Anna Staniszewski

If you have a minute, stop by the Paper Wait where I have a guest post up about the craziness that comes with writing a sequel.

And speaking of writing a sequel (or a sequel to a sequel) I’m back in the revision cave! I’ve been spending so much time in here that I think there’s moss growing behind my ears. Thanks to the impending snow storm, I guess I’ll be stuck in the cave for another couple days.

I’ve realized, as I’ve been digging into another round of UnFairy 3 revisions, that I often find myself facing the same issues in later drafts. Namely:

Minor characters

My supporting cast tends to be flat and forgettable in earlier drafts. In this revision, I’m hoping to flesh out the minor characters in order to add more tension and humor to the story.

Moments of emotional change

I think a lot about a character’s emotional journey as I’m writing a story, but I find that in later revisions I usually have to up the final emotional turning point in order to make her transformation feel more complete and satisfying.

General wackiness

I know this sounds like I just throw humor in for the sake of it, but that ‘s not the case at all. I’ve discovered that when I open up the wacky flood gates, that’s when the most interesting character traits and dynamics emerge.

Fairy-tale-ness

In the UnFairy books, I’ve found that I need to keeping checking in with the fairy tale threads that run throughout the series. While these books are my (very bizarre) take on fairy tales, ultimately, I want to make sure that the inspiration is clear.

So that’s what I’ll be working on for the coming days. What will you be doing this weekend?

And now, behold, the cutest snow picture ever: