Books like Story Engineering

Katie Weiland’s book is a must-have if you want to write that great novel. Plotting is all about structure, and even if you don’t like to plot in advance, at some point, you will have to get that plot in hand. I appreciate the way Weiland goes through each important plot point, showing where each one needs to be in a story and what it accomplishes.

I also love that she has a workbook to go with this book to help writers dig deep into their ideas and flesh them out. And you’ll not want to skip over the part where she warns against disaster!

You may be wondering why I’ve listed this 20-year-old book as my top recommendation if you want to write a terrific commercial novel. This was my go-to “bible” when I penned my first few novels. I religiously followed all her advice, as I was and still am an avid fan of her Inspector Lynley detective novels.

Listen: you don’t have to be a crime or thriller writer to learn the best skills for writing a best seller from this book. She shares personal routines and techniques, an overview of the craft, and covers the plot, characters, and scene structure. It’s not extensive but will give any fiction writer new eyes and skills in the art of writing.

I can’t count the number of times I have quoted from or recommended this book to my editing clients. Scenes are the components of novels, and I’ve always emphasized mastering scene structure as the key to success. It truly is! If you don’t get what makes a scene, you will have a novel fail, plain and simple!

I love Jordan’s definition of a scene: “Scenes are capsules in which compelling characters undertake significant actions in a vivid and memorable way that allows the events to feel as though they are happening in real-time.” Too often, scenes sag, are boring, don’t accomplish much, or wander. Jordan’s book will help you hone your craft so you can write terrifically structured novels.

One of the most important elements, to me, in a novel is emotionality. Regardless of genre, a great commercial novel in any genre needs to trigger emotion in readers. But it’s very hard to do and do well. Maass’s book is so unique. I love his objective to burrow deep under the surface of the plot, characters, and structure to get to the heart of any story.

If you want to write a great book, you have to engage readers’ emotions—it’s that simple. He explores the inner and outer landscapes of emotion, the emotional world of your story (great for short stories, too), and the important “writer’s emotional state.” Yes, you need to know what your emotions are when you’re writing. And what you want your reader to feel at any given moment. Maass’s book is the only book that will teach you these needed skills.

While we would love to think we are always rational, we are hard-wired for story not the rational data (albeit key data can be a strong anchor in a story). I started my career far more in the assumption of rational data trumps all, but recognised, through bumps and bruises, how stories can overtake decision-making. When I learned how to tell a better story, I learned how to get the results I needed. Gabrielle is such a down-to-earth, energising speaker and writer, and this book provided me with such a practical, relatable framework for always having a good story or two in my back pocket.  

Matthew is a serial public speaking champion who basically should be entered in The Moth Hall of Fame asap. If you've never heard Matthew Dicks talk, pause this and go watch his videos online. He's that good. What I love about his book is that he shares how he crafts his own stories and shares some amazing tips on how to capture everyday events that can later on be turned into powerful stories. Although this book isn't so much geared towards business or work, I think everyone can learn a great deal from Matthew's impressive experience of making people pay attention and connect to what you say (both as a best-selling novelist, school teacher, and public speaking champion).

Birds of Heaven is a tiny book full of noble thoughts on why stories and storytelling are integral to our humanity. Okri, the Man Booker Prize author of ‘The Famished Road’, eloquently states ‘The universe began as a story… we are part human, part stories.’

The text contains two inspirational essays on the meaning of language and its power to shape our lives. The work presents an alternative spiritual response to the problems of the present day. It is bursting with beautiful and insightful gems.

This book contains twelve easily told tales that can be used to discuss character development. The Norfolks include suggestions for classroom use of the tales. I like to recommend this to the teachers in my storytelling classes as the advice comes from a teacher who has written several other books on using stories in the classroom.

Stephen King’s memoir, On Writing, is brutally honest, deftly observant, and at times frighteningly visceral.

The skill with which he brings a bad ear appointment or the eating of too many eggs to life is a reminder to me that to be a writer doesn’t mean to live as a celebrity. It means to take the mundane pieces of an ordinary life and invest them with purpose and excitement.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book because it allowed me to look at my life, at my weird relationship with eggs, and my tendency to sing out loud in shopping malls, as the very essence of my next story.

Equally compelling were the snippets of writing advice layered into King’s story, another reminder that advice, as well as inspiration, can be found just about anywhere. 

Why do we tell stories? What power lies within storytelling? From the great myths and legends to enchanting fairy tales, parables, fables, and folk tales, stories can have a great healing and educative power. They come from our subconscious and imagination, deep inside us. They have much to teach us about ourselves and the world we create around us.

Described as a manual for ‘soul ecology’, in his book Kornberger first explores this ‘story power’, then explains how to apply it to help a child develop, or to heal and transform a child with difficulties. He then discusses the art and practicalities of creating new stories to help children with particular needs.

This is a valuable and inspiring book for teachers, parents, creative writers, and students of literature.