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Ksenia Anske

February 24, 2017

8 things I learned from reading The Silence of the Lambs

by Ksenia Anske


Art by CreativeSpark

Art by CreativeSpark

Art by CreativeSpark

Art by CreativeSpark

Ken Wallo asked me to write a post on what I have learned from reading The Silence of the Lambs. There are a ton of things, and I'll try to summarize them all here, but I didn't just learn them from reading The Silence of the Lambs, but also from reading The Story Grid that dissects it in detail (I highly recommend you read it and see for yourself). Let's get this party started.  

1. Introduce all your main characters in the first chapter.

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TAGS: The Silence of the Lambs, Damn, what a book, I will read it again, I don't think I've read any other book, as many times, and it never fails, to surprise me, always something new to discover, brilliant


July 3, 2016

What else can I do to get better?

by Ksenia Anske


Illustration by Sara Herranz

Illustration by Sara Herranz

Illustration by Sara Herranz

Illustration by Sara Herranz

I'm in some kind of a rut these last few days. Maybe I've made a leap with Janna? Somehow crossed over to a higher level of writing? Or maybe it's just wishful thinking, an illusion. Or maybe the idea of sandwiching drafts from two different novels was a big fat mistake...whatever the reason, I can't shake off the feeling of dismay and disappointment and disgust when I got done reading the third draft of TUBE. When I was writing it, I was so excited about the whole idea, and when I finished reading it after a three-months break, I thought, "Well, if I were an agent reading this as a submission, I'd have rejected it after the first page." And then I thought, "Or, if I were an editor, I'd rip the writer a new asshole for sending me this shallow glitzy bit of story." 

So I asked myself, "Why? Why don't I like it anymore?" And then I remembered an experience I had once seeing two movies in a row. I went to see an independently produced film at SIFF and some minutes after it ended I went to see Moulin Rouge!, and after sitting through a couple opening scenes I felt nauseated and wanted to walk out. The festival movie has moved me so profoundly that the Hollywood movie right after it seemed superfluous, needlessly pompous, juvenile, empty. 

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TAGS: And here I thought my doubts were over, It just never stops, does it?, Damn, Perhaps I'll be on my deathbed, going, Yeah, I worried for nothing, the doubts never leave!, Blast them, Oh well, Learning, Hope I'm helping you to learn too, Learn on my mistakes, And send me gifts, I love gifts, I love you


May 30, 2016

Self-publishing to-do list

by Ksenia Anske


Illustration by Rachel Levit Ruiz

Illustration by Rachel Levit Ruiz

Illustration by Rachel Levit Ruiz

Illustration by Rachel Levit Ruiz

So Raychel Rose asked me: "Do you have a self-publishing to do list on your blog somewhere? Or plan to..." And I thought, shit, what a brilliant idea. I need to write one and then check back on it to know what the hell I need to do before I publish a book so I finally hit all the dates without holding it all in my head and forgetting stuff, like forgetting to create a Goodreads giveaway on time, or forgetting that printing an IngramSpark proof takes longer than printing a CreateSpace one, and so on. 

Well then, I'll attempt to dump all my wisdom here, and if I missed something, go ahead and add it in the comments, or just share what your to-do list is, or ask me to clarify anything in detail, and together we'll get this puppy good and proper.

1. Finalize your book title (3 - 4 months before publication).

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TAGS: Damn, this whole self-publishing business is tough shit, now that I wrote it out, and am looking at it, so like I said, bother me with questions, I'll try to answer as many as I can, as detailed as I can, and send nuts, I told you I'm a squirrel, right?, so nuts it is, hazelnuts are my favorite, THANK YOU