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For the Love of Radio Theater

Old radio shows, love of mysteries, classic movies, over-sized cozy sweaters, drinking tea from a fine china cup, card games, knitting, a good book, antiques, an overall appreciation of vintage things…all symptoms that I might have been born in the wrong era.

It was a late night many years ago. I had the radio on and was distracting myself with channel surfing, when I stumbled upon a story. It was a captivating mystery. I can’t remember now exactly what pulled me in initially. Maybe it was the thrilling riffs between each scene, the deep voices and dramatic scuffles, the car chase or the private detective wrapping up the case into a neat little package at the end. To this day I still struggle to put my finger on what it is that I love so much about old radio shows. Perhaps it’s that they are more than just books on tape. They’re amazing productions with sound effects and a full cast of characters in all their vocal glory. This was TV, before there was TV.

It’s a great adventure, a “movie for your mind” as Jim French from Imagination Theatre says. Dramas, mysteries, sci-fi and fantasy, thrillers, comedy, westerns and even variety shows, I appreciate them all. One of my favorite things to do in high school and college was come home, set up my easel and turn on some music or a radio show to listen to while I lost myself in my work.

I don’t have an antique radio, but I do have a vintage iPod.
A classic iPod for listening to my favorite radio shows.

Not being presented with a visual picture allows me to create my own in my mind. I imagine the detective as I know him and the damsel in distress might have the face of a good friend. The room the dinner party guests are gathered in as Sherlock reveals the killer, might look a little like a room I’ve been in before. Filling in the blanks with a stock of images from our own lives is what makes the story resound with us. It makes it real.

Perhaps that’s why I’m so fond of radio dramas, it reminds me of what I love most about writing fiction. Those moments when you are  describing a scene and picturing it in your head; you are pulling from your own experiences to give your fiction a ring of truth. It’s  magic – creating a world so real that it can draw anyone in. That kind of writing lasts generations.

My husband says I’m a “classic” person because I enjoy classic things. I like to think it’s a matter of quality. I appreciate top shelf things; writing in particular. Hemingway is like a nice quality cardigan, it will never go out of style. That’s the type of writing I strive for. It’s timeless.

 

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Destination Inspiration: Waitsburg’s Whoopemup Hollow Cafe

Waitsburg Street

While we were visiting Walla Walla, we had to make a trip out to Waitsburg, a small town gaining a fast reputation for having some of the best food around. Whoopemup Hollow Cafe uses local ingredients to deliver Southern comfort. The Whoopemup Hollow Cafe is down to earth, comfortable and just what you’d expect, Southern hospitality in the great Northwest.

Whoopemup Hollow Wine

Whoopemup Hollow Gazpacho

Food

The food served at Whoopemup comes dressed to impress. Bright colors accompany bright flavors. When we saw the Monteillet Fromagerie Fresh Goat Cheese Ravioli on the menu, we couldn’t resist seeing what the chef would do with the cheese made by local cheesemakers Pierre-Louis and Joan Monteillet. It was delicious, as was Bry’s Famous Jambalaya, the Fried Catfish, and the watermelon Gazpacho. For dessert, we enjoyed Jimgermanchocolatecake–named after Jim German of the Jimgermanbar across the street–and Classic Coca Cola Cake.

Location and Atmosphere

While the setting was casual, the food presentation was fancy. Set on a backdrop of brightly colored table clothes, the dishes brought out to us seemed dressed for a fine Louisiana party. We dined outside on the patio, which had a lovely breezy feel just right for a warm Eastern Washington summer evening.

Whoopemup Catfish and Jambalaya

Whoopemup Hollow Ravioli

Writeability and Purchased Presence

This is a good place to gather and brainstorm with fellow writers. All you need is a notebook and pen, no laptop necessary. We’d suggest sharing a meal or dessert and drinks with a writing partner or critique group and settling in for some quality fellowship. The restaurant is a decent size so it’s easy to find a corner to tuck yourself away and write for a spell or work on edits. Just keep in mind your writing budget when considering how long to stay.

Price: $$

Prices range from $17-27 for a dinner entree and $7-13 for lunch. Drinks are on the higher end as well running an average of $3.25 for non-alcoholic beverages and up to $7.50 for beer or glass of wine.

Parking

Given that Waitsburg is a small, sleepy town, we had no problem finding parking. There were plenty of spaces on the street right in front of the restaurant.

Whoopemup Hollow Dessert

Whoopemup Hollow Dessert

Writer’s Tip

Utilize the atmosphere of the Whoopemup to get a Southern feel without the price of a plane ticket. Try this writing exercise: Focus on the cuisine and imagine the hands that may have prepared a certain dish in their home kitchen. For fiction writers – work this meal into a scene that describes your character. For non-fiction writers – put your food critic skills to use and write up a review focusing on a detailed description of your entree.

Find It

120 Main Street
Waitsburg, WA 99361
Website

 

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Friday Forum: 11/2

It has officially started! National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) is one of my favorite times of the year. It gives me an excuse to focus on writing what I love most – fiction. Of course, you can write whatever you want for NaNoWriMo, my heart just happens to be with fiction. What are your plans for writing this month? Are you going to commit to NaNoWriMo? If you have already started, what is your favorite line that you have written so far?

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Destination Inspiration: Walla Faces Wine Tasting Room

Walla Faces Tasting Room Horizontal

It’s been a few months since our wine weekend in Walla Walla, and we’re just itching to go back. As many excellent places that Seattle has for writers, Walla Walla on the far corner of the state is brimming with them too. So far we’ve told you about Brasserie Four (perfect for brainstorming with your writing partner over a salade Niçoise), the Green Spoon (where you can enjoy fresh and healthy lunch while getting in some good people-watching), and the Colville Street Patisserie (just right for lingering with a laptop and a salty-sweet kouign amann). Now it’s time to share with you a wine tasting room that’s perfect for jumpstarting your creativity: Walla Faces.

Walla Faces is a multi-faceted brand in Walla Walla, offering wine, lodging at both its vineyard and downtown inn, as well as hosting live music, book clubs, and other events. For the purpose of this article, we’re focusing on the tasting room experience.

Food and Drink

Stop in the downtown tasting room and get ready to meet some new friends: Rick & Debbie, Caroline, Frank, and Winnie, or whoever they’re pouring that day. That’s right, these wines are named after people. And each has a label designed by Walla Walla-based artist Candice Johnson.

Walla Faces Interior

Location and Atmosphere

Located in an historic building, the ceiling is just as much a work of art as the colorful paintings and photography hanging on the walls. Depending on the time of day that you stop in, you can experience either a hub of activity and music, or a quiet place to stroll and view all the artful surroundings while tasting the wine selections of the day.

Writeability and Purchased Presence

One of the reasons we’ve selected Walla Faces for a Destination Inspiration feature is the variety of art forms celebrated here. From Candice Johnson’s paintings that grace the wine labels and much of the tasting room’s interior to the book club and live music hosted here, there is plenty of opportunity to get some cross-media inspiration at Walla Faces. If you’re down the street at a coffee shop and feeling stuck with a case of writer’s block, simply pack up and walk down to Walla Faces and take in the surroundings. Perhaps taking a little break and being inspired by other artists will help get you back on track.

Walla Faces Art

Price

The price for tasting is not much more than a latte at a local coffee shop.

Parking

The tasting room is located downtown, but at one of the further ends, so street parking should be easy to come by.

Writer’s Tip

It’s de rigour to bring a notebook and pen along while wine tasting so you can take notes on the wine. So bring along your writing notebook and take a little time to exercise your descriptive skills as you jot down notes on what you’re experiencing, both in the tasting and in your surroundings.

Find It

Walla Faces Wine Tasting Room & Art Gallery
216 E Main St
Walla Walla, WA 99362
Website

Walla Faces Wines

Walla Faces Tasting Room

Full disclosure: Walla Faces provided our lodging and tasting during our July visit to Walla Walla.

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Friday Forum: The Giver

 

I loved The Giver. Reading it in middle school furthered my fascination with science fiction and opened my eyes to themes that I continue to explore today in my own writing. Now, to my delight, Lois Lowry has done it again. Last week she released the fourth and final book of The Giver quartet, Son.

I’m anxious to reread the series before diving into the conclusion and part of me is a bit nervous. Do I really want it to end? I had grown so fond of these stories as a child that I can still remember certain bits of the first novel to a T without pulling out the book. Has there ever been a story like that for you? One that stirs memories and feelings that are over a decade old? It’s the kind of punch I strive for in my own writing and I can’t help but feel inspired and a little jealous at the same time.

So tell me, what are your thoughts on the release of Son? Have you read The Giver series? Is there a series from your childhood that you wish would release one more book? Do tell. 🙂

 

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Destination Inspiration: Colville Street Patisserie

Colville Coffee

When it comes to doing some serious writing, sometimes a coffee shop is the best place. They’re usually friendly to writers who want to linger for hours, and it’s the norm to see people with a latte and a laptop. What makes a coffee shop go from good to great in our opinion, however, is the quality of the pastries. For that, Walla Walla’s Colville Street Patisserie is perfect. It is, after all, not just a place for coffee, but a true pastry shop.

Colville Interior

Food

We can thank a local winemaker and his wife for telling us about this great place. They raved about the kouign amann (pronounced queen ah-mahn), the salty-sweet, flaky-sticky Breton cake that’s reminiscent of a croissant with its flaky layers, but much more decadent. Other treats worth trying include the apricot danish and the potato, pea, and curry turnover. Any of these would go well with an espresso or cappuccino. Also check out the range of gelato flavors while you’re there, as well as the case of fine desserts perfect for a special event.

Location and Atmosphere

Situated in Downtown Walla Walla, just a block off of Main Street, Colville Street Patisserie is easy to get to, yet boasts a slightly slower pace than a location on the main drag would give it. Though the stream of customers is steady, it’s perfectly acceptable to hunker down at a table with your laptop for a morning writing session.

Colville Pastry

Writeability and Purchased Presence

Colville Street Patisserie offers exactly what you’d expect from a coffee shop, but with the benefit of excellent pastries. There’s ample seating, and the steady energy of people streaming in and out is perfect for writers looking for a little people-watching and character inspiration. As we mentioned above, it’s a great place to linger. As always, however, be mindful of the Nooks & Cranberries code of conduct: Be considerate to crowds struggling to find a place to sit, and support the local business and order an additional beverage or pastry if you’re going to linger a while (we call this “Purchased Presence”).

Price

Come in with a $10 bill and you’ll likely have plenty of money for a coffee, pastry, and a tip. In that regard, the pricing is typical for coffee shops, only you get a remarkable pastry, and not just a dry, bland, and lusterless one found at many other venues.

Parking

Street parking is easy to come by, or if you’re already downtown it’s within walking distance from virtually anywhere.

Writer’s Tip

Get to know the people working here, and strike up a conversation with the writer sitting next to you. Writing is often a solitary pursuit, and social hubs like this are great ways to get some social interaction. You never know when you’ll meet a new friend or come up with a great new storyline or article!

Find It

40 South Colville Street
Walla Walla, WA 99362
Website

 

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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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Destination Inspiration: Walla Walla’s Green Spoon

Green Spoon Exterior

Have you ever been in a group where everyone wanted something different? Well, one of our favorite lunching places in Walla Walla solves that problem. With variety on the menu and fresh ingredients at hand, the Green Spoon offers something for everyone.

Food

Advertised as serving food that is fresh, healthy and delicious, we found the Green Spoon to be just that! The vegetables looked as though they had just been picked, crisp and ripe, from the garden and the sandwiches are hearty and well stuffed. The menu offers many styles of food from Greek, Thai and Mexican, all the way to a classic BLT or mac n’ cheese.

Green Spoon Power Bowl

Location and Atmosphere

On Main street in downtown Walla Walla, the Green Spoon is located near several tasting rooms and shops, making it a convenient place to stop for a fresh lunch or hearty dinner after a long day of tasting and shopping. The atmosphere is light and modern, with art from local artists displayed on the walls.

Green Spoon Interior Entrance

Writeability and Purchased Presence

During non-peak hours, the Green Spoon is a great place to grab a bite and a drink and linger for a while with your notebook. The staff is very accommodating and often happy to answer questions about the menu, or even non-menu related questions. However, out of courtesy, keep an eye on the traffic flow and make sure you’re not taking up a table too long during rush hours unless you’ve ordered a full meal.

Price

Lunch prices can range from $9-12 and dinner entrees can get up to $22, which is reasonable for the quality of ingredients and portion size.

Green Spoon Salmon and Asparagus Salad

Parking

Free parking is on Main St. and side streets.

Writer’s Tip

To get your writing juices flowing, try this writing exercise. Once you’ve placed your order, as your server two quick questions. #1 What’s the most popular item on the menu, and #2 What is an item not frequently ordered. With this in mind, imagine your character sitting in the Green Spoon, would they order the most popular item, or something else? Jot down notes for a scene in which your character is sitting with someone who makes an unusual request from the menu, how does your character react?

Find It

The Green Spoon Walla Walla
13 E Main St
Walla Walla, WA
Website

Green Spoon Interior

 

 

This meal was complimentary, courtesy of Tourism Walla Walla.

 

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Destination Inspiration: Walla Walla’s Brasserie Four

Brasserie Four Macarons

Brasserie Four Macarons

There’s nothing like a little French inspiration to get us in the mood to write. We may not be able to time travel to Hemingway and Fitzgerald’s 1920s Paris, but Brasserie Four in Walla Walla comes close. So it seems like the perfect way to start our Walla Walla-based Destination Inspiration series.

Brasserie Four Quiche

Food

From an artfully composed salade niçoise to macarons with just the right balance between chewy and light, this French bistro in Downtown Walla Walla is one of our favorite spots in Washington wine country. Owner Hannah MacDonald has come up with a menu that celebrates the best of classic French fare, while managing to keep it fresh, fun, and never too heavy.

Location and Atmosphere

Located on Main Street in Downtown Walla Walla, this is the perfect place to people watch, especially if you can get a seat on the patio or by a window. We lingered a while after our meal to enjoy our macarons and just take in the scenery and its people. We noticed business taking place one table over and a man seated behind us raved about the food and said he always stopped by when he was in town.  The atmosphere and cuisine are such that people keep coming back and you can count us among them!

Writeability and Purchased Presence

Come with a notebook and a pen–and ideally a writing partner. This is a great place to brainstorm over a couple of bubbly wines. Keep the mood fun, and not too serious, and be mindful of the crowd when deciding how long to linger.

Brasserie Four Salade Nicoise

Price: $$

Expect to pay around $8 for a starter, or $10-20 for an entree. While pretty typical for a restaurant of this caliber, consider your writer’s budget before deciding in a moment of epicurean bliss that you’re going to come here every day for lunch.

Parking

Street parking is often available along Main Street. We’ve never had trouble finding a good spot more than a block or two away from our destination.

Brasserie Four Play Area

Writer’s Tip

One of the few restaurants around with a designated kids’ play area, this is the perfect place for a writing meeting when you have to bring the kids along. They also offer a kids’ size to virtually anything on the menu, and offer high chairs, which can be hard to come by among Walla Walla’s fine restaurants.

Brasserie Four Macarons

Find It

Brasserie Four
4 East Main Street
Walla Walla, Washington
Website