I just wrote a nice post about this and it disappeared, so just let me say quickly (since I’m supposedly on holiday) that I loved this book. Fun. Quirky. Adventurous. Spunky heroine. Same thing I just said but a lot more succinctly this time.

Today, I spent way too much time some very productive hours archiving nearly all of my posts just to make it easy for you to entertain yourself on the days I’m too lazy to post. I also did this because my archives along the side of my blog don’t work very well. You click on “June” but only get a few of June’s posts. Anyway, let the entertainment begin! And soon, I plan to make an archive of all the Need To Read blogs too. Will the fun never end here at blog Joelle?

It rained today for the first time in many, many weeks. Rainy days are perfect for writing, so what did I do all day? I read this wonderful book! It is laugh-out-loud funny, a great story with a unique hook. Full of all kinds of facts and cultural stuff that you absorb but never think, “Oh, here’s another useful fact.” Just a great read. And if you have any reluctant readers in your life, or you are one, this is a snappy, fun, keep you going read. When I write, I always try to make the last sentence of a chapter hook you into reading the next, and Petrucha is a master at this! Maybe it will rain tomorrow and I’ll get back to my WIP then!

Even though I said last week in this post that despite my curiosity about what writers find interesting about TV, I would not succumb, I actually did! Read what I learned here.

Lisa Graff has just brought to my attention that it is Beatrix Potter’s birthday. Which brings to mind a funny story…

New stuff on Need To Read

So…if you’re wondering why I haven’t said, “Oh My God! You have got to read this book!” lately it’s because I haven’t been reading. Really! Seriously. Hard to believe, isn’t it? I just haven’t felt like it. Three weekends in a row, I listened to audio books and in between I read nothing! See the post below to read about the first audio book, GODS BEHAVING BADLY.

Last weekend it was SHUG by Jenny Han. I had read the book when it first came out and really liked it. I think the audio version is excellent, so if you’re looking for a great MG audio (or read), SHUG is a great choice.

The next audio I listened to was Larry McMurtry’s TELEGRAPH DAYS. This is my FAVORITE LM book. I LOVED THIS! I am sure I would’ve loved reading it, but if you want a fantastic audio book, this is it. It’s read by the fabulous actress, Annie Potts, and she is magnificent!

I have a few library books on my shelf that look good, but I was waiting for something to really make me say, “I gotta read this right now!” and so when THE YEAR MY SISTER GOT LUCKY arrived (I’d had it on hold) at the library for me, I knew I’d found the book I wanted to read. This is such a great read. It’s everything a YA should be. And it got me with the first sentence. “I’m an insomniac.” Now that might not hook everyone, but I can sleep like I’m a pro, so the idea of someone being an insomniac is interesting to me. I can’t help but wonder what that might be like! Actually, if I’m totally honest, I think this book actually hooked me with its title. Can you think of a title that makes you want to know what happens more than this one? Great title! Oh, by the way, the author is Aimee Friedman and she has other books out that I’ll be sure to get my hands on.

What about y’all? Are you reading?

You know, just because the domain is joelleanthony.com, why should this blog be all about me? I think I’ll take the day off. Today’s Friday Five is all about y’all. Well, about five of you anyway. Find them here.

Earlier, it was the fawns, now I just had three Pileated woodpeckers fly over my head and into my yard. One was clearly a junior and the parents were trying to teach him things (apparently by leaving him behind). He clawed his way up the tree, looking all around for the parents and when he couldn’t find them, he began to do this little, “uh…uh…uh…” and sounded exactly like a baby about to start wailing for its mama. How’s a girl supposed to finish her new chapter with all these wonderful distractions?

I was over at The Longstockings and Siobhan is talking about how she’s going to try a seat-of-her-pants approach to writing for a change. She’s always been a detailed outliner and she wants to try something new. If you’ve been hanging out here, you will know that I just tried outlining for the first time (without success) and am now back to free form writing (and happily so). At first, I thought I would blog today about some tips for anyone who wants to try this form, but while I was making my breakfast (the most amazing English rock cakes that are mostly butter) - oh! wait! I must interrupt with this notice that the mama and twin fawns just wandered through looking sooooo cute - okay, anyway, I’m digressing. While I was making breakfast and contemplating the kinds of tips I would put up here, it occurred to me that perhaps this whole flip-flop thing that writers do - exchanging one technique of writing for another - really has very little to do with getting that first draft down and actually is much more about looking for the magic solution to make writing easier.

I mean, really…I write by the seat of my pants. I have written numerous bottom drawer novels, and several that I hope to see as books someday, but the truth is, why did I want to switch to outlining? Because the guy who wrote the thing about how to do it said it would make writing easier! I’ve come to the conclusion that nothing makes writing easier. Some things make it more fun, like sitting outside and writing on a summer day, or cuddling up in front of a fire in the winter, but there’s really no magic solution. It all comes down to butt in the chair and a lot of hard work. Some find the hard work terrifying, difficult, and frustrating. Ninety-five percent of the time, I find it exhilarating, interesting, and fun, so I can’t see any reason to try changing techniques now. Do you outline? Write free-form? Have you ever switched from one to the other and found it works better for you?