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The Curiosities #2
The Anatomy of Curiosity
The follow-up to the acclaimed title The Curiosities: A Collection of Stories by Maggie Stiefvater, Tessa Gratton, and Brenna Yovanoff.
In an unassuming corner of Brooklyn, a young woman learns to be ladylike, to love context, and to speak her mind from a very curious sort of tutor.
In a faraway land convulsed by war, a young soldier hears the desert’s curious hum as he disarms bombs with the person he doesn’t know how to love.
In a place so shriveled by drought that any drowning is a curiosity, a young writer tries again and again to tread water beneath the surface of a vast and unusual sea.
Three new stories—complete with commentary on the creative process—from three acclaimed young adult authors working at the height of their powers.
Curious?
In an unassuming corner of Brooklyn, a young woman learns to be ladylike, to love context, and to speak her mind from a very curious sort of tutor.
In a faraway land convulsed by war, a young soldier hears the desert’s curious hum as he disarms bombs with the person he doesn’t know how to love.
In a place so shriveled by drought that any drowning is a curiosity, a young writer tries again and again to tread water beneath the surface of a vast and unusual sea.
Three new stories—complete with commentary on the creative process—from three acclaimed young adult authors working at the height of their powers.
Curious?
290 pages, Hardcover
First published October 1, 2015
39 people are currently reading
4245 people want to read
About the author
Maggie Stiefvater
64 books172k followersNew York Times bestselling author of The Shiver Trilogy, The Raven Cycle, and The Scorpio Races. Artist. Driver of things with wheels. Avid reader.
Maggie Stiefvater plays several musical instruments (most infamously, the bagpipes) and makes art in several media (most generally, colored pencils).
She lives in Virginia with her husband, their two children, many dogs, a bunch of fainting goats, and an irascible tuner car.
Maggie Stiefvater plays several musical instruments (most infamously, the bagpipes) and makes art in several media (most generally, colored pencils).
She lives in Virginia with her husband, their two children, many dogs, a bunch of fainting goats, and an irascible tuner car.
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April 12, 2015Brenna, Tessa, and I wanted to do another collection of fiction that was more hands-on useful for aspiring writers. Here it is.
August 27, 2020
This is part short story collection, part writing manual. Three YA authors with three different creative processes "show their work," basically: annotating their own writing to show you the path it took from idea to finished product. Very, very, very illuminating & cool. Highly recommend for aspiring writers (although the third story does deal with suicide so ... you know. Triggers. Be aware.)
The stories themselves:
- "Ladylike" by Maggie Stiefvater. Wonderfully rich atmosphere (I expected no less, of course ;)) but I didn't think the magical realism angle was as skillfully handled as usual. ie, if I hadn't KNOWN from her annotations that it was heading in a magical direction, I would've felt rudely jerked around by the plot twist. I kind of feel like Stiefvater's style is better suited to novels where she has more time to organically grow her magic. I also disagree strongly with certain statements made re: Emily Dickinson and shyness (she wasn't a tragic victim of her own fear of socializing, she was simply an odd bird who thrived on solitude, and I resent anyone implying otherwise, even Maggie Stiefvater whom I adore.)
- "Desert Canticle" by Tessa Gratton. Delicate forbidden romance, trans representation, PTSD, and land mines. A++. Truly, no fault to find with this one. Writing-wise, it was really enlightening to see an author explain how her story grows from the practical, physical details of the storyworld itself: because it's totally NOT how I write, so it was a helpful reminder that "yes, some people really do immerse themselves naturally in worldbuilding, but it's not the only way."
- "By Drowning" by Brenna Yovanoff. This is the suicide story: I only skimmed it because [as I said above] triggers. It's very abstract and unusual. I don't quite know how to describe it.
The stories themselves:
- "Ladylike" by Maggie Stiefvater. Wonderfully rich atmosphere (I expected no less, of course ;)) but I didn't think the magical realism angle was as skillfully handled as usual. ie, if I hadn't KNOWN from her annotations that it was heading in a magical direction, I would've felt rudely jerked around by the plot twist. I kind of feel like Stiefvater's style is better suited to novels where she has more time to organically grow her magic. I also disagree strongly with certain statements made re: Emily Dickinson and shyness (she wasn't a tragic victim of her own fear of socializing, she was simply an odd bird who thrived on solitude, and I resent anyone implying otherwise, even Maggie Stiefvater whom I adore.)
- "Desert Canticle" by Tessa Gratton. Delicate forbidden romance, trans representation, PTSD, and land mines. A++. Truly, no fault to find with this one. Writing-wise, it was really enlightening to see an author explain how her story grows from the practical, physical details of the storyworld itself: because it's totally NOT how I write, so it was a helpful reminder that "yes, some people really do immerse themselves naturally in worldbuilding, but it's not the only way."
- "By Drowning" by Brenna Yovanoff. This is the suicide story: I only skimmed it because [as I said above] triggers. It's very abstract and unusual. I don't quite know how to describe it.
April 12, 2020
2.5 Stars
September 17, 2015
Four stars: A must read for anyone who aspires to be a writer.
What happens when three brilliant and creative authors decided to come together and write three short stories that chronicle their writing process? Brilliance! This book is three unique stories, by a trio of talented and masterful writers: Maggie Stiefvater, Tessa Gratton and Brenna Yovanoff, but it is so much more than three stories. This book chronicles each writer's unique style and process of writing. In each story, there are author asides, where the writer takes the time to explain why she does what she does in that particular section. Stiefvater delivers a creepy little tale that is completely character driven and it is fantastic. Gratton is all about world building, and her story shows how world building is integral to everything. Yovanoff's portion is a bit different. She provides several versions of her story, all revamped and different. This is a must read for anyone who wants to write. I am in awe of the authors and their talent.
My favorite story was Ladylike by Maggie Stiefvater. This is a strange little tale about a young girl, Petra, who sees herself as a lump. She is constantly embarrassed and always blushing, except when she reads poetry. When Petra reads, she becomes confident and lovely. Petra accepts a job reading for an old woman, Geraldine. Geraldine quickly gives Petra confidence, and she changes her life for the better. Unfortunately, Geraldine has a deadly little secret......
This was such an interesting tale. I was completely drawn in by the characters. I especially enjoyed how Stiefvater explained how her characters came to life.
The ending was a bit disturbing and it isn't spelled out, but you have enough clues provided that you can figure out how it went down. A fascinating story that is all about the characters.
Tessa Gratton's story, Desert Canticle, is a lesson on world building. Her story takes us to a female driven society in the throes of war in the desert. At the end of the war, members from the warring factions must work together to disarm the magical bombs that are lovely like flowers and deadly. One of the alliances, brings us a Pacer and a Mage, who fall in love, but their relationship is balanced on a shocking secret that changes everything.
This was my first foray with Ms. Gratton's work, and it won't be my last. I am always a stickler for world building, and so I appreciated that this story was all about the world. It was a fantastic lesson on how world building is done right, down to the smallest details like what the characters eat.
My one complaint is that the story is open ended, and it is up to the reader to decide the fate of the romance.
The final story, Variations on Drowning, was the one that I struggled with. This is Brenoff's numerous takes on her story. She presents basically the same idea, but it evolves and changes completely from one version to the next, and I had a hard time picking up the converging thread in each story. Still it was interesting to see her pick apart her work, and see how she got from one version to the next. I wasn't as invested in this story as the others, though.
The Anatomy of Curiosities is not your average read. This is book that anyone who aspires to be a writer needs to read. What you get are three short stories by three different authors, who pick apart their work and explain the process of how they wrote the story during the story. This book shows what it takes to be a successful writer, and how each style is different. Even though I have no aspirations to be a writer, I appreciated this book. It was fascinating to get into each author's head and uncover their writing process. I can see after reading this novel, why these three ladies are renowned in their field. Don't miss this one.
I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and I was not compensated for this review.
Posted@Rainy Day Ramblings.
What happens when three brilliant and creative authors decided to come together and write three short stories that chronicle their writing process? Brilliance! This book is three unique stories, by a trio of talented and masterful writers: Maggie Stiefvater, Tessa Gratton and Brenna Yovanoff, but it is so much more than three stories. This book chronicles each writer's unique style and process of writing. In each story, there are author asides, where the writer takes the time to explain why she does what she does in that particular section. Stiefvater delivers a creepy little tale that is completely character driven and it is fantastic. Gratton is all about world building, and her story shows how world building is integral to everything. Yovanoff's portion is a bit different. She provides several versions of her story, all revamped and different. This is a must read for anyone who wants to write. I am in awe of the authors and their talent.
My favorite story was Ladylike by Maggie Stiefvater. This is a strange little tale about a young girl, Petra, who sees herself as a lump. She is constantly embarrassed and always blushing, except when she reads poetry. When Petra reads, she becomes confident and lovely. Petra accepts a job reading for an old woman, Geraldine. Geraldine quickly gives Petra confidence, and she changes her life for the better. Unfortunately, Geraldine has a deadly little secret......
This was such an interesting tale. I was completely drawn in by the characters. I especially enjoyed how Stiefvater explained how her characters came to life.
The ending was a bit disturbing and it isn't spelled out, but you have enough clues provided that you can figure out how it went down. A fascinating story that is all about the characters.
Tessa Gratton's story, Desert Canticle, is a lesson on world building. Her story takes us to a female driven society in the throes of war in the desert. At the end of the war, members from the warring factions must work together to disarm the magical bombs that are lovely like flowers and deadly. One of the alliances, brings us a Pacer and a Mage, who fall in love, but their relationship is balanced on a shocking secret that changes everything.
This was my first foray with Ms. Gratton's work, and it won't be my last. I am always a stickler for world building, and so I appreciated that this story was all about the world. It was a fantastic lesson on how world building is done right, down to the smallest details like what the characters eat.
My one complaint is that the story is open ended, and it is up to the reader to decide the fate of the romance.
The final story, Variations on Drowning, was the one that I struggled with. This is Brenoff's numerous takes on her story. She presents basically the same idea, but it evolves and changes completely from one version to the next, and I had a hard time picking up the converging thread in each story. Still it was interesting to see her pick apart her work, and see how she got from one version to the next. I wasn't as invested in this story as the others, though.
The Anatomy of Curiosities is not your average read. This is book that anyone who aspires to be a writer needs to read. What you get are three short stories by three different authors, who pick apart their work and explain the process of how they wrote the story during the story. This book shows what it takes to be a successful writer, and how each style is different. Even though I have no aspirations to be a writer, I appreciated this book. It was fascinating to get into each author's head and uncover their writing process. I can see after reading this novel, why these three ladies are renowned in their field. Don't miss this one.
I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and I was not compensated for this review.
Posted@Rainy Day Ramblings.
June 17, 2015
”Although this is a book on methods of writing fiction, it is not a book on the method of writing fiction. We – Tessa, Brenna, Maggie – are each professional novelists, but we approach writing in different ways. This book is meant to illuminate just three of the infinite ways to get to The End.”
Oh my! What a wonderful book. I had such a good time reading these stories and the author’s comments that the rest of the world just stopped. Brenna, Maggie and Tessa are great storytellers. Even better, they are able to write about how they go about writing. I think anyone who wants to write fiction should pick up this book.
I have never had any intention of being an author. Since writing seems to be hard work, not magic, putting my fictional thoughts on paper for the entire world to see has no interest for me. I am happy to share my thoughts on my reading on this website, but that is my limit.
The stories are well told. Each author has a way of looking at the world that is special to them. Brenna works through the idea of the story, Tessa is a world builder and Maggie devotes her writing to the characters she invents. It was good to read these stories knowing each writer’s interest. I was thoroughly engaged by all the stories and would like to spend more time with the characters that these women have invented.
Although the comments throughout the book were aimed at new writers, as a reader I found them helpful also. I tend to read so that I visit new worlds and meet new people. It was fascinating to see how these authors dealt with those issues.
Maybe you don’t usually read material aimed at young adults. Well, these stories are for anyone – the characters are not immature. Maybe you never thought about what appeals to you about stories – don’t worry, you can ignore the comments. This book is a good read, well worth most readers’ time. Just read the intro and see if it appeals to you.
Thank you to Edelweiss and Carolrhoda Lab for sharing an ebook copy of this title before it was published.
Oh my! What a wonderful book. I had such a good time reading these stories and the author’s comments that the rest of the world just stopped. Brenna, Maggie and Tessa are great storytellers. Even better, they are able to write about how they go about writing. I think anyone who wants to write fiction should pick up this book.
I have never had any intention of being an author. Since writing seems to be hard work, not magic, putting my fictional thoughts on paper for the entire world to see has no interest for me. I am happy to share my thoughts on my reading on this website, but that is my limit.
The stories are well told. Each author has a way of looking at the world that is special to them. Brenna works through the idea of the story, Tessa is a world builder and Maggie devotes her writing to the characters she invents. It was good to read these stories knowing each writer’s interest. I was thoroughly engaged by all the stories and would like to spend more time with the characters that these women have invented.
Although the comments throughout the book were aimed at new writers, as a reader I found them helpful also. I tend to read so that I visit new worlds and meet new people. It was fascinating to see how these authors dealt with those issues.
Maybe you don’t usually read material aimed at young adults. Well, these stories are for anyone – the characters are not immature. Maybe you never thought about what appeals to you about stories – don’t worry, you can ignore the comments. This book is a good read, well worth most readers’ time. Just read the intro and see if it appeals to you.
Thank you to Edelweiss and Carolrhoda Lab for sharing an ebook copy of this title before it was published.
November 21, 2015
I've read and enjoyed some Maggie Stiefvater books, I own but haven't yet read some Brenna Yovanoff novels, and while I'm not interested in any of Tessa Gratton's works she seems like an awesome person on social media. The Anatomy of Curiosity is a great opportunity to get into the authors' heads a bit to see how stories develop out of vague ideas.
Three different authors; three different approaches. Maggie starts with characters, Tessa begins with a world, and Brenna has a topic. They ask themselves questions, rule out possibilities in order to get to the heart of what they want to focus on, and sometimes they meander around in several different ways until finally figuring out what and how they want to say.
Maggie Stiefvater's "Ladylike" sparked from an idea about an older woman and a teen. The story doesn't particularly intrigue until the appearance of a guy in the woman's apartment, and waiting for that to happen includes plodding through some pretentiousness. To the poetry's credit, when checking on Wikipedia to determine if a poet mentioned in the story was real (he was), the word "algolagnia" added to my vocabulary, so that's a positive.
When the lady talks about context, and how pieces of the creator end up in their creations, it makes you wonder. A common discussion among readers is how to deal with problematic authors - and by that, do we stop reading their books entirely? Or continue to read them, whilst knowing that some of the authors' worse personality aspects may end up in their characters? Will disliking parts of the author affect enjoyment of their works?
Tessa Gratton's idea of magical bombs is intriguing, but the way she tells it doesn't really appeal to me. I have no interest in made-up lands; I prefer to read about real places. I'm definitely an urban fantasy fan, not one of traditional/epic/high.
But while the author's inspiration focuses on world-building, based on "Desert Canticle" her strong point is characterisation. The big reveal doesn't come until the story's midpoint, but from then on the tale really makes a stand. If Tessa Gratton ever writes a contemporary, it would be awesome.
I'm not sure how to follow Brenna Yovanoff's "Drowning Variations", so I've decided that it shows several drafts of wandering and explaining, the author talking to the reader about how she found the right story in which to incorporate a teen drowning. And so I believe "The Drowning Place" is the REAL story, and everything else is just leading up to and discussing it. "The Drowning Place" is four-star quality. As for the other "variations", they take the place of margin notes (which the other authors' contributions had, but this one doesn't).
The Anatomy of Curiosity shows how authors' minds work in different ways, and may give readers new methods of idea development to try. It may not really connect as a fiction anthology, but as a reference text it's well worth rereading.
Three different authors; three different approaches. Maggie starts with characters, Tessa begins with a world, and Brenna has a topic. They ask themselves questions, rule out possibilities in order to get to the heart of what they want to focus on, and sometimes they meander around in several different ways until finally figuring out what and how they want to say.
Maggie Stiefvater's "Ladylike" sparked from an idea about an older woman and a teen. The story doesn't particularly intrigue until the appearance of a guy in the woman's apartment, and waiting for that to happen includes plodding through some pretentiousness. To the poetry's credit, when checking on Wikipedia to determine if a poet mentioned in the story was real (he was), the word "algolagnia" added to my vocabulary, so that's a positive.
When the lady talks about context, and how pieces of the creator end up in their creations, it makes you wonder. A common discussion among readers is how to deal with problematic authors - and by that, do we stop reading their books entirely? Or continue to read them, whilst knowing that some of the authors' worse personality aspects may end up in their characters? Will disliking parts of the author affect enjoyment of their works?
Tessa Gratton's idea of magical bombs is intriguing, but the way she tells it doesn't really appeal to me. I have no interest in made-up lands; I prefer to read about real places. I'm definitely an urban fantasy fan, not one of traditional/epic/high.
But while the author's inspiration focuses on world-building, based on "Desert Canticle" her strong point is characterisation. The big reveal doesn't come until the story's midpoint, but from then on the tale really makes a stand. If Tessa Gratton ever writes a contemporary, it would be awesome.
I'm not sure how to follow Brenna Yovanoff's "Drowning Variations", so I've decided that it shows several drafts of wandering and explaining, the author talking to the reader about how she found the right story in which to incorporate a teen drowning. And so I believe "The Drowning Place" is the REAL story, and everything else is just leading up to and discussing it. "The Drowning Place" is four-star quality. As for the other "variations", they take the place of margin notes (which the other authors' contributions had, but this one doesn't).
The Anatomy of Curiosity shows how authors' minds work in different ways, and may give readers new methods of idea development to try. It may not really connect as a fiction anthology, but as a reference text it's well worth rereading.
June 16, 2017
This is the first book I read that is both nonfiction and fantasy. I highly recommend it for those who like to watch the behind-the-scenes of your favorite movies. As stated in the book, there are two ways to read this book.
“There are two ways to read this book. You can read it merely as three pieces of fiction from three different authors, or you can read it as a book about three different approaches to writing fiction.”
Excerpt From: “The Anatomy of Curiosity.”
My rating for the actual stories:
1. Maggie Stiefvater - ****
2. Tessa Graton - ****
3. Brenna Yovanoff - *** to **** the first part confused me but when I finally understand what's going on I enjoyed the story a lot.
My rating for the author's commentary: *****
“There are two ways to read this book. You can read it merely as three pieces of fiction from three different authors, or you can read it as a book about three different approaches to writing fiction.”
Excerpt From: “The Anatomy of Curiosity.”
My rating for the actual stories:
1. Maggie Stiefvater - ****
2. Tessa Graton - ****
3. Brenna Yovanoff - *** to **** the first part confused me but when I finally understand what's going on I enjoyed the story a lot.
My rating for the author's commentary: *****
September 19, 2019
The racism in the first two stories and the transmisogyny in the second one shown alongside the authors talking about how great their writing was fuels my spite like nothing else. The third part is salvageable.
August 28, 2015
If you're interested in the how to's of writing, than this book gives very good, insightful and hands on advice. If you live these three authors, but aren't that interested in learning how they write a story, than here are 3 great stories that you can enjoy on a purely reader level.
Maggie's story was my favorite, hands down. The description was amazing and I loved how much the main character really came into her own.
Tessa's story involved war and magic and deserts. For some inexplicable reason, I could not get into it. I loved the idea of magical flower bombs that were still deadly and awful, but I hate desert settings. s
Seriously, I would touch The Scorpio Races by Stiefvater for a long time because I got it in my head that it was about horse racing in the desert and I was like, nope. I did read the bits about Tessa's advice, but not the whole story... I also blame my grief for this, as I can't concentrate if the story feels to slow, because then I will hear a dog bark j the distance and be distracted with thoughts about my little brown dog whom I miss very much. Sigh. So, this Tessa's story might be something I go back and read fully later.
Brenna did her story differently because she's different, and we get a few versions of her story before the final, true version. And I really liked it. Of course, I read it poolside, so that definitely enhanced the theme of drowning and water and it had a fantastic ending.
I'm planning to buy this one in its finished form for my niece Grace, who is a young writer in her teens because the advice from these amazing authors is good, it's both show and tell. :)
Maggie's story was my favorite, hands down. The description was amazing and I loved how much the main character really came into her own.
Tessa's story involved war and magic and deserts. For some inexplicable reason, I could not get into it. I loved the idea of magical flower bombs that were still deadly and awful, but I hate desert settings. s
Seriously, I would touch The Scorpio Races by Stiefvater for a long time because I got it in my head that it was about horse racing in the desert and I was like, nope. I did read the bits about Tessa's advice, but not the whole story... I also blame my grief for this, as I can't concentrate if the story feels to slow, because then I will hear a dog bark j the distance and be distracted with thoughts about my little brown dog whom I miss very much. Sigh. So, this Tessa's story might be something I go back and read fully later.
Brenna did her story differently because she's different, and we get a few versions of her story before the final, true version. And I really liked it. Of course, I read it poolside, so that definitely enhanced the theme of drowning and water and it had a fantastic ending.
I'm planning to buy this one in its finished form for my niece Grace, who is a young writer in her teens because the advice from these amazing authors is good, it's both show and tell. :)
June 6, 2015
I received this book as an ARC at Book Expo America 2015. This is a gorgeous book which neatly balances on the line of being interesting only to writers, and interesting just to readers. (Okay, all writers are readers, or should be, but you know what I mean. It's about a book about writing that manages to be interesting both to those who write, and those who only like to read and aren't writers themselves). The three short stories were really great (Tessa Gratton's in particular, Desert Canticle, is stunning beyond words) and seeing the process and how they wove in certain details, themes, and character development was really helpful.
September 26, 2015
I was honored by the lovely Tessa Gratton with the opportunity to read this prior to its release and I'm still not over it. This was a very lush and detailed exploration of craft and story. I think it did an awesome job of juxtaposing what might appeal to a reader's curiosity and what a writer would want to know - and the areas where they overlap.
November 21, 2019
So good. Reading this was like taking a really excellent writing class.
October 12, 2015
4.5 stars. It was so darned close to five that I rounded up.
December 31, 2019
My final book of 2019, and it was a good one!
Apart from being full of excellent writing advice, the stories within this collection were individually compelling.
Maggie’s story “Ladylike” was delightfully Gothic, and I couldn’t help falling a bit in love with the elegant old creature known as Geraldine along with Petra.
Tessa Gratton’s war-torn romance “Desert Canticle” might be my favorite of the three. The vivid cultures, histories, and interpersonal tensions that Rafel, a soldier full of contradictions, and Aniv, a mage with a secret, bring to life really showcase Tessa’s great skill with world-building.
Brenna’s fiction/nonfiction hybrid “Drowning Variations” was particularly instructive regarding how story ideas may change and morph over time, and how it might take a while to get to the story you really want to tell. The story within it, “The Drowning Place,” was a beautiful piece about guilt, personified fears, and confronting your nightmares.
Apart from being full of excellent writing advice, the stories within this collection were individually compelling.
Maggie’s story “Ladylike” was delightfully Gothic, and I couldn’t help falling a bit in love with the elegant old creature known as Geraldine along with Petra.
Tessa Gratton’s war-torn romance “Desert Canticle” might be my favorite of the three. The vivid cultures, histories, and interpersonal tensions that Rafel, a soldier full of contradictions, and Aniv, a mage with a secret, bring to life really showcase Tessa’s great skill with world-building.
Brenna’s fiction/nonfiction hybrid “Drowning Variations” was particularly instructive regarding how story ideas may change and morph over time, and how it might take a while to get to the story you really want to tell. The story within it, “The Drowning Place,” was a beautiful piece about guilt, personified fears, and confronting your nightmares.
April 2, 2017
I only ended up really reading the story by maggie stiefvater and the sections on writing, but it was really enjoyable all the same
January 11, 2016
3.5
In an unassuming corner of Brooklyn, a young woman learns to be ladylike, to love context, and to speak her mind from a very curious sort of tutor.
In a faraway land convulsed by war, a young soldier hears the desert’s curious hum as he disarms bombs with the person he doesn’t know how to love.
In a place so shriveled by drought that any drowning is a curiosity, a young writer tries again and again to tread water beneath the surface of a vast and unusual sea.
Three new stories—complete with commentary on the creative process—from three acclaimed young adult authors working at the height of their powers.
Curious?
3.5 it taught you how to be a better writer stars
This anthology by these authors were different than there first one instead of lots of short stories there were three main stories and each author focus on a subject to help improve your writing the three main ideas were characters, world building and ideas. Each author had side notes on how they thought of this idea and how each day they improve with there advise they got from friends or critique partners.
Maggie's story: Her story was about a girl who was hired to read poetry to an old women with distinctive taste (an not the food kinds) This story showed use how to improve your character in many ways, like there relationship with other characters, there own inner conversation and anything they had in common with everyone. This story had a lot of never judge a book by it's cover or a person to be exact and when the main character found out what the old lady was she still came coming back and they learned from each other.
Tessa's story: Her story is about a guy who goes back to the war in the desert after he comes back since the first one and this war is different from the other ones because the rebels have left flowers bombs all over the desert and learning to love someone who's someone she's not. This book has to deal with world-building and how to develop your world and story throughout the book and make it match what your character about the world. The world match the feeling you get with the characters and I think this one is my favorite one.
Brenna's story: This one is about a girl who is trying to write a story from her ideas and has different variations. This one I didn't like as much as the others because it was very confusing on where the story was going and I liked the story afterwards that she made but it was okay. Her part of the story was how to form her ideas to life from dreams and thoughts that you had, it was interesting on how they show you these ideas she got and the rough drafts are were blank pieces.
I liked this one better than the last one but it was very different and I showed me how to be a better writer with my stories and how to attract the audience in your writing style.
In an unassuming corner of Brooklyn, a young woman learns to be ladylike, to love context, and to speak her mind from a very curious sort of tutor.
In a faraway land convulsed by war, a young soldier hears the desert’s curious hum as he disarms bombs with the person he doesn’t know how to love.
In a place so shriveled by drought that any drowning is a curiosity, a young writer tries again and again to tread water beneath the surface of a vast and unusual sea.
Three new stories—complete with commentary on the creative process—from three acclaimed young adult authors working at the height of their powers.
Curious?
3.5 it taught you how to be a better writer stars
This anthology by these authors were different than there first one instead of lots of short stories there were three main stories and each author focus on a subject to help improve your writing the three main ideas were characters, world building and ideas. Each author had side notes on how they thought of this idea and how each day they improve with there advise they got from friends or critique partners.
Maggie's story: Her story was about a girl who was hired to read poetry to an old women with distinctive taste (an not the food kinds) This story showed use how to improve your character in many ways, like there relationship with other characters, there own inner conversation and anything they had in common with everyone. This story had a lot of never judge a book by it's cover or a person to be exact and when the main character found out what the old lady was she still came coming back and they learned from each other.
Tessa's story: Her story is about a guy who goes back to the war in the desert after he comes back since the first one and this war is different from the other ones because the rebels have left flowers bombs all over the desert and learning to love someone who's someone she's not. This book has to deal with world-building and how to develop your world and story throughout the book and make it match what your character about the world. The world match the feeling you get with the characters and I think this one is my favorite one.
Brenna's story: This one is about a girl who is trying to write a story from her ideas and has different variations. This one I didn't like as much as the others because it was very confusing on where the story was going and I liked the story afterwards that she made but it was okay. Her part of the story was how to form her ideas to life from dreams and thoughts that you had, it was interesting on how they show you these ideas she got and the rough drafts are were blank pieces.
I liked this one better than the last one but it was very different and I showed me how to be a better writer with my stories and how to attract the audience in your writing style.
October 31, 2015
Three short stories by the same three writers (friends) who brought us The Curiosities. The three stories are as much about their writing process as they are about the stories. Each of the three focuses on one aspect of story-telling, their own main driving force when it comes to their writing. For Maggie Stiefvater, it's character; for Tessa Gratton it's world-building, for Brenna Yovanoff it's the idea. Each of the stories comes with the author's wry, often funny, often insightful notes, and in the case of Yovanoff''s story, two completely different drafts from the same idea.
All three are wonderful writers, with some similarities in style and type of story.
I enjoy Stiefvater's writing a lot, generally speaking, however despite her story being about character and development of character, and how the characters shape the story, while I still enjoyed her flow of words on the page, I found her story, "Ladylike" worthy but not particularly compelling, and for a story showing character as the driving force, the characters were strangely cardboard.
Unfortunately, I couldn't get into Gratton's story at all and ended up skipping it. There's too much world building--which is her thing, but it's not for me. Not in this story anyway. It became complicated and the story is too bogged down in the details. I didn't finish it. A shame, as I've enjoyed Gratton's stories in the past.
The standout for me is Yovanoff's story, in particular the second draft of the idea ("The Drowning Place"). This has everything I love in a story and is simply breathtaking. Flowing, beautiful writing, characters with depth, and a bittersweet ultimately hopeful tale.
Her notes on the process and how the two ideas came about are excellent.
What I take away from the story-crafting part of the book is that story can't be rushed. It takes as long as it takes. For some that may be days, for others that may be years. Most of us (me) are somewhere in the middle. As a compulsive reviser, I am also in the camp that once you write "The End" (or in my case ((((FIN)))) - I don't know why, I've always done that) it's really only the beginning of the real work.
I would give Stiefvater's story 3 stars, Gratton's 2 stars, and Yovanoff's 5 stars. I'm settling on 4 stars. Yovanoff was THAT good.
All three are wonderful writers, with some similarities in style and type of story.
I enjoy Stiefvater's writing a lot, generally speaking, however despite her story being about character and development of character, and how the characters shape the story, while I still enjoyed her flow of words on the page, I found her story, "Ladylike" worthy but not particularly compelling, and for a story showing character as the driving force, the characters were strangely cardboard.
Unfortunately, I couldn't get into Gratton's story at all and ended up skipping it. There's too much world building--which is her thing, but it's not for me. Not in this story anyway. It became complicated and the story is too bogged down in the details. I didn't finish it. A shame, as I've enjoyed Gratton's stories in the past.
The standout for me is Yovanoff's story, in particular the second draft of the idea ("The Drowning Place"). This has everything I love in a story and is simply breathtaking. Flowing, beautiful writing, characters with depth, and a bittersweet ultimately hopeful tale.
Her notes on the process and how the two ideas came about are excellent.
What I take away from the story-crafting part of the book is that story can't be rushed. It takes as long as it takes. For some that may be days, for others that may be years. Most of us (me) are somewhere in the middle. As a compulsive reviser, I am also in the camp that once you write "The End" (or in my case ((((FIN)))) - I don't know why, I've always done that) it's really only the beginning of the real work.
I would give Stiefvater's story 3 stars, Gratton's 2 stars, and Yovanoff's 5 stars. I'm settling on 4 stars. Yovanoff was THAT good.
March 12, 2016
Let me explain that my rating reflects on what I expected/wanted the book to be versus what it is.
I wanted another great collection of short stories from these authors with their little blurbs in front to explain the prompt or whatever lead to them writing it.
What I got was short stories broken up with larger interjections from the authors about their process. So it was more of a manual walking people through their process than stories that could be enjoyed. The frequent breaks in narrative made the stories have zero impact or resonance, and I would have much preferred to have the writing shop talk placed BEFORE and AFTER instead of interspersed throughout the short story itself.
I hope if they do another collection they simply share the stories and then either before or after (or both) share the story of those stories. I think just looking at my rating of The Curiosities: A Collection of Stories in comparison of this will showcase very clearly that I love these authors and their work, and feel this was just a failed experiment (though I understand and appreciate the thought process behind it).
As a writer, I'm interested in learning about the writing process of others just for the sake of curiosity as well as to pick up tips and tricks to help spark my own creativity.
As a reader, I just want my stories to be stories.
It was like mixing Skittles with M&Ms. They don't taste so great together, but separately they can be enjoyed.
I wanted another great collection of short stories from these authors with their little blurbs in front to explain the prompt or whatever lead to them writing it.
What I got was short stories broken up with larger interjections from the authors about their process. So it was more of a manual walking people through their process than stories that could be enjoyed. The frequent breaks in narrative made the stories have zero impact or resonance, and I would have much preferred to have the writing shop talk placed BEFORE and AFTER instead of interspersed throughout the short story itself.
I hope if they do another collection they simply share the stories and then either before or after (or both) share the story of those stories. I think just looking at my rating of The Curiosities: A Collection of Stories in comparison of this will showcase very clearly that I love these authors and their work, and feel this was just a failed experiment (though I understand and appreciate the thought process behind it).
As a writer, I'm interested in learning about the writing process of others just for the sake of curiosity as well as to pick up tips and tricks to help spark my own creativity.
As a reader, I just want my stories to be stories.
It was like mixing Skittles with M&Ms. They don't taste so great together, but separately they can be enjoyed.
May 12, 2016
I read The Curiosities: A Collection of Stories last year and it was really neat. I enjoyed the different stories and commentary. I kind of expected something similar out of this book.
BUT THIS BOOK! It's awesome. It focuses more on the writing process. Maggie, Tessa and Brenna talk real talk about the process of creating, writing and revising a story. They each write a novella, but they break down the writing process of how they get there and since they each have different writing styles, it's super interesting. For Maggie, everything is about the characters, while Tessa starts with world building, and Brenna on the idea.
It's a great book on writing technique bc you can see from step 1 to the finished product so it goes into your brain in a different way than just a normal how to writing book.. Also, the novellas are awesome too.
Steifvater's Ladlike: Good character development, interesting characters, and fun relationships.
Gratton's Desert Canticle: Possibly my favorite piece of short fiction ever. Desert Fantasy! Love story! Gender Roles! Amazing world-building!
Yovanoff's Variations on Drowning. Probably my least favorite. A story about writing a story including two variations of the same story. Make sense lol? The final version of the story within the story is really good. I like the sad, strength, love story.
BUT THIS BOOK! It's awesome. It focuses more on the writing process. Maggie, Tessa and Brenna talk real talk about the process of creating, writing and revising a story. They each write a novella, but they break down the writing process of how they get there and since they each have different writing styles, it's super interesting. For Maggie, everything is about the characters, while Tessa starts with world building, and Brenna on the idea.
It's a great book on writing technique bc you can see from step 1 to the finished product so it goes into your brain in a different way than just a normal how to writing book.. Also, the novellas are awesome too.
Steifvater's Ladlike: Good character development, interesting characters, and fun relationships.
Gratton's Desert Canticle: Possibly my favorite piece of short fiction ever. Desert Fantasy! Love story! Gender Roles! Amazing world-building!
Yovanoff's Variations on Drowning. Probably my least favorite. A story about writing a story including two variations of the same story. Make sense lol? The final version of the story within the story is really good. I like the sad, strength, love story.
September 5, 2015
Thanks to Luan who gave me this book that she picked up at a Carolrhoda Books promotional materials give away. She knew that Maggie Stiefvater was one of my favorite authors, and she did not disappoint. Her short story was my favorite of the three. I don't tend to like short stories but these were all just long enough to satisfy and intrigue me. In addition to the stories, the three authors share insights and tips into the writing craft, work methods, and the creative process in the introduction, forwards, and great marginal notes. Stiefvater's story focused on character, Gratton's story focused on world building/setting, and Yovanoff's focused on ideas. Besides really enjoying each story, I was amazed and enthralled with the behind-the-words work and careful crafting that goes into writing. My love of reading has always led me to appreciate authors, but I am even more impressed and in awe of the thought and work and ability that goes into creating a book after having read The Anatomy of Curiosity. The authors talk about finding critique partners to help in the writing process, partners who ought to be people who enjoy the same kinds of books that you enjoy reading. I could see how Maggie, Tessa, and Brenna were good critique partners--each of their stories had a similar kind of unique, unexpected, fantastical quirk that the story hinged on. I liked this book more than I expected to, and now I have to give it back!
February 16, 2016
Most books about writing are Writing 101. This is Writing 106, along with a spoonful of sugar in the form of luminous stories. They serve both to illustrate the points and to make learning more fun.
These three ladies know immense amounts about writing, and I love that they start you at the upper levels, at the holy-wow-you-put-some-thought-into-this level of composing fiction. I found myself highlighting until I crashed my Kindle with it.
And the stories. Oh the stories. "Ladylike" is terrible and gorgeous and meticulously crafted."A Desert Canticle" is true and tragic and lovely and then surprising as all hell. It felt like an epic fantasy novel's worth of experiences, somehow wrapped up in a short story, like a clown car where you can't believe they packed in so much so effortlessly. "Drowning Variations" puts me in mind of a Monty Python quote: "And now, for something completely different..." It's a naked and terrifying look at the twisty process by which we start with an idea, mine it for its soul, and then bang our faces into our desks over and over, trying to truly represent the whispering voice within us in mere words. I congratulate Ms. Yovanoff on her honesty and on sharing the whole process, which was fascinating and uplifting both.
This book is a new favorite. I've read everything Maggie Stiefvater has ever published, but the Yovanoff and Gratton's novels just hit my to-read list as well.
These three ladies know immense amounts about writing, and I love that they start you at the upper levels, at the holy-wow-you-put-some-thought-into-this level of composing fiction. I found myself highlighting until I crashed my Kindle with it.
And the stories. Oh the stories. "Ladylike" is terrible and gorgeous and meticulously crafted."A Desert Canticle" is true and tragic and lovely and then surprising as all hell. It felt like an epic fantasy novel's worth of experiences, somehow wrapped up in a short story, like a clown car where you can't believe they packed in so much so effortlessly. "Drowning Variations" puts me in mind of a Monty Python quote: "And now, for something completely different..." It's a naked and terrifying look at the twisty process by which we start with an idea, mine it for its soul, and then bang our faces into our desks over and over, trying to truly represent the whispering voice within us in mere words. I congratulate Ms. Yovanoff on her honesty and on sharing the whole process, which was fascinating and uplifting both.
This book is a new favorite. I've read everything Maggie Stiefvater has ever published, but the Yovanoff and Gratton's novels just hit my to-read list as well.
October 23, 2015
I was not the target audience for this book, and I knew that going in. This is a book for aspiring writers. Or for people who have questions about the writing process. I read this book because I adore the authors who contributed to it.
The short stories included are good and worth reading.
The advice and processes given by the authors are interesting and can give non-writer readers, such as myself, insight to what these authors are thinking...which is just cool.
However, I found the notes to distract from the story, because that's not really why I was reading it.
The last section, by Brenna, really read more as non fiction than fiction.
Overall, I think this is a fantastic book for the intended audience, and I totally recommend it for any writers out there that are still perfecting their technique.
For others, like me, their first book together, The Curiosities: A Collection of Stories, was a more enjoyable read. This anthology included short stories by the same 3 authors, along with notes in the margin that they wrote to each other. I absolutely loved that one.
The short stories included are good and worth reading.
The advice and processes given by the authors are interesting and can give non-writer readers, such as myself, insight to what these authors are thinking...which is just cool.
However, I found the notes to distract from the story, because that's not really why I was reading it.
The last section, by Brenna, really read more as non fiction than fiction.
Overall, I think this is a fantastic book for the intended audience, and I totally recommend it for any writers out there that are still perfecting their technique.
For others, like me, their first book together, The Curiosities: A Collection of Stories, was a more enjoyable read. This anthology included short stories by the same 3 authors, along with notes in the margin that they wrote to each other. I absolutely loved that one.
August 9, 2016
After 25%, I just can't continue with this book. The Kindle edition throws the footnotes right in the middle of the stories and it makes for such a jarring reading experience that when I go back to the story I'd forgotten what I've read instantly. As a Maggie Stiefvater fan, even her story couldn't keep me engaged. It was dull, repetitive. It's a shame because I think I'd be okay if I was reading this physically, but the format is just too difficult to over come and it's just too hot a mess for me to try and read, soooooo... DNF.
I seldom DNF, but this book, this book, I wanted to love you and the formating really blew it for me. I will say one positive point though based on what I did read: the best parts of this book for me are when the authors were discussing writing as a craft and teaching methods of storytelling, what was important for them, that I thought was fantastic. I know what the book was going for with the stories in mind, but yuck to the formatting. Just no. No. No.
I seldom DNF, but this book, this book, I wanted to love you and the formating really blew it for me. I will say one positive point though based on what I did read: the best parts of this book for me are when the authors were discussing writing as a craft and teaching methods of storytelling, what was important for them, that I thought was fantastic. I know what the book was going for with the stories in mind, but yuck to the formatting. Just no. No. No.
Read
February 4, 2017Do not read this on ereader. Get a print copy. Omg.
I really enjoyed this but the actual stories with the commentary were basically unreadable in my Overdrive app. I read through all the self contained reflections and a little bit of each story but it was so visually chaotic in this format that the stories were so hard to read. It must be better in the print version. It has to be. I refuse to believe it is this bad when they have a full page to work with. This is just a bad port to the small screen ebook format.
I read most of this. I enjoyed it. I would recommend it. But format matters.
It was really interesting to see someone break down writing advice in such a tangible way. This story at this moment in this context. Most writing advice tends to be more general and theoretical so the specifics were great in this.
I really enjoyed this but the actual stories with the commentary were basically unreadable in my Overdrive app. I read through all the self contained reflections and a little bit of each story but it was so visually chaotic in this format that the stories were so hard to read. It must be better in the print version. It has to be. I refuse to believe it is this bad when they have a full page to work with. This is just a bad port to the small screen ebook format.
I read most of this. I enjoyed it. I would recommend it. But format matters.
It was really interesting to see someone break down writing advice in such a tangible way. This story at this moment in this context. Most writing advice tends to be more general and theoretical so the specifics were great in this.
November 20, 2016
The Curiosities: A Collection of Stories and The Anatomy of Curiosities are a couple of great anthologies. Maggie Stiefvater, Tessa Gratton, and Brenna Yovanoff all have very odd and eccentric authorial voices. The anthologies introduce them individually and as a team (Merry Sisters of Fate) in an engaging way. I've become intrigued with them from reading their peculiar stories.
Give 'em a try, if you're curious.
Give 'em a try, if you're curious.
Read
December 3, 2015Graded By: Jennie
Cover Story: Portrait Of The Writer’s Brain In Action
The Best For Characterization: “Ladylike” by Maggie Stiefvater
TheWorst Best For World-Building: “Desert Canticle” by Tessa Gratton
TheWeird Best For Illustrating How A Story Evolves: “Drowning Variations” by Brenna Yovanoff
Bonus Factors: LGBTQ, Pep Talk
Break Glass In Case Of: Writing Rut
Read the full book report here.
Cover Story: Portrait Of The Writer’s Brain In Action
The Best For Characterization: “Ladylike” by Maggie Stiefvater
The
The
Bonus Factors: LGBTQ, Pep Talk
Break Glass In Case Of: Writing Rut
Read the full book report here.
December 31, 2015
I thought this was just a book of short stories. I was wrong. Together, Stiefvater, Gratton, and Yovanoff share their writing advice and experiences, winding together three completely different tales into a single lesson on things such as ideas, plotting, word choice, and the intrepid "write what you know" phrase.
I highly recommend for people who like to write, or for people who enjoy good story telling.
I highly recommend for people who like to write, or for people who enjoy good story telling.
January 18, 2016
Full review at http://teenlibraryresources.blogspot.com
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I definitely recommend this be added to school and public library collections. If you are a writer and know others who write and would like to improve their skills by learning from others, then this a stellar anthology. If you are just a fan of Stiefvater, Gratton, and or Yovanoff, then you will enjoy it as well!
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I definitely recommend this be added to school and public library collections. If you are a writer and know others who write and would like to improve their skills by learning from others, then this a stellar anthology. If you are just a fan of Stiefvater, Gratton, and or Yovanoff, then you will enjoy it as well!
October 6, 2018
This book gave me itchy fingers. As in, now I want to write. As in, I can give a book no higher praise. As in, thank you Maggie and Tessa and Brenna very much for sharing your methods.
If you like doing that writing thing, I highly recommend this.
If you like doing that writing thing, I highly recommend this.
November 28, 2015
4.5 stars.
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