Anna Staniszewski

Categories: Books

• The Nature of Writing

  First off, I just wanted to remind you about two book giveaways going on:
  -My 100 Followers Contest that ends tomorrow – you can win a copy of Mockingjay or Linger!
  -The Enchanted Inkpot’s Anniversary Giveaway (the second in a series of contests) – you can win a stack of fantasy books!
  Okay, now that we have that

• More Books on the Craft of Writing

  As I’m sure I’ve mentioned before, I love books on the craft of writing. A while back I did a post on five of my favorite writing books, but I’m always on the lookout for new resources. That’s why I’ve recently added a few more to my collection. I can’t wait to read them all!

• 100 Followers Contest!

  I don’t normally post on Thursdays, but I wanted to pop by for a special announcement. Yesterday, I reached 100 followers on my site – hurray! In honor of my wonderful followers, I’ve decided to have a contest of the bookish variety. It took me a while to come up with the prizes (and they’ll

• Are Stand-Alone Books Dying Out?

  In case you haven’t noticed, books in a series seem to be a big thing these days, especially in YA. Of course, the popularity of series is nothing new, and they make a lot of sense for publishers as well as for readers. But I’ve been wondering if the popularity of series might be affecting

• Characters Don’t Have to Be Nice

  I just finished reading Before I Fall last night and this morning it’s still swirling around in my head. It’s about a girl named Sam who has to relive the day she died over and over until she gets things right (kind of like Groundhog Day but a little more morbid). There were so many

• Confessions of a Book Hoarder

  As I mentioned in a previous post, I have a hard time reading while I’m revising. But now that my revisions are finally in good shape, it’s been a relief to be able to read again. Good timing, too, since my reading pile is about to tip over. You see, I think I might have

• People Read to Worry

  I’m back to share some more wisdom from James Scott Bell’s fantastical little book, The Art of War for Writers. While Bell gives several helpful exercises to develop your writing, he also shares insight into the art of storytelling in general. Last night I read this gem:
  They [people] read to worry. They read because they

• The Writer’s Battle

  On the recommendation of the wise Karen Strong, I’ve been reading The Art of War for Writers by James Scott Bell. It’s a brilliant little book inspired by Sun Tzu’s The Art of War. Bell is honest about the difficulties of writing and publishing, but he’s also full of helpful advice.
  Here are a couple

• Recent Reading Highlights

  Thanks to my agent and my writing group, I now have a bit more direction with my fairy tale revision. Happily, this means I’ve finally started to emerge from my reading slump. I’m currently in the middle of a couple of books, but here are some of my recent reading highlights:
  Neil Armstrong Is My Uncle

• Can You Read While You’re Revising?

  I’ve been working on revisions for the past few weeks, and in that time my reading pile has been pretty much untouched. Even though I have a stack of books I’ve been waiting to read, I’ve been having a hard time getting past the first chapter of any of them. I’m wondering if maybe my