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barnesbookshelf's review
2.0
While the information within the book is helpful, Brooks' tone is obnoxious and slightly self-absorbed. If I remember correctly, it's pretty repetitive as well. A good learning tool, but not a book I want to read again.
noranne's review
4.0
I have read a lot of writing books, and I think this is one of my favorites. Its goal is clear and laid out explicitly in the beginning, so you know exactly what you are in for. Larry writes with a personable style that is easy to read and never felt blustery or didactic. He leaves the door open for you to disagree with him even as he swears that he is 100% right, which is a challenging line to walk in an advice book.
I felt that the book could have been condensed down a fair bit, as there were several repetitive sections and places that felt padded. But it’s not a particularly long book, so I can see why they did that. And having it beat over your head can be helpful at times!
Coming out of this book I felt both inspired and empowered to do some writing, which is basically exactly what I want from a writing book.
I felt that the book could have been condensed down a fair bit, as there were several repetitive sections and places that felt padded. But it’s not a particularly long book, so I can see why they did that. And having it beat over your head can be helpful at times!
Coming out of this book I felt both inspired and empowered to do some writing, which is basically exactly what I want from a writing book.
kanejim57's review
5.0
A wonderful book that will offer writers a fresh perspective on writing and readers on a new way to read and review books
fontofstrife30's review
challenging
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
4.0
Wonderfully organized book. Sometimes a bit repetitive or long winded (especially in the beginning) however considering its an instructive book, maybe that's a good thing. I felt consistently excited, inspired and educated. Very excited to put these principles to practice.
donasbooks's review
5.0
Instagram Review: http://www.instagram.com/p/CFdaA6pAGbr/
Larry Brooks's Story Engineering was one of the first writing books I read that delved into the technicalities of writing, the how-to-edness of the craft. I loved to write when I started, but I don't think I possessed a great deal of instinct for narrative or structure and it frustrated me when I tried to write certain kinds of stories. This book opened a lot of doors for me because it taught me a lot about writing without getting me thinking too hard about what I was doing. It also got my considering form, the shape of my story and the purpose of that shape. It's still one of my favorite books on structure, even though it favors one of the more basic narrative forms.
Larry Brooks's formula is very straight forward and easy to understand, essentially breaking the popular novel down into a narrative formula. You could look at it as a glorified narrative outline that doesn't give you brain wasps and inoculates your concept against plot holes.
Brooks uses a slew of common popular novels to illustrate his principles which helps to bring the formula to life. He appears to really love [a:Dan Brown|630|Dan Brown|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1399396714p2/630.jpg], but he uses everyone from [a:Stephen King|3389|Stephen King|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1362814142p2/3389.jpg] to [a:Alice Sebold|316|Alice Sebold|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1262477562p2/316.jpg]. Speaking of variety, Brooks relates a huge number of subtopics to his discussion about narrative structure, from subtext to subplot to structure as plot to character as structure. Trust me -- this text is fascinating.
This level of regiment can feel comfortable to the beginning writer, and those starting out are the writers to whom I would recommend this book the most. However, no matter what your experience level, if you want to strengthen your understanding of narrative structure and all it can impact in your story, this is a great book. In fact, I went ahead and bought [b:Story Physics: Harnessing the Underlying Forces of Storytelling|15894358|Story Physics Harnessing the Underlying Forces of Storytelling|Larry Brooks|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1366555069l/15894358._SY75_.jpg|21645134] also; I haven't read it yet, but I'll be sure to tell you all when I do!
Stay safe out there, my fellow creatives!
Larry Brooks's Story Engineering was one of the first writing books I read that delved into the technicalities of writing, the how-to-edness of the craft. I loved to write when I started, but I don't think I possessed a great deal of instinct for narrative or structure and it frustrated me when I tried to write certain kinds of stories. This book opened a lot of doors for me because it taught me a lot about writing without getting me thinking too hard about what I was doing. It also got my considering form, the shape of my story and the purpose of that shape. It's still one of my favorite books on structure, even though it favors one of the more basic narrative forms.
Larry Brooks's formula is very straight forward and easy to understand, essentially breaking the popular novel down into a narrative formula. You could look at it as a glorified narrative outline that doesn't give you brain wasps and inoculates your concept against plot holes.
Brooks uses a slew of common popular novels to illustrate his principles which helps to bring the formula to life. He appears to really love [a:Dan Brown|630|Dan Brown|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1399396714p2/630.jpg], but he uses everyone from [a:Stephen King|3389|Stephen King|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1362814142p2/3389.jpg] to [a:Alice Sebold|316|Alice Sebold|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1262477562p2/316.jpg]. Speaking of variety, Brooks relates a huge number of subtopics to his discussion about narrative structure, from subtext to subplot to structure as plot to character as structure. Trust me -- this text is fascinating.
This level of regiment can feel comfortable to the beginning writer, and those starting out are the writers to whom I would recommend this book the most. However, no matter what your experience level, if you want to strengthen your understanding of narrative structure and all it can impact in your story, this is a great book. In fact, I went ahead and bought [b:Story Physics: Harnessing the Underlying Forces of Storytelling|15894358|Story Physics Harnessing the Underlying Forces of Storytelling|Larry Brooks|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1366555069l/15894358._SY75_.jpg|21645134] also; I haven't read it yet, but I'll be sure to tell you all when I do!
Stay safe out there, my fellow creatives!
gloame's review
5.0
Read this through Amazon Kindle's Lending Library and I'm so glad I did. I've been looking for a book on writing, but I've been hesitant to buy one because I wasn't sure which one would help me the most. I got to rent this one for free, but I would have gladly paid the eBook price to buy it.
In the past I've been an 'outliner' but even my outlining was a bit 'pantsy' (a 'seat of the pants' writer) because I've often struggled with story structure. I didn't even realize I was struggling with story structure, but I did know that even as I was outlining, I often wasn't sure what to put next.
That's why this book has been such a godsend to me because it explained how all commercial books fit into a basic schema, and now that I know it, I know my outlines are going to be much smoother and I will never again realize halfway through a (outlined) draft that I need to change directions for *one little thing* that will inevitably require oodles of re-tweaking for the earlier chapters. The other 5 "Core Competencies" are things I subconsciously understood prior to reading the book, but now I understand them on a much deeper and more tangible level.
I'm really grateful I read this book. It's already made my writing process so much more enjoyable.
In the past I've been an 'outliner' but even my outlining was a bit 'pantsy' (a 'seat of the pants' writer) because I've often struggled with story structure. I didn't even realize I was struggling with story structure, but I did know that even as I was outlining, I often wasn't sure what to put next.
That's why this book has been such a godsend to me because it explained how all commercial books fit into a basic schema, and now that I know it, I know my outlines are going to be much smoother and I will never again realize halfway through a (outlined) draft that I need to change directions for *one little thing* that will inevitably require oodles of re-tweaking for the earlier chapters. The other 5 "Core Competencies" are things I subconsciously understood prior to reading the book, but now I understand them on a much deeper and more tangible level.
I'm really grateful I read this book. It's already made my writing process so much more enjoyable.
booklover1974's review
3.0
Wow, this were a lot of words with no meaning! Larry Brooks has smart things to say but it disappears among the analogies.
keltondavis's review
3.0
A helpful introduction or reference guide to the fundamentals of story structure and character—provided you can make it past the endless analogies, conceited voice, repetition ad nauseum and meandering to get to the point.
davidmsnow's review
4.0
I really liked it because it is well-explained and it sheds light on the writing process as it should be. I gave it 4 stars just because the author is a bit too much against seat-in-the-pants writers and kind of gets redundant about it. I know his aim is to convince them, but, being a well open-minded reader, I thought at some point it was a bit too much.