Book cover of Story Engineering

Book description

What makes a good story or a screenplay great?

The vast majority of writers begin the storytelling process with only a partial understanding where to begin. Some labor their entire lives without ever learning that successful stories are as dependent upon good engineering as they are artistry. But the truth…

When you buy books, we may earn a commission that helps keep our lights on (or join the rebellion as a member).

Why read it?

1 author picked Story Engineering as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

I’ve been recommending Larry’s book for decades! This book got me hooked on plotting and helped me to see clearly how novels have specific scenes in specific places. It’s all part of expected, time-tested storytelling.

I love how Larry uses architecture and engineering phraseology because that’s what fiction writers are doing: constructing a story. And that story needs to be solid, on a well-built foundation. If you don’t learn and master the six core competencies (you’ll have to check out the book to learn what these are), your novel won’t hold together. 

If you love Story Engineering...

Book cover of These Blue Mountains

These Blue Mountains by Sarah Loudin Thomas,

A moving story of love, betrayal, and the enduring power of hope in the face of darkness.

German pianist Hedda Schlagel's world collapsed when her fiancé, Fritz, vanished after being sent to an enemy alien camp in the United States during the Great War. Fifteen years later, in 1932, Hedda…

Want books like Story Engineering?

Our community of 12,000+ authors has personally recommended 100 books like Story Engineering.

Browse books like Story Engineering

Book cover of Structuring Your Novel
Book cover of Write Away: One Novelist's Approach to Fiction and the Writing Life
Book cover of Make a Scene: Writing a Powerful Story One Scene at a Time

Share your top 3 reads of 2025!

And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.

1,340

readers submitted
so far, will you?

📚 If you like Story Engineering, you might also like...

Book cover of Foxfire in the Snow

Foxfire in the Snow by J.S. Fields,

It's a time of change, between magic and alchemy.

Born the heir of a master woodcutter in a queendom defined by guilds and matrilineal inheritance, nonbinary Sorin can’t quite seem to find their place. At seventeen, an opportunity to attend an alchemical guild fair and secure an apprenticeship with the…

Book cover of The Main Gate

The Main Gate by Yvonne Kjorlien,

Dr. Elise Marquette has spent years burying the past—until the past refuses to stay buried.

Hired to join Earth’s first interstellar contact team, she hopes the vastness of space will finally offer distance from the ghosts of war and the wounds left by a mother who never let her be…

5 book lists we think you will like!