Structure is the essential element of a successful story
934194
This book is about the most overlooked aspect of the writer's craft - the fiction novel structure. Many newbie writers, and I was one of them, just start writing stories without realising how easy it is to fall into multiple traps that would ruin their books. Some of us have an excellent inbuilt sense of the structure, others, like me, not so much, yet every writer needs to learn about the rules of storytelling at least to know why our stories are missing something or simply fail to appeal to the reader.
KM Weiland systematically goes through the macro- and micro-structure of the novel. First, she tells us meticulously about the architecture of the three-act plan stories and all the important elements of it, e.g. first plot point, inciting event, climax, resolution. Then, she writes about the structure and dynamics of the scene and the two types scenes and their variations. Finally, she discusses the micro-structure at the level of sentences and the common signs of the clunky prose.

I have started following Katie's blog for writers, Wordplay, years ago and I think I've learned from her most of the techniques described here before I even started reading the book.

"Structuring Your Novel" is a distilled and well-organised digest of dozens of Wordplay blogposts and KM Weiland is definitely the right person to give us her expert opinion. She is a successful historical/speculative fiction writer, so a lot of teaching comes from her own experience.
I congratulate the author with this new brilliant guide for writers, I'm sure it will help many of us become better writers.
415467
The plot skeleton is a great little trick for getting your thoughts in order before you sit down to write a story. Angela Hunt describes it clearly and well.
Apparently, though, she had to fill a certain number of pages beyond what was needed to get the point across. There's some unnecessary meandering meant to illustrate her points, but the little book is still quite valuable.
1337443
Although most of us don't think in terms of making a sales pitch, we are all making them on a daily basis.  Sometimes we are trying to sell our choice of where to go for dinner, what movie to see or where to go on vacation.  While those don't seem that life altering, there are times when our sales pitches are vital to our success.

When we are trying to land a new job, sell a new idea/project at work, start a new business or secure funding for new venture  we are making a sales pitch.  Our pitches are more successful when they are built around a story.

Marie Perruchet, author of One Perfect Pitch, provides a step by step method to craft your Perfect Pitch.  There is a method, a framework to crafting a story that your audience will buy into.  Craft a good story and you greatly increase your chances of success.  In our highly competitive world, if you fail to deliver a memorable story, you greatly decrease your chances of success.

Ive often heard lessons/lectures on what constitutes the framework of a good story.  Joseph Campbells The Heros Journey is often cited as the standard reference.  But the elements are a little difficult to grasp.

Marie Perruchet give a very simple and easy to see framework.
Storm
Rainbow
Pot of Gold

A great way to remember the basic elements of all good stories.

Ms. Perruchet gives a five step process for developing and delivering a story that will engage and sell your audience.  The process is straight-forward, easy to understand and she provides plenty of examples and exercises.

Ms. Perruchet draws on her years of in the trenches experience and shares a lot of practical tips and knowledge that will enable anyone to improve the story they tell.

Today our businesses are much more centered around ideas and experiences than products.  While there are plenty of opportunities for the entrepreneur to start and build a successful business, it is vital to build a support community  co-workers, financial backers, users and community.  The first step is building your story  Your Perfect Pitch.  This is a solid how to book that will help anyone craft a better story.

I was provided a review copy of this book.
1493284
I'm glad that with all the structure books out there, someone is trying to think of it in a different way. I wasn't sure what to expect with this work, but as having read a few of his other books, I had to see what he said about structure. The concept he reveals is very simple, but shows an approach that makes sense in a way that brings a lot more "character" to structure. Every story, at its heart, is about character. And Bell recognizes that. He gives you a simple approach to thinking about structuring your novel in a new way. Well, not EXACTLY new. He still uses the standard three act structure, but shows you a compelling way to think about it differently. He cites movies and novels to show you what brought him to discovering this technique. I look forward to implementing it in my own work.
762965
Koch combines the best of writing advice from authors on writing. It spans the entire process of completing a narrative text, covering not just fiction but also memoir.

It begins with the process of writing the very sketchiest of rough drafts and takes the writer to the final product of a completed story.

It examines the elements that go into a good story, and how the writer excavates his or her story from all of the notes in the writer's mind and assorted notebooks and pieces of paper.

A great read that should lead to great writing.
1498949
Absolute essential reading for screenwriters. Breaks down the structure of a successful screenplay and assists in overcoming problems in storytelling
2438931
Larry Brooks has long been one of the most respected writing instructors on the Web. Those familiar with his site are already aware of the quality information he churns out week after week and won't be surprised to learn that his recently released book on "mastering the six core competencies of successful writing" presents more of the same. I read many how-to writing books every year, and I glean something from almost every one of them. But not many offer truly revolutionary ideas about the craft and how to move forward to the next level as a writer. Story Engineering does just that. Larry frames the book on the idea that every successful story is made up of six necessary "competencies" (four elements and two skills): Concept, Character, Theme, Story Structure, Scene Execution, and Writing Voice. He brings worthy and inspiring ideas and suggestions to all these subjects, but the heart and soul of this book is undeniably the twenty-three chapters on story structure.

Story structure is so often neglected in the teaching of fiction writing. We learn how to create three-dimensional characters, high-concept plots, and powerful themes - but without the ability to frame them in a strong structure, they're weak-sauce stuff at best. And yet, so many writers are crafting story structure on sheer instinct, instead of a foundational understanding of what makes a solid structure - and what doesn't. This book takes away the guess work. Larry teaches what constitutes a correct structure, how to recognize and study it in the stories of others, and how to implement it in your own work. If you're only going to have two books on writing on your bookshelf, make it John Truby's The Anatomy of Story - and this one.
2404651
Reading, absorbing and enjoying, "The Elements of Story," triggered a memory.

At 10, I began playing softball.  With the change in pitching style (softball is underhanded) and the larger ball, I lost my swing and told my Dad.  He came down the park and pitched to me and had another guy pitch to me.  He stood behind the plate to watch me bat.  After 20 minutes, he came up to me at the plate adjusted my hips, moved my shoulders and showed me a grip trick with the bat that's terrific for softball.  My slump was over.  I was never great, but I love to play.

I love words, too. I'm a thick brick, it takes me a while to learn, even when I'm nuts for something.  Certain teachers get through my dense door. Frank Flaherty's "The Elements of Story," is a meaningful, rich dialogue with a renoun story doctor who shares all the weapons in his writing tool box. This book took my storytelling up a notch.  I plan on keeping it on my desk for the rest of my writing life.
579812
This is a really superb book that gives a basic structure that the new TV screenwriter can use to generate an good quality script. TV drama spec scripts have specific structure and format requirements that are not obvious to the new writer. Is this the ONLY way to write a salable drama? Of course not--and Dan Calvisi says that up front. But it is a terrific format that lets writers focus on telling their stories and generating acceptably formatted and structured scripts. Once you learn the trade, and know the rules, you'll be able to bend this structure if you want--as long as you're doing so in service to the story itself and not to break them just to break them. Highest recommendation.
878402
Not only is the story in this book compelling, the structure is brilliant. I'm a sucker for a novel with a clever structure that leaves me wondering how the author came up with it.

This is the story of 2 families that, through an act of infidelity, are broken apart but only so far. It's the story of sibling chicanery, loyalty and love. It's the story of parental chicanery, unintentional ineptitude and love.

It is intriguing, captivating and well written- everything I love in a book.

I won't detail the story for you here - plenty of people have done that. I highly recommend not reading those reviews and just reading the book. I did a combo read/listen due to time. Either works but the relationships are complicated so I recommend reading over listening.
1134316
Whether your strength is characterization or plot, this book will help you manage your weakness by developing the other. I re-read the second half of this book (plot) every time I start a new book, because plotting is my weakness. I always come away with a ton of ideas that will strengthen the story and make it more engaging to readers. Gerke provides a structure for plotting but advises that it is a flexible framework, not a formula that must be followed.
4529706
I like how everything is structured in plays.  The biggest thing I learned from it is to make your customers your evangelists, and to be in the business of making people successful.
1598069
I was given an advance copy of this book for review purposes, and the timing could not have been better for my current novel rewrite. From strengthening and empowering your story premise and concept to asking the hard questions; Is Your Story Worth Saving? In STORY FIX; TRANSFORM YOUR NOVEL FROM BROKEN TO BRILLIANT you have a veteran guide in the re-write of your manuscript. Larry Brooks spins hope out of rejection and reveals the craft keys needed to transform your novel.
When Larry writes that, Premise is the vision for the story, without which you end up in chaos, hosting a wrestling match between your ideas and inspiration, hes SPOT ON! Keep going back to premise (among other tips) and you will stay on track with your story.
I am currently rewriting my 2nd novel and this guide consistently brings me back to the basics; CONCEPT & PREMISE which are steadfastly illuminated in Larrys book. Writers, novice or seasoned, need story-craft reminders when in the middle of a muddled mess of a manuscript (Broken), those constant craft prompts will keep you on that track to (Hopefully) Brilliant!  Mindy Halleck ~ Award-Winning Author&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Return-to-Sender/dp/1620154390/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Return to Sender</a>
4395621
How to Write a Damn Good Novel is billed as "a step-by-step no nonsense guide to dramatic storytelling." I don't know about the step-by-step part, but Frey's advice is definately no-nonsense and will help you create dynamic stories.

I sat down to read this book with a packet of post-it notes by my side. I marked all the important points I thought I'd need to remember for later. At the end, I had a thick rainbow along the spine. I couldn't get more than 3 pages without finding some gem I just had to make sure not to forget.

I think a lot of the other reviewers might be correct when they say this advice is not necessarily earth shattering and can be found else where. But there is a difference. Frey does it with more clarity, more punch. And why buy six writing books to get all the advice you can get in this one?

I can't go wrong with this one. Even though I didn't agree with some of his advice, I still found his guide inspired me to write better and make my character sizzle. I have a lot of writing guides on my bookshelf, but this is one of my favorites.
3336503
John Truby bucks the trend by tearing down the traditional three-act structure. Instead, Mr. Truby studied hundreds of great films to find the 22 core elements that make a great story for the screen. This book is a must-read for any aspiring or experienced screenwriter.
1680077
Just like the young boy in The Princess Bride, everyone is captivated by a compelling story.  On the flip-side, theres enormous incentive to hone our own stories, especially when the audience we want to captivate is a prospective employer or customer.  To help us do that, Jay Golden distills his experience and wisdom in Retellable: part self-help book (with a solid focus on storytelling in the business world) and part exploration into the history, variety, and even brain-science of storytelling.

Golden walks the reader through several concrete steps of crafting and improving the stories we tell about ourselves or our businesses.  Frequently referring to the utility of the whole endeavor (they had an urgent need to draw team members into their whole story), he presents specific steps for story-shaping, categorizing your stories, tuning in to your audience, even troubleshooting your stories (drop us into the challenge, and bring us back up with the lesson.)

He also introduces his own new technology: The Journey Curve, a fairly simple method to give almost any story a satisfyingly compelling arc, a story guide, revealing where a story comes to life and whats missing.  Along the way, Golden gives copious concrete examples of each step, typically with a memorably rich stories (this is a storytelling book after all), including personal ones from his own life and professional experiences.

Given the massive information overload everyone faces today, and the difficulty getting heard about the static, Retellable provides some practical how-tos and inspiring encouragement.  The next day, even though theyve forgotten the thousands of bits of information and the handful of explanations they received the day before, as they sit down for a cup of coffee, they will still feel the power of that story.

Jay Golden gives us tools to wield that power in Retellable. It's given me a few specific skills and a health dose of inspiration to focus my message and shape my stories.  Easy to read, easy to practice, easy to employ, a potential lifetime of impact.
3218193
this book provided an understanding of the necessary parts of any good story. it helped me understand my dislike for some movies and shows I have seen. not only is a good premise needed, but the elements must be stitched together in a way that leads the viewer to the conclusion.