but I prefer to round up rather than down,
With books on writing, the question is not so much "Does this author have something new to say" as "Does this author have a particularly good way to say something wellknown".
Amy Deardon has met that second criterion, This is one of the broad, general books on writing: Deardon lays out a process that takes the reader from the first idea for a novel or screenplay through submitting a finished manuscript.
She states up front that her book won't be enough on its own to get you a finished work, and I'd agree it covers each aspect of writing too briefly.
If you need to work on your worldbuilding or character development or whatever, you'll need to read further, But as anyone who's familiar with the writing section of the bookstore knows, there are plenty of books out there to help you, and if you want suggestions about where to start, Deardon includes a bibliography of her favorites.
Of the topics Deardon covers, story structure and character development interest me the most, so those were the sections I paid the most attention to.
Perhaps other authors have described the model of four story pillars that are the foundation of her story templateplot, character, moral, and story worldbut this was the first time I'd come upon all of them organized like this, and how they're the combination of the inner and outer stories with the concrete and the abstract.
This alone didn't get the book the high rating I gave it, but it's a major part of it, Her "story strands" were also new to me, and I think they'd be a useful way of keeping track of subplots,
Books on writing often include exercises, as does this one, Unlike many of them, though, the "exercises" in The Story Template are more like guided instructions for working up your own novel or screenplay, rather than small practice pieces.
This approach appeals to me, although I'm guessing it will seem too rigid for people who prefer to do their writing intuitivelybut then, if you really don't like the idea of outlining your novel, you're probably not planning on reading this book anyway.
For those who do like outlining and structuring their novels/screenplays before writing, The Story Template is a clear explanation of one way to do that, and has earned a spot on my overflowing bookshelves.
Title: THE STORY TEMPLATE
Author: Amy Deardon
Publisher: Taegais Publishing, LLC
July
ISBN:
Genre: Writing/plotting/writers block
Most people say they want to write a novel or a screen play.
But they dont have any idea where to begin, They write some words, maybe a chapter or two, then they dont know where to go from there, If you are that person, then THE STORY TEMPLATE is a book you should consider,
THE STORY TEMPLATE is a writers conference in one book, It takes you from the beginning, using the plotting method, of planning your novel, Who are your characters What do they do What do you want the underlying message of the story to be Where will it be set What time period What do you envision when you think of that area And it gives you writing exercises, where you describe what you are “seeing,” and what youre wanting to convey.
With THE STORY TEMPLATE you can:
Ascertain the four foundational story pillars, and use the “secret weapon” of the story template to structure your story
Build character depth with believable change
Create subplots to raise tension while you deepen and contrast story themes
writing techniques that shape your ideas into a compelling manuscript
THE STORY TEMPLATE is a product of Ms.
Deardons extensive research when she started writing, It is an invaluable tool for the beginning writer, or even a more accomplished one who is suffering from writers blockor finding themselves facing a tight deadline with no idea where to start.
If you are a writer, at any level, then youll want a copy of Ms, Deardons THE STORY TEMPLATE.pages
This was good, but I think there are better books on writing out there, Kind of hard to get excited about although I am always looking for more of these books, Will try to read again someday, maybe I will get more from it when I am in a different place in writing, If you've ever thought about writing a novel, or even a short story, this book is for you, Never written anything before, have writer's block, or just don't know how to get started putting your ideas for a great story down on paper Reading this instructional book with its easy to follow exercises is sure to jumpstart your imagination and creativity.
While I haven't written my first widely acclaimed novel just yet, haven't even started it, this book certainly has me believing in the possibility.
Great!
If you've ever wanted to write a book, and didn't know where to start then this book is for you.
In clear simple to understand language the author takes you step by step through the process of writing a novel, It made it possible to fulfill my dream, I highly recommend this book, This review is from: The Story Template: Conquer Writer's Block Using the Universal Structure of Story Paperback
I love the concept Deardon has come up with.
It's very scientific, but at the same time it allows for complete creativity, It's technical, but at the same time she gives so many examples and lists questions in each section of exercise that will easily guide you.
There's a great summary of the template in the book, too, that makes for a great quickreference once you've already read through and completed the exercises.
Basically, Deardon watched a dozen or so movies and read a good number of books, all of which drew huge audiences, and analyzed them.
She noted common elements of the stories that fall at very specific places in the time line, and used her findings to create a template on which to build a story.
Deardon also discusses the four "pillars" of story character, plot, story world, and moral and what encompasses each, There are exercises throughout that will help you through each portion of the template, And she touches on some basic principles of writing as well as gives a smattering of advice about editing and manuscript submission, Those last areas are by no means comprehensive, but Deardon includes a great listing of resources for delving into them,
At first glance, you may think the book is strictly for those who love to outline their novels, And I definitely think it would be a huge benefit for that kind of writer, It lays out all the elements and helps you get everything in order, in the right proportion, and the various "pillars" interconnected, She recommends the use of note cards and story boardsthings that make pantsers cringe,
BUT, I think all writersoutliners, pantsers, and hybridswould benefit from this book, just in different ways, As I read through, I was mentally checking my already written and published novel, Finding Angel, against her recommendations, First, it was lovely to see that I apparently grasped a lot of this intuitively, as I was able to pretty much check off everything Deardon discussed.
And as I did so, I couldn't help thinking what a great tool for someone who has finished a manuscript to go through and find if and where anything isn't right with their story! I believe wholeheartedly that if your manuscript seems "off" in any way, The Story Template will help you pinpoint why.
Deardon takes you through creating a onesentence description of your story concept, to a larger description, to a full synopsis, If you've already written your manuscript, follow her techniques backwards to narrow down your story to a synopsis and then a oneline pitch.
I wish I'd had this book when I was trying to do that for Finding AngelI really think it would have made the process much less painful!
All in all, I highly recommend this book.
More experienced writers may find the later writing, editing, and submission basics chapters something they can skim past, but they are great chapters for newer writers who need to know "what's the next step.
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And as I said, it makes for a excellent reference for all writers when either planning out their story before writing and/or evaluating it once the first draft is complete.
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