Anatomy of a Single Girl, by Daria Snadowsky is the sequel to Anatomy of a Boyfriend. In this story, Dominique is a Pre-Med student still recovering from heartbreak. She meets Guy, a cute, nerdy frat boy at the local college, and they spend the summer together. Dominique learns more about romance and letting go than she does about medicine, and when she returns to college in the fall, she’s almost a completely new person.
This story is well-written and enticing- especially to high school seniors looking towards college. It answers a lot of our questions and quells some of our nerves as we look towards, not only a new physical environment, but a new social one as well.
Dominique starts off as a stubborn girl, incapable of letting go and changing. By the end, she’s grown and matured, and is surer of herself and who she is as a person than ever before. The best way to tell if a character is well-developed is through the changes in perspective the character goes through. Dominique is a relatable character in that she is never perfect, but she grows and gets better as a person.
Luckily, The Nest had the good fortune to interview Ms. Snadowsky and pick her brain about the writing process.
The Nest: When did you realize that you wanted to be an author?
Daria Snadowsky: When I finally had some free time. When I was 22 I lost my magazine job, so I started writing to fill the time in between job interviews. I had a full-length manuscript by the time I began law school at age 24.
TN: Do you have any habits while you write, like coffee, blasting music, pacing the room?
DS: Snacking on dried fruit.
TN: Why did you choose this topic to write about?
DS: All young couples still in school face a serious dilemma: either they can try to stay together and see what happens, or else they can break up and get on with their lives with the faith that they’ll get back together when they’re older if they’re really right for each other. Of course the latter option makes a lot more sense … but if you have good chemistry with someone, it’s difficult to imagine breaking up “proactively” even if the timing is bad. If couples do choose to break up proactively, they face another decision…do they break up right away, or do they stay together and “have fun” until graduation or some other major life event separates them? And will staying together make breaking up even harder? Etc. So I wanted to portray this kind of crossroads in a YA novel.
TN: Do you start off on pen and paper or do you go straight to the computer?
DS: Computer. My handwriting is illegible, which is a shame. Penmanship is a lost art.
TN: Any advice for aspiring authors?
DS: Just remember that writing requires a lot of re-writing. I remember being really bummed when my high school teachers returned my papers dripping with red ink (which today I supposed has been replaced with Microsoft Word track changes). I wish I appreciated then that revision is your best friend. Sometimes you’ll “get it right” in the first draft, but most prose benefits from aggressive editing and some time away.
TN: What are the hardest parts of being an author that you have had to face?
DS: Making time to write.
TN: Where there any events or situations that you wrote originally that ended up being cut?
DS: There was one dramatic scene on a beach where Dom meets up with an ex to talk as friends, but then he says something insensitive, and she slaps him and calls him names before running away. I think we’ve all felt that way at one time or another, but it felt too forced and movie-ish.
TN: What message, if any, do you want readers to get from your work?
DS: Both Anatomy books are nonjudgmental. They simply present Dom’s thought process and the consequences of her actions so that readers can formulate their own message without being swayed by the author. That being said, I do hope the books empower readers—especially high school girls—to think seriously about what they want out of a relationship and not to compromise on their needs. It’s insidiously easy to “lose yourself” in love or lust, or to settle for something you’d never wish on your own best friend.
TN: Do you have a specific writing style, or a signature?
DS: I’ve written only two books, so I don’t think I can lay claim to any authorial fingerprint. But my goals in writing the books were to keep the actions and thoughts as realistic as possible so that any reader can find him/herself in the protagonist’s shoes. I hope the books are entertaining and escapist and educational, but mostly I hope they’re a source of empathy.
TN: Which books/authors have influenced you the most?
DS: Judy Blume’s Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret and Forever…were my two bibles growing up. Her ability to tell relatable stories in graphic but not gratuitous detail was the inspirations for both my books.
TN: Do you feel any connection to your characters?
DS: Definitely. Like Dom, I’m hypersensitive and over-analyze things, and like Amy, I have a bawdy sense of humor, and like Calvin, I know what it’s like to love someone who wants you just as a friend.
TN: Do you believe in writer’s block? I was once told it was an illusion, so I’m curious as to what you think. If so, have you ever experienced it and how do you overcome it?
DS: Certainly there are days when the words don’t come easily. Sometimes things in your personal life make it difficult for you to surrender your anxieties and worries and to escape into the land of make-believe. I find it helps to do something mindless, like taking a walk or running errands, to jostle your brain back into productivity.
TN: And finally, vanilla or chocolate pudding?
DS: Both, swirled together, and topped with whipped cream and chocolate shavings.
The Nest sincerly thanks Ms. Snadowsky for taking the time to speak with us, and we wish her the best in all of her future endeavors!