Thanks for this great summary. I love Truby, Brody and Hague. I heard of Bell but haven't read him yet so that's next. You did such a great job of explaining the difference between plot and story. Have to share. By the way, when it comes to plot I love Jennie Nash's Blueprint for a Novel. She advocates creating a cause-and-effect doc, a step I never skip.
Oh dear, I've read (and watched) way too much about how to write a novel 😂 I'm familiar with all the ones you mentioned — and found them valuable — plus many more including the books, Story Genius (Lisa Cron), Writing Fiction (Janet Burroway), The Virgin's Promise (Kim Hudson), The Writer's Journey (Christopher Vogler), and The Breakout Novelist (Donald Maass). And they're just the ones currently on my desk 😬 I have a couple dozen more on my e-reader...
But the resource I've probably found MOST valuable (other than my writing groups) is the BookFox website. John Fox's courses are excellent. I also found his book, The Linchpin Writer, helpful.
I'm working on my second attempted novel (I ditched the first one after I finished the first draft) and I've learned that I need to plan MORE than I have. I'm really hoping the third attempt goes more smoothly than the first two 😂
I also really like The Breakout Novelist (and anything by Maass), as well as Story Genius. I'm so so on The Writer's Journey.
I'll definitely check out BookFox!
And yes, I know what you mean. My first two books needed SO much rewriting. I'm trying to learn how to keep an eye on the big picture without it taking away the fun discovering the story.
I find it fun to discover the story while planning things out. I really don't like trying to create on the fly, when I don't know what I'm trying to do, or where I'm trying to go 😂 But other writers find that freedom exhilarating! Ultimately, it's good for every writer to try different approaches and methods and find out what works best for them. I honestly had no idea what would work for me when I started out the first time around.
Oh, and a shout-out to another book: No Plot, No Problem by Chris Baty (one of the founders of NaNoWriMo). Although I've discovered that writing without a plot planned out in advance doesn't work best for me, I wouldn't have even tried if it weren't for that book! It has a wonderful "Give it a shot; you've got nothing lose" attitude which was very encouraging.
Yeah, I have all Maass' other books on my e-reader. I found the one on emotion in writing particularly helpful.
I was a pantser who, as I’ve evolved as a writer, has become more of a plotter (but in my heart of hearts it’s all still chaos). Your analysis is spot on.
So helpful!! This totally pertains to memoir as well. Marion Roach Smith has been an incredible teacher for me as I get my feet wet-- also Mary Carol Moore (Your Book Starts Here) Alison Fallon has been a resource for me, too. A recent class with @courtneymaum via @janefriedman was enlightening. Thanks for this concise info!
Hi Sara, great article! I’m a student of story structure (my publication is entirely dedicated to just that) and your thoughts were incredible to read.
I’d love to hear what you’d suppose any writer might gain by not viewing structure as prescriptive. I understand a lot of writers view structure as a hindrance to their self-expression, and I’m curious to know more about why exactly that is.
My experience with structure is it only ever improves clarity between both the writer and their story, and the audience and the writer’s message. I’m curious what you’d think about that claim as well :)
Also, since you asked for craft resources, I’m absolutely in love with Brian McDonalds book ‘Invisible Ink.” It delves into the why of structure instead of application alone. He also has a podcast called ‘You Are a Storyteller.’ It’s wonderful.
Hi JT! Sorry it took me so long to respond. I’ve been waiting until I had time to put thoughts together, and you know how that goes. I’ll definitely check out invisible Inc.! Thank you for that.
I think a lot of writers think of structure as knowing what’s going to happen. I am definitely happier when I don’t quite know what’s going to happen in my story, especially the end. So I’ve always been unhappy outlining. In fact, I’ve never finished anything that I outlined all the way to the end. But knowing where the tent poles need to be to hold up the story as I go is really necessary.
I like Jennie Nash too, though I find her method a little too granular for the early stages of an idea when I want to keep a pretty loose hold on things.
Thanks for this great summary. I love Truby, Brody and Hague. I heard of Bell but haven't read him yet so that's next. You did such a great job of explaining the difference between plot and story. Have to share. By the way, when it comes to plot I love Jennie Nash's Blueprint for a Novel. She advocates creating a cause-and-effect doc, a step I never skip.
Oh dear, I've read (and watched) way too much about how to write a novel 😂 I'm familiar with all the ones you mentioned — and found them valuable — plus many more including the books, Story Genius (Lisa Cron), Writing Fiction (Janet Burroway), The Virgin's Promise (Kim Hudson), The Writer's Journey (Christopher Vogler), and The Breakout Novelist (Donald Maass). And they're just the ones currently on my desk 😬 I have a couple dozen more on my e-reader...
But the resource I've probably found MOST valuable (other than my writing groups) is the BookFox website. John Fox's courses are excellent. I also found his book, The Linchpin Writer, helpful.
I'm working on my second attempted novel (I ditched the first one after I finished the first draft) and I've learned that I need to plan MORE than I have. I'm really hoping the third attempt goes more smoothly than the first two 😂
I also really like The Breakout Novelist (and anything by Maass), as well as Story Genius. I'm so so on The Writer's Journey.
I'll definitely check out BookFox!
And yes, I know what you mean. My first two books needed SO much rewriting. I'm trying to learn how to keep an eye on the big picture without it taking away the fun discovering the story.
I find it fun to discover the story while planning things out. I really don't like trying to create on the fly, when I don't know what I'm trying to do, or where I'm trying to go 😂 But other writers find that freedom exhilarating! Ultimately, it's good for every writer to try different approaches and methods and find out what works best for them. I honestly had no idea what would work for me when I started out the first time around.
Oh, and a shout-out to another book: No Plot, No Problem by Chris Baty (one of the founders of NaNoWriMo). Although I've discovered that writing without a plot planned out in advance doesn't work best for me, I wouldn't have even tried if it weren't for that book! It has a wonderful "Give it a shot; you've got nothing lose" attitude which was very encouraging.
Yeah, I have all Maass' other books on my e-reader. I found the one on emotion in writing particularly helpful.
I was a pantser who, as I’ve evolved as a writer, has become more of a plotter (but in my heart of hearts it’s all still chaos). Your analysis is spot on.
So helpful!! This totally pertains to memoir as well. Marion Roach Smith has been an incredible teacher for me as I get my feet wet-- also Mary Carol Moore (Your Book Starts Here) Alison Fallon has been a resource for me, too. A recent class with @courtneymaum via @janefriedman was enlightening. Thanks for this concise info!
Hi Sara, great article! I’m a student of story structure (my publication is entirely dedicated to just that) and your thoughts were incredible to read.
I’d love to hear what you’d suppose any writer might gain by not viewing structure as prescriptive. I understand a lot of writers view structure as a hindrance to their self-expression, and I’m curious to know more about why exactly that is.
My experience with structure is it only ever improves clarity between both the writer and their story, and the audience and the writer’s message. I’m curious what you’d think about that claim as well :)
Also, since you asked for craft resources, I’m absolutely in love with Brian McDonalds book ‘Invisible Ink.” It delves into the why of structure instead of application alone. He also has a podcast called ‘You Are a Storyteller.’ It’s wonderful.
So helpful! Thank you
I so relate to “in my heart of hearts it’s still chaos.” I feel like I need to bring a gentle amount of order to the chaos, but not too much!
Hi JT! Sorry it took me so long to respond. I’ve been waiting until I had time to put thoughts together, and you know how that goes. I’ll definitely check out invisible Inc.! Thank you for that.
I think a lot of writers think of structure as knowing what’s going to happen. I am definitely happier when I don’t quite know what’s going to happen in my story, especially the end. So I’ve always been unhappy outlining. In fact, I’ve never finished anything that I outlined all the way to the end. But knowing where the tent poles need to be to hold up the story as I go is really necessary.
Thanks for the kind words :)
I like Jennie Nash too, though I find her method a little too granular for the early stages of an idea when I want to keep a pretty loose hold on things.
I'm working on my first book atm and have been struggling a little with plotting. This was really helpful :)
I’m so glad! I have to be very delicate with planning on a first draft. Too much and I feel constricted. Too little and I’m lost!