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Story Structure Demystified by Larry Brooks: A Review

October 31, 2009 Suzannah Windsor Freeman Filed Under: Reviews

Story Structure Demystified by Larry Brooks: A Review
Image courtesy unsplash.com

What if you could take the big picture of novel writing and condense it into one handy resource?

That’s how I feel about bestselling author Larry Brooks’ new ebook, Story Structure Demystified, now available from his website, Storyfix.

His tagline:

What to write, where to put it, why it works there, and why none of it will be remotely formulaic.

That sums it up pretty well.

If you’re planning on writing a novel (oh, say, NaNoWriMo for example), you’re going to need a solid grasp of story structure.

You’re going to want a copy of this book.

Let me first say that I offered to review Larry’s ebook because I’m eager to share with you a powerful tool that will help you achieve your writing goals.

When I first came across Storyfix, I actually took notes on Larry’s series of articles on story structure. He has a way of breaking down the process into manageable chunks, which I find really helpful.

Story Structure Demystified includes many of the articles found on Storyfix, but with a lot of added content.

You’ll learn about:

  • Part I: The Set Up
  • Pinch Point I
  • Part II: The Response
  • The Mid-Point Contextual Shift
  • Part III: The Attack
  • Pinch Point II
  • Part IV: The Resolution

Larry gives you a simple breakdown of what is required at each stage, along with insight into character arc and foreshadowing.

I personally like the graphic organizer at the end of the book, which gives you a visual representation of story structure. I’ll be printing it out for easy reference.

Wait Just A Minute…

I understand some of you may have one of two reservations. You may think:

  1. “I don’t need this ebook because I’m an organic writer.”
  2. “I don’t need this ebook because I write literary fiction.”

On both counts, you’d be wrong.

Organic writers will benefit by increasing their understanding of story structure, so when they sit down to write their novels, they will naturally write with it in mind.

Most literary fiction contains story structure. It may not be as pronounced, but it’s there. While you might think this ebook tends more toward commercial fiction, I would still recommend it to those who consider themselves literary writers.

That includes myself.

Here’s The Deal

If you hurry, you can grab your own copy of Story Structure Demystified at a special pre-release price.

You can also snag a copy of Larry’s other ebook, 101 Slightly Unpredictable Tips for Novelists and Screenwriters, for just a few bucks more when you order.

Of course, if you put it off, you can still get these resources at perfectly reasonable prices later on.

But if I were you, I’d get my discount now.

Note: if you do purchase Larry’s ebooks via the links above, I will earn a small affiliate commission which will assist me in keeping this site running. I’m certain Larry’s work will make a difference to your writing, commission or not! 🙂

Filed Under: Reviews

About Suzannah Windsor Freeman

Suzannah Windsor is the founding/managing editor of Writeitsideways.com and Compose: A Journal of Simply Good Writing. Her work has appeared or is forthcoming in The Malahat Review, The Dalhousie Review, Prairie Fire, Geist, The Writer, Sou'wester, Anderbo, Grist, Saw Palm, Best of the Sand Hill Review, and others. Suzannah is working on a novel and a collection of short stories, both of which have received funding from the Ontario Arts Council.

« The Top 12 Benefits of Outlining Your Novel
Last Minute Preparations for NaNoWriMo: A Checklist »

Join the discussion

  1. Lori says

    October 31, 2009 at 6:08 pm

    Hi Suzannah,
    Thanks for this review – I agree with everything you said.
    I got my copy the day Larry released it, and read it beginning to end within 36 hours.
    An addition that really helped me is toward the end, the visual image of the components of story structure. I must be a visual learner and seeing this really helped me understand the big picture.
    Thanks for posting about this. Great article!

    • Suzannah says

      October 31, 2009 at 9:17 pm

      Lori,

      I'm so glad you got a copy of the ebook before NaNoWriMo begins. I loved the graphic organizer at the end of the book too. I'm sure it'll be a great help to you during the writing process. Can't wait to hear how you're going with it!

      Take care, and thanks again.

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