Because I’m an author as well as a writing instructor and a reader, I’m often asked for book recommendations. Sometimes I’m asked to suggest books that are like my books, while other times I might need to think of titles that are good for a certain age range or in a specific genre.
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By: Tara Lazar,
on 7/8/2014
Blog: Tara Lazar (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Children's Books, Picture Books, Middle Grade Fiction, Children's Writing, Writing for Children, Anna Staniszewski, My Very UnFairy Tale Life, The Prank List, The Dirt Diary, Add a tag
By: Vonna Carter,
on 6/19/2014
Blog: VonnaCarter.com (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Interviews, Anna Staniszewski, MG Books, MG Authors, Add a tag
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Anna Staniszewski's sequel to My Very Unfairy Tale Life is now out! And after reading My Epic Fairy Tale Fail I can tell you it does anything BUT Fail. Grab it. Read it. Pass it to a little girl out there to read. I plan on giving a copy to my own daughter because it's the kind of book I would have lived in when I was her age.
But don't take my word for it. Here's a review from Sleeping Beauty:
SB: ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ
Me: *AHEM*
SB: Huh? Oh sorry. *eyes droop*
Me: Before you fall back asleep, can you tell us what you thought of the book? *pokes in the ribs*
SB: Ouch! I loved it. It's very realistic. I mean that's exactly what it's like where I'm from. *yawn*
Me: *yawn* those are contagious.
SB: Sorry. *slips down in chair and closes eyes*
Me: *pokes again* Anything else to say about the book?
SB: It kept me awake until I finished.
Well there can't be a better recommendation than that.
I'm super-excited to be able to tell you all about a very special book. I'm part of the unofficial blog tour for Anna Staniszewski's MY VERY UNFAIRY TALE LIFE! I don't read as many MG books as YA, so before I give you my own opinion, I have a couple of guests here who happen to be experts. Well, not so much experts on MG as much as experts on Fairy Tales and such. Please welcome my friends, Gary the Gnome and Sparkles the Unicorn!
GARY: Hey everybody! I have to tell you all that I loved reading a book about gnomes for a change-
ME: Wait a second. Did you actually READ the book, Gary? Because it really isn't about gnomes.
GARY: Typical human. You see what you want to see. The hero was clearly the gnome. Right, Sparkles?
SPARKLES: Neeeeeiiiiiggggghhh.
GARY: See?
ME: Um, all he said was neigh.
GARY: *headpalm* Can't you even speak unicorn? Sheesh.
ME: *shifts uncomfortably* Uh... No I guess not.
SPARKLES: Neeeeeeiiiiggggghhhh. *rears*
ME: Sorry.
GARY: Anyhow, read the book. It's good, even if you're human and can't stand to admit it's really about the heroism of a brave young gnome.
ME: Seriously, Gary, you haven't read it, have you?
Wow. Well, next time I promise to make sure my guests have actually read the book....and speak English. But if you're wondering what I thought? I was sold after reading the first paragraph. I plan on buying a copy for my own daughter as well because I have the feeling she's going to LOVE it. The characters are so much fun, and Anna's creativity was a-maz-ing. Warning though - I found the villain seriously creepy (in a good way). *shudders*
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By: Caroline Starr Rose,
on 9/7/2011
Blog: Caroline by line (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: mid-grade novels, mid-grade, Tess Hilmo, Vanished, Anna Staniszewski, one sentence reviews, My Very Unfairy Tale Life, Sheela Chari, With a Name Like Love, Add a tag
Posted on 3/18/2011
Blog: An Englishman in New Jersey (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: fiction, writing, nathan bransford, rachelle gardner, useful links, jennifer r. hubbard, denise jaden, anna staniszewski, james van pelt, ferrett, kathryn craft, tracy s. morris, brad phillips, Add a tag
Posted on 2/25/2011
Blog: An Englishman in New Jersey (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: fiction, writing, scott nicholson, nathan bransford, rachelle gardner, useful links, laura toffler-corrie, elizabeth spann craig, heidi m. thomas, anna staniszewski, donna brennan, ideealisme, Add a tag
By: tara,
on 11/11/2010
Blog: Tara Lazar (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: My Un-Fairytale Life, Children's Books, Picture Books, Middle Grade Fiction, Children's Writing, Writing for Children, Anna Staniszewski, PiBoIdMo 2010, Add a tag
11 Comments on PiBoIdMo Day 12: Embrace Your Weirdness Like Anna Staniszewski, last added: 11/12/2010
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By: Bianca Schulze,
on 7/23/2014
Blog: The Children's Book Review (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Ages 9-12, Humor, Chapter Books, Reading Tips, Quest for Literacy, Anna Staniszewski, Dirt Diary series, Add a tag
Blog: The Children's Book Review (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Ages 9-12, Humor, Chapter Books, Reading Tips, Quest for Literacy, Anna Staniszewski, Dirt Diary series, Add a tag
By: Tara Lazar,
on 7/8/2014
Blog: Tara Lazar (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Children's Books, Picture Books, Middle Grade Fiction, Children's Writing, Writing for Children, Anna Staniszewski, My Very UnFairy Tale Life, The Prank List, The Dirt Diary, Add a tag
by As an author who’s slowly been transitioning from novels to picture books (my first picture book will be out in March 2015), I’ve realized that picture book techniques have started influencing my novel-writing process. Here are a few examples.
1. Brevity and Word Choice
This is probably the most obvious connection. When you’re used to working with 500 words, you tend to get a little pickier about the words you use in longer projects. Even when I have 50k words to work with, for example, I still find myself making sure to cut out unnecessary phrases (particularly unneeded dialogue tags) and using strong verbs and interesting nouns to make each sentence count.
2. Tying the End to the Beginning
This is my favorite picture book technique. In picture books, the ending almost always echoes the beginning of the tale. I love using this approach in novels, reflecting something from the opening chapter in the closing chapter in a different context. This technique shows us that the character has grown and changed, and it also makes the story feel cohesive and satisfying.
3. Repeating for Emphasis
Repetition can be great in picture books, but in novels it can feel like telegraphing. A strong repeated image, however, especially one whose meaning deepens over the course of the story, can work well if it’s revisited throughout the novel. It can help show how the meaning of that image or experience has changed for the character over time.
4. Using the Senses
In picture books, we have to be mindful of not focusing too much on the visual details so that we don’t step on the illustrator’s toes. That means we have to use other senses to give the story depth. I try to use a similar multi-sensory approach in my novels, so I’m not simply describing how things look to the characters, but I’m also thinking about the smells, sounds, and textures around them. I’ve also found myself using a lot of onomatopoeic words—kapow!
For those of you who write in longer and shorter formats, how do you find the two influencing each other? What’s your favorite picture book technique to use in novel-writing? Please comment below and join the conversation!
.
Born in Poland and raised in the United States, Anna Staniszewski grew up loving stories in both Polish and English. Currently, she lives outside Boston with her husband and their crazy dog. When she’s not writing, Anna spends her time reading, daydreaming, and challenging unicorns to games of hopscotch. She is the author of the My Very UnFairy Tale Life series and the Dirt Diary series. Her newest novel, The Prank List, released on July 1st from Sourcebooks. You can visit Anna at www.annastan.com.
10 Comments on Using Picture Book Techniques in Novels by Anna Staniszewski, last added: 7/9/2014
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By: Vonna Carter,
on 6/19/2014
Blog: VonnaCarter.com (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Interviews, Anna Staniszewski, MG Books, MG Authors, Add a tag
Today, I am so excited to welcome back Anna Staniszewski! Anna visited this blog when she was wrapping up her My Very UnFairytale Life series and wrote a great post about character development in Give Your Main Character a Mirror. Anna’s newest book, the second in her Dirt Diary series, THE PRANK LIST, launches July 1. From Anna’s blog, here’s a bit about THE PRANK LIST:
Rachel never thought she’d fight for the right to clean toilets, but she has to save her mom’s business. Nothing can distract her from her mission – except maybe Whit, the cute new guy in cooking class. Then she discovers something about Whit that could change everything. After destroying her Dirt Diary, Rachel thought she was done with secrets, but to save her family’s business, Rachel’s going to have to get her hands dirty. Again.
I loved THE DIRT DIARY, so I was delighted to have an opportunity to read an ARC of THE PRANK LIST. These books are so much fun! In an interview on The Book Cellar, you mention that you usually come up with the premise for a story before plot or characters. What inspired the premise for THE PRANK LIST?
At the end of The Dirt Diary, there’s talk about Rachel taking a pastry class at a local bakery. That idea stuck in my head, and I wondered what would happen if Rachel got to the class and it wasn’t at all what she thought it would be. As for where the “prank war” idea came from in the story, I thought it would be interesting to bring in a rival cleaning service so we could see how far Rachel is willing to go to save her mom’s business.
The main character in your book, Rachel, loves to bake. Details like her first disaster with the caramel squares—a pan of goo on one side and crunchy crystals on the other—sound so authentic. Did Rachel get her love of baking from you?
Sadly, Rachel’s baking mishaps in this book are very much inspired by my own. I love eating baked goods, but I’m not a very good cook. My big problem is that I’m impatient, so anything that takes more than a half hour is a deal-breaker for me. Rachel is the kind of baker I wish I could be!
On Stephen Macquignon’s blog, you wrote about thinking visually in novels. One of your tips was to repeat an image for emphasis. Can you tell us about an important image from THE PRANK LIST?
Good question! I wanted Rachel to feel taunted by the rival cleaning business’s vans (red and black ones painted to look like ladybugs) that seem to follow her all around town. Every time she sees one, she feels like it’s mocking her, and she becomes more and more desperate to succeed.
I loved Rachel’s best friend Marisol when we met her in THE DIRT DIARY, but I loved her even more in this book. Without giving away spoilers, can you tell us a little about Marisol’s role in this story?
Marisol tends to be the voice of reason in Rachel’s life, but at the same time, she would do anything to help Rachel. So in this book, it was interesting to explore how far Marisol is willing to veer away from her moral compass in order to help her best friend.
You recently wrote a guest post for Janet Fox, Creating a Believable Tween Voice, in which you urged writers to focus on emotions. Does Rachel, the main character in your story, have a particular emotion that defines her or drives her actions?
Rachel always means well and she tries to do the right thing, but she often lets her good intentions get her into trouble when she starts feeling desperate and frantic. That’s when things get out of control and she winds up making decisions that aren’t necessarily the right ones.
Another fun element of voice in this story is Rachel’s exclamations, like “Oh my goldfish,” and “Crabgrass!” Did you have to try out a lot of sayings before finding the ones that seemed natural to Rachel?
Coming up with funny sayings has become a bit of a game in my house. I’m always testing new ones out on my husband, and he’s even started a list of ones that he thinks I might like.
Anna, thank you for stopping by today!
You can find out more about Anna on the other stops on her blog tour, including her guest posts, I Sold My Book: Now What?, What to Expect After the Sale, and an interview with Nancy Tandon on her writing process for THE PRANK LIST.
About Anna:
Born in Poland and raised in the United States, Anna Staniszewski grew up loving stories in both Polish and English. Currently, she lives outside Boston with her husband and their crazy dog. When she’s not writing, Anna spends her time reading, daydreaming, and challenging unicorns to games of hopscotch. She is the author of the My Very UnFairy Tale Life series and the Dirt Diary series. Her newest book, The Prank List, releases on July 1st from Sourcebooks. You can visit Anna at www.annastan.com.
By: Lisa Gail Green,
on 3/4/2013
Blog: Paranormal Point of View (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: book review, Anna Staniszewski, my very unfairy tale life, my epic fairy tale fail, Add a tag
Blog: Paranormal Point of View (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: book review, Anna Staniszewski, my very unfairy tale life, my epic fairy tale fail, Add a tag
But don't take my word for it. Here's a review from Sleeping Beauty:
SB: ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ
Me: *AHEM*
SB: Huh? Oh sorry. *eyes droop*
Me: Before you fall back asleep, can you tell us what you thought of the book? *pokes in the ribs*
SB: Ouch! I loved it. It's very realistic. I mean that's exactly what it's like where I'm from. *yawn*
Me: *yawn* those are contagious.
SB: Sorry. *slips down in chair and closes eyes*
Me: *pokes again* Anything else to say about the book?
SB: It kept me awake until I finished.
Well there can't be a better recommendation than that.
14 Comments on My Epic Fairy Tale Fail, last added: 3/6/2013
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By: Lisa Gail Green,
on 9/26/2011
Blog: Paranormal Point of View (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Anna Staniszewski, my very unfairy tale life, book review, Add a tag
Blog: Paranormal Point of View (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Anna Staniszewski, my very unfairy tale life, book review, Add a tag
GARY: Hey everybody! I have to tell you all that I loved reading a book about gnomes for a change-
ME: Wait a second. Did you actually READ the book, Gary? Because it really isn't about gnomes.
GARY: Typical human. You see what you want to see. The hero was clearly the gnome. Right, Sparkles?
SPARKLES: Neeeeeiiiiiggggghhh.
GARY: See?
ME: Um, all he said was neigh.
GARY: *headpalm* Can't you even speak unicorn? Sheesh.
ME: *shifts uncomfortably* Uh... No I guess not.
SPARKLES: Neeeeeeiiiiggggghhhh. *rears*
ME: Sorry.
GARY: Anyhow, read the book. It's good, even if you're human and can't stand to admit it's really about the heroism of a brave young gnome.
ME: Seriously, Gary, you haven't read it, have you?
Wow. Well, next time I promise to make sure my guests have actually read the book....and speak English. But if you're wondering what I thought? I was sold after reading the first paragraph. I plan on buying a copy for my own daughter as well because I have the feeling she's going to LOVE it. The characters are so much fun, and Anna's creativity was a-maz-ing. Warning though - I found the villain seriously creepy (in a good way). *shudders*
26 Comments on My Very UnFairy Tale Life, last added: 9/28/2011
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By: Caroline Starr Rose,
on 9/7/2011
Blog: Caroline by line (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: mid-grade novels, mid-grade, Tess Hilmo, Vanished, Anna Staniszewski, one sentence reviews, My Very Unfairy Tale Life, Sheela Chari, With a Name Like Love, Add a tag
Enter to win bookmarks from each of the following titles by leaving a comment and your email below. There will be multiple winners this month (until I run out of bookmarks). The contest closes Wednesday, 9-14.
With a Name Like Love -- Tess Hilmo
New to Binder, Arkansas, Ollie refuses to condemn a down and out family and with her preacher-father stands for truth in this atmospheric To Kill a Mockingbird for the middle-grade set.
My Very Unfairy Tale Life -- Anna Staniszewski
Fixing problems for uncooperative unicorns and being bossed around by a candy-popping gnome has Jenny fed up with her life as an adventurer in this utterly original, funny middle-grade spoof.
Vanished -- Sheela Chari
8 Comments on One Sentence Debut Reviews: Middle-Grade Edition, last added: 9/7/2011
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Posted on 3/18/2011
Blog: An Englishman in New Jersey (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: fiction, writing, nathan bransford, rachelle gardner, useful links, jennifer r. hubbard, denise jaden, anna staniszewski, james van pelt, ferrett, kathryn craft, tracy s. morris, brad phillips, Add a tag
Here’s my selection of interesting (and sometimes amusing) posts about writing from the last week:
(Read more ...)
Posted on 2/25/2011
Blog: An Englishman in New Jersey (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: fiction, writing, scott nicholson, nathan bransford, rachelle gardner, useful links, laura toffler-corrie, elizabeth spann craig, heidi m. thomas, anna staniszewski, donna brennan, ideealisme, Add a tag
Here’s my selection of interesting (and sometimes amusing) posts about writing from the last week:
Taking a Good Idea and Elevating It (Nathan Bransford) [Jon’s pick of the week]
The First Line Hook (Heidi M. Thomas)
Podcastle Wants You! [Narrators wanted]
(Read more ...)
By: tara,
on 11/11/2010
Blog: Tara Lazar (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: My Un-Fairytale Life, Children's Books, Picture Books, Middle Grade Fiction, Children's Writing, Writing for Children, Anna Staniszewski, PiBoIdMo 2010, Add a tag
by I don’t know about you, but I’m a little weird. I like to make up words and twist them around, and call things and people by funny names. Sometimes this amuses other people, and it always amuses me. That’s one of the keys to storytelling: having fun with words and concepts, and not being afraid to put in your own little bit of wackiness.
Now, I love picture books, but when it comes to writing I tend to be a novel person. I write long. So I was a bit surprised when an idea for a picture book popped into my head and demanded to be written. It was inspired by my dog Emma. (Isn’t she cute?)
Ever since my husband and I adopted Emma over the summer, it’s become a hobby of mine to come up with silly names for her. Miss Emma Dog. The Furry One. Emmakin Skywalker. She doesn’t seem to mind.
Emma gets very excited when she thinks she’s going for a walk. One morning, when she was trying to speed up the process by whimpering, I told her: “Hold on, Dogosaurus. We’re going.”
As we were on our walk, that word kept bouncing around in my head. Dogosaurus. And when I glanced over at Emma’s shadow, with its long snout and sharp teeth, it didn’t seem that far-fetched that a dog could turn into a dinosaur. And wow, what a whole lot of chaos that would be! Thus the idea was born.
At this point, the manuscript is still in its infancy. It’s gone through some major revisions, and I’m sure it’ll go through several more before it’s anywhere near done. But the initial idea, the initial weirdness, keeps me inspired to continue working on the story.
So as you’re thinking of ideas this month, why not try embracing your weirdness? Maybe there are things you do or say that people roll their eyes at? Use them! Maybe there’s a joke you made up that makes you laugh every single time you tell it? Mine it! The idea might be strange and silly, and it might entertain only you, but you never know where your inner weirdness can take you.
Anna Staniszewski lives near Boston with her husband and their adorably insane black Lab. She’s represented by Ammi-Joan Paquette of the Erin Murphy Literary Agency. Anna’s debut novel, MY UN-FAIRY TALE LIFE, will be published by Sourcebooks Jabberwocky in September 2011. You can visit her at www.annastan.com.
11 Comments on PiBoIdMo Day 12: Embrace Your Weirdness Like Anna Staniszewski, last added: 11/12/2010
Thanks so much for having me, Tara!
What a great post! :D
So TRUE! Thanks, Anna! I am also transitioning from novels to PBs (though I am unpublished in both LOL). Great reminders!
Great post. I’m a picture book author who has been thinking about this lately in the reverse! (And realizing I need to do a little less Every Word obsessing in order to start moving forward at a less than glacial pace at a lengthier piece:) Thanks for uh, turning my procrastination moment into a healthy ponder.
I recently started writing pbs again after working mostly on mg for a few years, and I agree that writing pbs has tightened up my writing. I find it’s really helping focus the plot of my latest mg too. Great discussion topic!
Great advice Anna. While I don’t write both pb and novels, your post reminds me that good writing tips work for all types. Thanks!
Great tips to keep in mind!
This is great advice, thanks. I especially like the idea of #2. I have been transitioning in the opposite direction, and in my opinion, it is MUCH harder to write a PB than a novel! I remember feeling so FREE when I could just type away, as many words as I wanted, and write whole chapters! Having said that, though, I do agree that tight word choices are a good idea no matter what the genre.
Great post. Thanks, Tara and Anna. For me, the magic 3′s works well in PBs and novels. I’d say it transcends all forms of writing.
EXcellent post, Anna and Tara :) Anything to make the overall process easier to digest and tackle is a good thing!
Also, as an aside, I’m trying to make a conscious decision on cutting back for a while on how much time I spend on reading/commenting on blogs I love and follow, ’cause if I don’t, my own blogs will never be launched *sigh* I’m not disappearing…just fading for a bit with occasional apparitional appearances. I figure if I actually TELL everyone I’m doing this (that is, if you notice lol)—I actually WILL!