Anna Staniszewski

Archives: August2009

• Passing On the Classics

  As I was browsing the NPR website yesterday, I came across a list of must-read children’s classics. There are many lists out there of books children should be reading, but this article really encourages adults to introduce children to classics so that books that have been loved for years can continue to thrive. While some

• A Book That Changed Me

  At the Children’s Literature Institute at Simmons College a few weeks ago, Anita Silvey raised the question: What children’s book changed the way you see the world? One of the first books that came to my mind was Z for Zachariah by Robert C. O’Brien. I remember reading the book when I was young and

• The Highest Stakes

  So often writers are told to “raise the stakes” in their stories, but sometimes it’s hard to know exactly what that means. As I was reading The Chosen One by Carol Lynch Williams last week, I realized that the story is a perfect example of how high stakes can pull you right into a story.
  In

• Throwing Enough Rocks

  Last night I attended a talk at my local library featuring murder mystery writers Clea Simon, Cindy Davis and Sheila Connolly. It was interesting to hear authors who write in a completely different genre from my own talk about their work. Overall their process isn’t so different from mine (character, conflict, etc.) though I must

• WIP Update

  I’d love to say that my work in progress (code name Lightning) is going swimmingly, but alas things have been a bit slow. I met with my writing group on Friday and they gave me some wonderful feedback for the first few chapters, but they also made me realize I had to go back and

• Free Uglies E-Book

  For anyone who hasn’t read Uglies by Scott Westerfeld, here’s a chance to get a copy of the book for free! Although Westerfeld has enjoyed a great deal of success and his new book, Leviathan (which comes out in October and sounds intriguing) will probably sell huge numbers without much marketing involved, it seems the

• Did I Really Write This Book?

  I got an email from my agent the other day that made me grin like a chimp. She’d read my latest revision of my YA novel, Keeper of Stories, and felt it was in good enough shape to start submitting to publishers. This was an especially triumphant moment for me because I’ve been working on

• Some Characters Are Too Weird To Make Up

  I guess a lot of towns have their mascots, but I had no idea that my town’s was a crazed, motorcycle-attacking wild turkey. Granted, I haven’t lived here very long, but it seems that Freddy the Turkey was a celebrity in these parts, and his stomping ground wasn’t far from where I live. Sadly, Freddy’s

• Creativity in Unexpected Places

  Many thanks to my friend Megan who sent me this video. This might be one of the craziest things I’ve ever seen. It just goes to show that any job has room for a little bit of creativity, no matter what field (pun!) you’re in.

• Writing Comfort

  They say people are creatures of habit and I’m beginning to suspect that this might be especially true of writers. Although I’m able to write pretty much anywhere, I think I’m the most productive when I’m at home and in my routine: drink some coffee/tea, check my email, read a few blogs I’m following, and