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Daily Writers’ Fix: November 5-9

How to use Daily Writers’ Fix

Monday:

Sight

What haven’t you noticed in the world around you, or in the world of your story?

Tuesday:

Smell

“Rose” is a common scent descriptor, but what does a rose really smell like? Today pick an object that’s commonly used to describe a scent, then give that object its due.

Wednesday:

Sound

Today write about home. Write about your own home–from childhood or present–or where your character lives. Is it a quiet, peaceful place providing an escape from the busyness of daily life? Or do the sounds of the city–traffic, people, sirens–filter through the windows, filling it with urban energy?

Thursday:

Touch

What is your character afraid of? How does that fear physically manifest itself when she’s facing it? If she’s afraid of heights, does she grip the Ferris wheel seat for dear life until her knuckles turn white? If he’s afraid of spiders, does the sight of one send crawling feelings up his arms as if he were covered in them? What does your character fear, and what do the reactions say about him or her?

Friday:

Taste

What’s on your character’s breakfast table this morning–steaming hot coffee, orange juice and a muffin, or scrambled eggs with bacon and a Bloody Mary? The way we start our day can say a lot about us and how we view the world. Get to know your character today by getting into his thoughts while he goes about his morning routine.

Grab Bag:

The setting of your story shouldn’t be an afterthought. Done well, a setting can almost be a character, helping to propel the story forward and add richness and depth to your plot. Today consider one of your primary settings. Describe it in detail, from its landmarks to its hidden corners, from its physical appearance to the general attitudes of its population. Now review your descriptions and see how your setting can work its way into your story in fresh, exciting ways.

Grab Bag Bonus:


We’ve all been caught in an unflattering pose or expression at some point or another, right? Use that embarrassing moment in your writing today.

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Following My Dream: Beginning the Book Proposal

Why do we ever do anything other than to follow our dreams? Even the ones we don’t know we have yet, the ones that are taking shape?

There was a time when my boss–the news director at the TV station where I worked–advised me, for the sake of my credibility as a budding journalist, to reconsider bringing baked goods to the newsroom for my coworkers to eat. I was young, blonde, and had a unique name rather than a trusty Anne or reliable Rachel, and therefore had to be careful, lest people start thinking of me as the newsroom Martha Stewart. These days, as a food writer, I question whether that would have been such a bad result.

I was aiming for a career in news at the time and was so dedicated to the opportunities already presented to me so early on that I did what I thought it would take to land my first on-air job. I cut and dyed my hair, bought the wardrobe fit for a reporter, and read books about interviewing and doing live on-air standups. I recorded my résumé tape in my spare time and mapped out a plan to eventually leave my big-city writing and producing job to pay my dues as a reporter in a smaller market before working my way back to Seattle.

I had so many people supporting me in my endeavors, from the news director who was my mentor of sorts, to some of the city’s veteran anchors—not to mention my soon-to-be husband, who stood behind my career goals that had already defined so much of our lives. So I think it was a surprise to a lot of people when in August 2007 I left my job and said goodbye to the world of television news. I took the proverbial leap of faith and decided to make a foray into print journalism, ultimately landing upon a communications and marketing job at a theater–something unexpectedly perfect for me at the time.

As I look back on my career in TV news and the experiences I have had since, I am awed by how each step has built upon the next to bring me where I am today, still a writer but with a different goal: writing a book. Today I am making a commitment here on Nooks & Cranberries to keep that goal going.

There’s no one warning me that baking might ruin my credibility, because baking is part of what my goal is founded upon. I have been wanting to write a book, a food memoir related to my Scandinavian heritage, and it is time to start taking the steps to make it happen. So this is when I follow my dreams. The first step: starting the book proposal. I did that nearly two weeks ago, on October 18. Rather than committing to a timeline right now, I need to dig in and determine the steps I need to take to get the proposal just right. The timeline, I expect, will come organically. Besides, I have a commitment on the pages of this blog, where you are part of my accountability network. If six months from now you haven’t heard me tell you about the progress I’m making on the proposal, then I ask you to tell me, “What’s stopping you from pursuing your dream?” Because each dream starts with one small step, a step that is incomparably easy next to the daunting process that we might see before us if we don’t break it down in our minds before starting. Why not begin right now?

Image: Collage features photos of things I’ve baked and shared at Outside Oslo. Hungry? Check it out!

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Daily Writers’ Fix: October 29-November 2

How to use Daily Writers’ Fix

Monday:

Sight

Look outside your window, the one you’re sitting closest to right now. Spend ten minutes freewriting, jotting down whatever comes to mind.

Tuesday:

Smell

Who used to live here, who will live here in the future? Tell this house’s story, letting the sense of smell guide the reader. Do you smell simmering soup from happy days gone by, fresh flowers gracing the entrance and welcoming guests at a party? What about fresh, tropical air flooding through the rooms when a new owner takes possession and opens it up?

Wednesday:

Sound

Take your main character on a road trip. What’s on his or her playlist?

Thursday:

Touch

There’s no snow in sight–yet. So if you’re writing a scene that takes place outside in the winter, you have to imagine. Today describe the feelings of winter, from the sting of sleet on your exposed skin to to the feeling of a snowball sticking to your mittens. Make a list if you wish, or develop your descriptions into a scene or a poem.

Friday:

Taste

You’re eating at a restaurant on Santorini–or any other Greek island–and admiring a remarkable view. Describe what you’re eating and drinking, the climate, your surroundings, who you’re with, and what’s going through your mind.

Grab Bag:

Today, in honor of National Novel Writing Month, challenge yourself to write 1,667 words–the daily average to meet the NaNoWriMo goal–whether you’re participating or not. It can be fiction or non-fiction, a short story draft or a journal entry, or perhaps 1,667 words of freewriting. Just let the words flow.

Suggestion: If you have a writing project or assignment you’re procrastinating on, consider using today to kick it into gear.

Grab Bag Bonus:

Place your character in a new city, somewhere she’s never been before. She just arrived. What does she look forward to most, and what does she dread? How does the way she approaches a new place color her personality?

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Writer’s Kitchen: Homemade Chai

Homemade Chai

We love nothing more than curling up with a blanket and a book and a hot cup of chai tea on autumn days. It’s a good thing that reading is essential work for writers! I made a batch of homemade chai concentrate last week and had it waiting for Sarah when she arrived home from a trip to California to visit family. I highly suggest that you whip up a batch for your own kitchen. The concentrate takes a matter of minutes to prepare, and elevates an ordinary cup of black tea to something creamy, sweet, and spicy–just right for a blustery autumn day.

Homemade Chai

Homemade Chai Concentrate
Adapted from The Naptime Chef

1 (14 ounce) can fat-free sweetened condensed milk
1 teaspoon demerara or raw sugar
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Combine all ingredients together in a jar, stirring well so the spices are fully incorporated. Store the concentrate in the refrigerator. Whenever you’re in the mood for a nice, warm cup of tea, simply brew a strong cup of black tea and add 2 teaspoons of concentrate, stirring well. Give it a taste and adjust the quantity as needed. Cheers!

Makes about 1 1/2 cups.

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Daily Writers’ Fix: October 22-26

How to use Daily Writers’ Fix

Monday:

Sight

Perched high above a city street, what does this bird observe below?

Use this prompt as an exercise to open up your imagination, using it to envision a place and what’s happening there in detail–without actually seeing it.

Tuesday:

Smell

Autumn is full of opportunities to explore the five senses–from the feel of wet, fallen leaves in your hands to the taste of pumpkin pie. Today write about the smell of fall in the air and see where it takes you. For example, does it differ where you live now than where you grew up? If so, does that suggest a story, scene, or personal essay?

Wednesday:

Sound

Get up close to your surroundings–literally for a non-fiction piece or with your imagination if you’re writing fiction. It’s obvious you’ll see things differently, but does this change they way things sound? Do you hear things you otherwise might have missed?

Thursday:

Touch

Sometimes just the sight of something suggests the way it feels. Take a look at this apartment building, for example. There’s no doubt that its facade would feel damp and cold against your hand. Your assignment today: Take one of your visual descriptions and see if you can add a new dimension to it using the sense of touch.

Friday:

Taste

Candy! You’ve been working hard working on your writing skills and projects, so today we want you to have fun. Using candy as a starting place, spend 10 minutes just having fun with words. Don’t take yourself too seriously–allow yourself to write nonsense, if you wish. Who knows, this exercise might get the words flowing so freely you’ll be inspired to write all day!

Grab Bag:

Do you keep a journal? Sitting down with paper–perhaps in the form of a nicely-bound book–and a pen can be a great way to unwind, relax, and clear one’s head. Today give yourself time to reflect and write a journal entry. It’s for your eyes only, so don’t get caught up in writing well. Just write.

If you don’t know where to start, use one of these prompts:

  • Your most vivid memories from this past summer
  • An amazing meal you ate recently, and who you shared it with
  • What you’re hoping the upcoming holiday season will be like (and what you can do to make it happen)
  • Your childhood career aspirations and how they resemble or differ from what you do now
  • What you like or dislike about your neighborhood
  • Your favorite place in the world
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Your Reason for Writing, and Why it Matters

Books

Why do you write? It’s a simple question, and may seem a bit rhetorical, but I want you to answer it. Knowing your answer may make all the difference when you’re ready to give up. Take a moment and think it through. Be honest. Does your reason look anything like any of these?

  • Words are like puzzle pieces just waiting for you to arrange them into something beautiful that only you can uniquely do.
  • Writing unscrambles the thoughts in your head by allowing you to capture and then process them.
  • You want to see your name in print, whether it’s a front-page byline or the cover of a best-selling novel.
  • Much like photographs of special times, writing records the memories you never want to forget.
  • Ever the encourager, you use words to soothe the distressed, comfort the grieving, and uplift the discouraged among your loved ones and friends.
  • The act of creating a story gives you pleasure, much like the joy you experienced playing dolls or playing make-believe as a child.

Those of us who call ourselves writers have a wonderful gift. Yes, writing can be difficult—sometimes it’s one of the hardest things we can imagine doing—but once the rough patches are over and we have a draft in hand, the rewards are great. We need to remember what drives us to write, plus the positive experiences that will come.

Perhaps you’re a journalist, and no matter how many articles you write, seeing the final draft in published form always gives you a sense of satisfaction—especially if it was a difficult assignment. After carrying the article along from the initial interviews to the final draft, the process is complete when the story is finally laid out in print. Similarly, while writing and producing a major Seattle newscast, I could envision the final product as I wrote, choosing the best soundbites and writing to video. Seeing the finished product on their air (when I had time to turn away from the computer to watch the TV for a minute) with all the pieces in place, was such a treat.

In addition to the satisfaction, I want my words to count for something more than entertainment. When I think of my favorite novels—Les Miserables, Great Expectations, The Great Gatsby, Jane Eyre, to name just a few—they’re great stories, but they also give the reader plenty to think about. When we watch Jean Valjean wrestle with his identity as an escaped convict as he heroically risks his freedom and well-being to protect Cosette, we ask ourselves questions about our own morality and values. Watching Jay, Jake, Daisy, and the rest of the Gatsby party loll around Jazz Age New York, we observe their selfishness and the toll it takes on those around them. The list could go on and on, including fiction and nonfiction, poetry and prose.

What are your reasons for writing?

 

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Daily Writers’ Fix: October 15-19

How to use Daily Writers’ Fix

Monday:

Sight

Who hasn’t been enchanted by a story about a secret garden or a hidden retreat? Today your character sees a hidden door–and it’s ajar! What does it look like? Does its appearance keep him away or repel him? Write a scene beginning at the moment when he finds the door.

Tuesday:

Smell

Describe the smell of morning in and around your home.

Wednesday:

Sound

List five words you like because of how they sound. Now write a poem or paragraph using those words, paying attention to the overall music of the piece.

Thursday:

Touch

It’s getting cold out there! Whether it’s itchy but stylish, the softest cashmere, or a heavy wool wool that blocks out the fiercest wind, what does your favorite sweater or coat say about you? Silly question, you may say, but think about it seriously. Now, if you’re a fiction writer, think about your characters’ clothes. Don’t waste a word describing something that doesn’t somehow clue your reader into your characters’ personalities or your plot.

Friday:

Taste

Your character is at a Parisian bar. Alone. Is he waiting for someone? Has the rest of the party left? What’s going through his mind as he sips his beverage of choice? (And as we discussed yesterday, make the details count, whether he orders a whiskey on the rocks, a dirty martini, or a simple glass of ice water.)

Grab Bag:

Choose a word. It doesn’t matter whether it’s a noun, verb, or adjective, as long as it relates to a story you’re working on. Find a language dictionary online and translate your word to the language of your choice. Without thinking of the meaning of the translated word, spend 10 minutes freewriting about what associations its sound brings to mind. Does this give you any new ideas for your story?

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Finding Balance

Scandinavian Almond BarHello.

It’s the middle of a new week. And I barely have any writing to show for it.

Time is whirling a little out of control right now. Do you know what I mean? Just a couple of weeks ago I felt like a writing superwoman. I was at the top of my game. I was writing, writing, writing, and produced some things I felt pretty darn good about.

Today you should see my office (it’s a mess). And my list of personal to-do’s (it’s backlogged). My blogging schedule is all out of whack. Deadlines are the only things keeping things going.

However, lest you think I’m complaining, I should say that life is good. Outside of the digital world and my office, things couldn’t be better. I’m blessed beyond measure. And enjoying and maintaining that other world–the one that’s more important, in all reality, than the one that resides on a desk chair and in front of a computer screen–has led to my current situation. I wouldn’t change a thing.

As the week goes on I’ll work at regaining a little ground here in this office of mine. I’ll keep writing, keep blogging, keep trying to get organized. Because that’s where a core part of my life and identity reside. But in the meantime, it’s good to know that I can find balance, that I can identify my priorities and live life accordingly. Now if only I could master my time management, find a way to be too places at once, and always be on top of everything…

What are your tactics for maintaining balance in your own writing or creative life?

(By the way, that photo up there shows tea and a cookie, a Nooks & Cranberries-style way to slow down and reflect. But it gets better than that–the cookie is a delicious Scandinavian almond bar, from recipe I remember from my childhood. I’ll be sharing it over at Outside Oslo soon, so be sure to visit in the coming days!)

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Daily Writers’ Fix: October 8-12

How to use Daily Writers’ Fix

Monday:

Sight

After a long, international flight, your jet lagged character arrives in her hotel room. Too exhausted to even take off her shoes, she slouches into a chair and stares out the window. What’s going through her mind as she looks at the sights outside?

Tuesday:

Smell

It’s dinnertime in this Parisian apartment building. Focusing on the smells wafting out of the windows, create a series of vignettes about what’s taking place in several homes.

Wednesday:

Sound

Your character takes one last trip to the beach before the sun sets on the final day of vacation. Do the sounds of the waves make her lonely, pensive, happy, relaxed, or anxious? Why?

Thursday:

Touch

The warm water circling your ankles, sand grinding between your toes, fish swimming by–think back to a trip to the beach and recapture that day in as much sensory detail as possible.

Friday:

Taste

What’s the most adventurous thing you’ve ever eaten? Describe the taste and the whole experience in such a way that readers will feel like they’re eating it at that moment, too.

Grab Bag:

Cats roam the ruins of ancient Ephesus, millions of tourists tread the ancient roads of Pompeii. Think about the contrast of the ancient past and the present and write down five possible story ideas that come to mind. Don’t worry about developing them right now, just write down everything that comes to mind, then file them away for a future date when you’re feeling stuck.