Anna Staniszewski

I hope everyone had a lovely long weekend. For me it was a fun but busy few days. I didn’t get much writing done, but I thought quite a bit about my WIP and storytelling in general. When I had some downtime, I watched the pilot of the new show “Glee.” I had heard from a few sources that it was a great show, so I decided to check it out. What I appreciated about it were its humor and its honesty. Although the storyline is one we’ve seen before, the quirky characters and their genuine emotions make it enjoyable. It’s a perfect example of a familiar, predictable plot that is still appealing because of the way the story is told.

I’m also a big fan of fake commercials when they’re done well. This faux iPhone ad is great because it not only pokes fun at iPhone apps, it does it in a way that actually tells a story. Because of the story, the ad becomes more personal, and thus funny. Who knew I’d find inspiration in a fake commercial?

Finally, I’m almost done reading The True Meaning of Smekday and I just can’t say enough good things about it. It figures that right after I post about originality in stories, I read one of the most original books I’ve ever encountered. Smekday is about one girl’s adventures during, and after, an alien invasion. The premise might not be completely new, but the way the story is told, through wry humor, fast-paced action, and occasional comics, is pretty different from other things I’ve encountered. This book takes some story lines we might be familiar with and imagines them in such a vivid way that they feel very fresh and unique. And of course reading a book that literally makes you burst out laughing is always a pleasure.