Ask the Author: Anna Banks
Answered Questions (9)
Anna Banks
So there are definitely a few spinoffs dancing in my head, but right now I'm concentrating on a few other projects. Look out for more short stories from me about the gang though, so you can check in with them. :)
Anna Banks
Hi! Not sure! Haven't heard from the producers, and unfortunately, that may mean that it won't happen at all. I'll keep you all posted if/when things pick up though. :)
Anna Banks
Okay, so this just happened today. I have been shopping at antique stores for a vintage tea set. I've searched far and wide, but haven't found one I like yet. I have NOT AT ALL EVER looked online for one.
But today, Facebook ads were trying to sell me vintage tea sets.
I think my phone is spying on me, that the government is behind it, and I want to know why. So, this could be the start of a mystery in a book. A normal teen starts noticing odd things about her phone, then finds out the government is spying on her, and she sets out to find out why.
But today, Facebook ads were trying to sell me vintage tea sets.
I think my phone is spying on me, that the government is behind it, and I want to know why. So, this could be the start of a mystery in a book. A normal teen starts noticing odd things about her phone, then finds out the government is spying on her, and she sets out to find out why.
Anna Banks
I call this writerly constipation because really you're not totally blocked--if you push hard enough at least a little will come out, amiright?
But what I do when I'm constipated is read. I read other authors who I look up to, who I want to emulate, and it really gets, ummmm, things flowing. It motivates me to be better, to live up to my own standards, to push through it.
Sometimes when you're reading, you'll see how an author solved a problem in his or her book and you'll have that epiphany on how to solve the problem in yours.
But what I do when I'm constipated is read. I read other authors who I look up to, who I want to emulate, and it really gets, ummmm, things flowing. It motivates me to be better, to live up to my own standards, to push through it.
Sometimes when you're reading, you'll see how an author solved a problem in his or her book and you'll have that epiphany on how to solve the problem in yours.
Anna Banks
Working in my pjs comes to mind, but honestly the best thing is reading a nice review or getting fan mail. It means that I'm not a fraud, that other people enjoy my work, and that I *can* entertain people if I try my best.
Anna Banks
I have plenty of advice for aspiring writers:
1.) Share your work. Not with your mom or with your friends who don't write. Seek out people in the writing community. Whether they are local or online, get your work critiqued by people who share your love for writing. It takes tough skin to do this, but you will need tough skin in the publishing industry. This is your first step.
2.) Never give up. You may have a lot of false starts for books. Lots of great opening chapters and then it kind of falls to pieces. You are not alone. Push through it. Finish the book.
3.) There is magic in revisions. Seriously. Your first draft is crap, no matter who you are. It's like you took dog poo and smeared it on the screen of your computer. Trust me on this. Let your book sit for a month before you reopen the document. Then reread it with fresh eyes. A favorite thing of mine to do before I send to my agent is that I finish the book. I print the whole thing, and let it sit for a month while I work on something else. After that month, I take a red pen to it and critique, revise, edit before I ever go in the document to make a single change.
4.) Never give up--in a different way. It's very difficult to break into the publishing industry. It's hard to get an agent. It's hard to get a book deal once you get an agent. Remember, when you go into a bookstore, all those books on the shelves? That represents only 1% of the people who are trying to get published but actually made it. The odds aren't good. Be better than the odds. But you can't be better if you give up.
1.) Share your work. Not with your mom or with your friends who don't write. Seek out people in the writing community. Whether they are local or online, get your work critiqued by people who share your love for writing. It takes tough skin to do this, but you will need tough skin in the publishing industry. This is your first step.
2.) Never give up. You may have a lot of false starts for books. Lots of great opening chapters and then it kind of falls to pieces. You are not alone. Push through it. Finish the book.
3.) There is magic in revisions. Seriously. Your first draft is crap, no matter who you are. It's like you took dog poo and smeared it on the screen of your computer. Trust me on this. Let your book sit for a month before you reopen the document. Then reread it with fresh eyes. A favorite thing of mine to do before I send to my agent is that I finish the book. I print the whole thing, and let it sit for a month while I work on something else. After that month, I take a red pen to it and critique, revise, edit before I ever go in the document to make a single change.
4.) Never give up--in a different way. It's very difficult to break into the publishing industry. It's hard to get an agent. It's hard to get a book deal once you get an agent. Remember, when you go into a bookstore, all those books on the shelves? That represents only 1% of the people who are trying to get published but actually made it. The odds aren't good. Be better than the odds. But you can't be better if you give up.
Anna Banks
I'm working on the sequel to NEMESIS, which is ALLY. I'm also working on a middle grade novel that has been loads and loads of fun to write, but that's all I can really say about that at the moment. :)
Anna Banks
The only TV I really watch are documentaries. That's how I got the idea for The Syrena Legacy series. I was watching a documentary about the giant squid--and how scientists always thought the giant squid was a legend, myth, fishermen's lore. Until a dead one washed up on shore in 2005. Now, only 1% of our oceans have been explored. Who's to say that there aren't mermaids out there? And so I began to write a way in which they could have existed all this time.
Same with NEMESIS. I was watching a documentary on Egypt, about the young King Tut and I kept thinking of a prince forced to take the reins of his kingdom at a young age. And of a enemy princess who has exactly what he needs to rule, what he needs to gain the confidence of his people. And so NEMEISS was born.
Same with NEMESIS. I was watching a documentary on Egypt, about the young King Tut and I kept thinking of a prince forced to take the reins of his kingdom at a young age. And of a enemy princess who has exactly what he needs to rule, what he needs to gain the confidence of his people. And so NEMEISS was born.
Anna Banks
My most recent book is my Egyptian fantasy romance, NEMESIS. I got the idea from watching documentaries about Egypt, because I knew I wanted to write in that setting. What I didn't know is that I wanted my heroine and hero to be enemies. (<--I almost seriously typed enemas there). What if my heroine had a power that her enemy needed? What if she would withhold it from him at all costs? But can you truly keep a secret from someone you've fallen in love with? And so, the plot for NEMESIS started to fall into place.
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Apr 23, 2017 08:53AM · flag