Inspiration: Joanne Harris

Read this book!

So, I just finished reading Joanne Harris's Chocolat and I loved it. I love her way of writing. Okay, I'm going to do something incredibly expected, cliched and cheesy here, but I am going to compare Chocolat to chocolate. Here goes. Joanne Harris's writing in Chocolat is like a piece of chili chocolate -- it's smooth and rich but then there's this edge, this spice to it. It really was a lovely book, and I can't wait to pick up another one of her books!

Since finishing Chocolat, I decided to look up Joanne Harris since I don't know too much about her. If you're an aspiring writer, you must check out her website! I loved reading the interviews and Harris's insights and views on her books. Seriously, this site is a treasure trove.

After looking through everything on her site, I've decided to share her "How I Write" piece. But you should really go check out her website. (I loved her DO's and DON'Ts of getting published -- she says about the synopsis, "Do give only the relevant details. A synposis isn't supposed to contain teasers, autobiographical info, marketing cliches, high-concept pitches (HARRY POTTER meets RAMBO, set in SPACE!), etc...")

Anyway. You can read Joanne Harris's piece on how she writes -- after the jump! I hope you find it as inspiring and interesting as I did (I love reading about the process of art. Yes, I consider writing an art. It really is!)


For more gems and inspiration, go to her website, http://www.joanne-harris.co.uk/. Do it! Right now! You'll regret it if you don't! Well, okay. You don't NEED to go NOW. But, you should.

The end.

"I'll always prize this clock as a trophy of my first venture as a detective."

I've always loved Nancy Drew. I remember discovering the Nancy Drew books in the library as a kid -- I still remember exactly where they were located too. I read every Nancy Drew book the library owned -- twice. 

It's been a really long time since I read Nancy Drew. I think one of the last times I read a one was sometime in high school when I couldn't sleep and decided to read my Nancy Drew books until 4 am. Recently (well, not exactly so recently, probably in the past couple of years) discovering that somehow I lost the books I owned as a kid (I have NO idea where they went. Sort of ironic -- my mystery books mysteriously went missing!), I decided to collect as many Nancy Drew books as possible, my goal being to have at least a book or two from each decade.

I think I have four books so far.

Yeah, this might take a while.

But here are some fun facts about the teenage detective from my 80th anniversary limited edition of The Secret of the Old Clock:

1) The first three books in the series, The Secret of the Old Clock, The Hidden Staircase and The Bungalow Mystery all debuted on April 3, 1930.
2) Since 1930, Nancy Drew has solved over 500 cases.
3) Nancy never takes money for her detective work.
4) Nancy's favorite color is blue.
5) Besides blue, Nancy's car has been yellow, green and maroon. Her car, originally a Roadster, changed to maroon in 1932, green in 1933, and by 1934, it was back to blue. In the '50s, Nancy's car switched from a Roadster to a convertible. In the '80s, she drove a Mustang. And now? Nancy drives an eco-friendly hybrid!
6) Nancy carries a handy overnight bag in her car -- complete with pajamas, a robe, two changes of clothes, toiletries, and if it's in season, a bathing suit.
7) Nancy first met her boyfriend Ned Nickerson in book #7, The Clue in the Diary.
8) Nancy has traveled to other countries to solve mysteries including Kenya, Scotland, Turkey, Mexico, France Canada, and Japan.
9) Some of Nancy's hobbies that have come in handy while solving cases include painting, dancing, acting, speaking foreign languages, gardening, sewing, and playing the piano.

Now go and pick up a Nancy Drew book!

You don't really have to.

But you don't know what you're missing out on if you don't!