves
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup packed fresh parsley
6 canned anchovy fillets
3 tablespoons freshly-squeezed lemon juice
1 cup sour cream
Sliced baguette, for serving
Endive leaves, for serving

Combine garlic and Parmesan cheese in a food processor until combined. Add parsley, anchovies, and lemon juice, and process until the mixture takes on a paste-like consistency. Turn into a bowl and fold in sour cream until combined.

Serve with baguette slices and endive leaves.

Serves 12.

Baked Feta and Olives

Sexy Baked Olives & Feta Cheese
Adapted from Dishing with Kathy Casey

1 1/2 cups mixed imported olives, pitted and drained
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
1/4 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes1 teaspoon fennel seeds
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 thick 8-ounce piece of feta cheese
Pita chips, for serving

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Combine all ingredients except cheese and pita chips in a small bowl. Lightly oil a medium-sized cast-iron skillet and place the cheese int he center. Top the cheese with the olive mixture, taking Kathy Casey’s advice to use a spatula to scoop out all the oil and seasonings.

Bake for 20 minutes and serve out of the pan with pita chips.

Serves 10-15.

 

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Writer’s Kitchen: Last-Minute Host & Hostess Gifts

Spoiler alert! If you’ve invited me to a holiday party between now and the new year, stop reading right now. I’m about to tell you what I’m giving you for your host/hostess gift.

Hotel 1000 Holiday Infusions Class

There. Now we can get down to business.

Christmas is less than a week away, and party season is in full swing. I don’t know about you, but no matter how much I try to plan ahead, I always end up caught off guard by how quickly the time passes by and how all of a sudden I need a host/hostess gift to bring to a party that’s just a few hours away.

The good news is that I recently learned how to make a lovely and personal gift in a matter of minutes from BOKA restaurant + bar’s Chief Mixologist, Mi-Suk Ahn. I was invited to attend a Holiday Infusions Class last week as part of Hotel 1000’s Holiday Throwback schedule of events, and I came away with wonderful ideas for making liquor infusions.

Hotel 1000 Holiday Infusions Class

I’ve made infusions before, as the concept is not exactly new, but our host and teacher took the idea to the next level for me. While in the past I followed recipes for things like limoncello or fumbled my way though trying to recreate a dill aquavit I enjoyed in Norway several years ago, I now have a wealth of ideas in my head for how to incorporate leftover herbs or fruits that are lingering in my refrigerator into infusions customized for any number of palates.

In a nutshell, all it takes to make an infusion is a glass jar or bottle, the spirit of choice, some herbs or fruits, and a little bit of creativity. At the end of the class, Mi-Suk helped each attendee create an infusion to take home and enjoy. I wanted to make something that a Scotch aficionado might enjoy, so Mi-Suk suggested using a base of whiskey or brandy (I went for the Old Crow) and infusing it with pear, Meyer lemon rind, and rosemary. After a few days of infusing, the pear was ready to remove, while the rosemary needed to steep a little longer. I think my infusion will be perfect in about a week.

This past weekend I placed half a pomegranate, a vanilla bean, and a cinnamon stick in a large canning jar and filled it with whiskey, wrapped the whole thing in a pretty Christmas dishcloth, and tied it with some twine to bring as a host/hostess gift to a Christmas party. With some simple instructions for how the recipients were to tend to their infusion over the next two weeks, it was a beautiful gift with a personal touch. I think I’ll be bringing a jar of a homemade infusion to every holiday party this season!

For a full schedule of Holiday Throwback events, contact Hotel 1000.

Disclosure: I attended the class as a guest of the hotel and my ticket was complimentary.

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Daily Writer’s Fix: December 17-21

Green Spoon Walla Walla

How to use Daily Writers’ Fix

Monday:

Sight

Green Spoon Walla Walla

Wherever you are right now, look up. Write about what you see.

Tuesday:

Smell

Creek in Walla Walla

It’s dusk. A bat jets out from under the bridge, then flies back under it, as the water rushes by in the creek. What scent does your imagination conjure up? What trail does that smell take you on? Maybe under the bridge? Or perhaps to one of the buildings in the background? What is happening there?

Wednesday:

Sound

Road Trip Photo

Road trip soundtrack

Thursday:

Touch

Dessert in Walla Walla

Special dinners should be sensual, employing taste, of course, but also sight, smell, hearing, and touch. Think back to your most recent special night out. Document it using the sense of touch. If you like where your vignette is taking you, explore the same subject with each of the other senses as well.

Friday:

Taste

Coffee

Coffee, shortbread, chai–what do you order when visiting your local coffeeshop? If you’re writing from home today, do you have any treats stashed in your cupboard that could help replicate part of the coffeeshop experience while you finish off your week of writing from your desk at home?

Photos are all original. Some have been used on Daytona’s other blogs.

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Writer’s Kitchen: A Roundup of Edible Christmas Gift Ideas

Christmas is less than two weeks away! With Thanksgiving falling early in the calender this year, it seemed like we had an extended time in which to savor all the wonderful things about the holiday season. But, at least for me, the weeks have gone by so rapidly that I’m amazed that it’s already mid-December. If you, like me, are still looking for the perfect gift for friends and family, don’t worry–we have more ideas to share with you soon! In the meantime, here’s a roundup of some great DIY edible Christmas gifts from our archive. Enjoy!

Homemade Chai

Homemade Chai Concentrate

 Homemade Marshmallows and Hot Cocoa

Homemade-Graham-Crackers

Homemade Graham Crackers

Caramels

Orange-Cardamom Caramels

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Daily Writer’s Fix: December 10-14

How to use Daily Writers’ Fix

Monday:

Sight

Cat in Bed

Okay, this one is totally self-indulgent. But you’ll thank me for it. Today, write about the cutest thing you ever saw your favorite pet do.

Tuesday:

Smell

Autumn Leaves

Bundle up and go for a walk today, embracing the chill in the air and the brisk sensation of the wind blowing in your nostrils and adding a rosy glow to your cheeks.

Wednesday:

Sound

Backlit Branches

Go for another walk today, this time focusing on what you hear as you’re outside.

Thursday:

Touch

Brasserie Four Macarons

Look, but don’t touch. And that means no tasting either! Describe these macarons at Walla Walla’s Brasserie Four using all five senses–what do those lightweight little delicacies feel like when you gently pick them up, taking care not to break crush the outer shell?

Friday:

Taste

10 Barrel Sampler

So, if you thought I was mean yesterday by not letting you taste those macarons, I’m making up for it today. Choose your favorite beverage, pour yourself a glass, and get to work. But only if you work it into your scene.

Photos are all original. Some have been used on Daytona’s other blogs.