Anna Staniszewski

[If you have a minute, stop by The Writer Librarian where I talk about MFAs, newsletters, and writing.]

As I’ve been doing interviews and guest posts in anticipation of the release of my second book (less than three weeks away!!) and doing school visits (doing one this afternoon, in fact) I’ve realized that telling others about my writing process has been helping me with my current manuscript.

With UnFairy 3, I’ve been spending a lot of time on tightening up the plot and fleshing out the characters, as well as on giving the story more overall humor and personality. I must admit that sometimes the process has been a bit daunting, especially when you factor in looming deadline. But when I think about writing the first two books in the series, I’m reminded that I’ve been here before.

With the first book, I had to do several revisions to make the plot work. At first, it was a sprawling mess with way too many characters and plot lines. With help from beta readers and my awesome agent, I was able to pare down the story until it felt much more focused.

With the second book, I struggled with the humor and the characters in early drafts. It wasn’t until I really embraced the fairy tale nature of the story that it started to come together. Once I had a stronger base for the story, it was easier to layer in humor.

So as I work on UnFairy 3–with the clock ticking in the background–I have to remind myself that I’ve been here before. I might be doubting myself and wondering if I’ll ever make this story work, but I have to trust that I will. I’ve done it before. I will do it again. So just relax.