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evavroslin's review against another edition
5.0
Explanations of the dynamics of what makes for good storytelling distilled from one of the masters of the craft. Can't go wrong :-)
fionak's review against another edition
4.0
Well presented and laid-out, making it easy to skip over sections that were irrelevant or useless to me, but I grew weary of his footnotes very quickly.
annettewolf's review against another edition
funny
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
5.0
When you read a lot of books on writing, you start to feel like there isn't a lot of "new" advice out there, that a book on plot will look much like any other book on plot, and so on. Damn Fine Story, dear readers, feels like a very new, fresh take on a writing craft book.
The overall tone is funny, irreverent, crass in a way that keeps you engaged. It's what we need, honestly. We have a lot of books being very precious about the whole writing and storytelling process. Adopt such and such specific routine, or fill out this 101 questions form on yon secondary character to ensure the proper depth to your narrative. This book throws that out the window and tells you to write it how you want to write it.
There's excellent advice in here. Good examples pulled from books and movies we are likely familiar with. There are footnotes, which are hilarious and break up the text in a fun way. Cause that's the thing--even a book about storytelling is telling a certain kind of story, and Chuck Wendig does that really well.
The most important, overall best thing about this book and its advice is to NOT follow the advice that doesn't work for you. It is so rare for a book on craft to point that out. That their way is prescriptive but maybe it isn't the right prescription for you and you should only take from it what builds your writing and leave the rest. I love that so much, because this is the book I needed when I was a kid. And instead I was reading a bunch of craft books written by cishet white men saying their way is the only way and if you do it any other way you are invalid. And yeah, this book is written by another cishet white dude. But, at least he feels like an ally.
There's something in this book for every kind of storyteller, since it is about story, first and foremost, not about a specific form like novels or screenwriting or what have you. And I honestly think every writer who likes to read craft books should read this one. It even has a chapter on theme! And talks about it in a way that is not mind-numbingly boring or impossible to put into practice. He literally says you can write your story without giving a first thought to theme at all. OH THE FREEDOM.
Do yourself a favor and read this book. It might just ruin you for most other books on writing...and I promise that's a good thing.
The overall tone is funny, irreverent, crass in a way that keeps you engaged. It's what we need, honestly. We have a lot of books being very precious about the whole writing and storytelling process. Adopt such and such specific routine, or fill out this 101 questions form on yon secondary character to ensure the proper depth to your narrative. This book throws that out the window and tells you to write it how you want to write it.
There's excellent advice in here. Good examples pulled from books and movies we are likely familiar with. There are footnotes, which are hilarious and break up the text in a fun way. Cause that's the thing--even a book about storytelling is telling a certain kind of story, and Chuck Wendig does that really well.
The most important, overall best thing about this book and its advice is to NOT follow the advice that doesn't work for you. It is so rare for a book on craft to point that out. That their way is prescriptive but maybe it isn't the right prescription for you and you should only take from it what builds your writing and leave the rest. I love that so much, because this is the book I needed when I was a kid. And instead I was reading a bunch of craft books written by cishet white men saying their way is the only way and if you do it any other way you are invalid. And yeah, this book is written by another cishet white dude. But, at least he feels like an ally.
There's something in this book for every kind of storyteller, since it is about story, first and foremost, not about a specific form like novels or screenwriting or what have you. And I honestly think every writer who likes to read craft books should read this one. It even has a chapter on theme! And talks about it in a way that is not mind-numbingly boring or impossible to put into practice. He literally says you can write your story without giving a first thought to theme at all. OH THE FREEDOM.
Do yourself a favor and read this book. It might just ruin you for most other books on writing...and I promise that's a good thing.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cursing
Minor: Sexual content, Cancer, Cannibalism, Body horror, Death of parent, Death, Excrement, Medical content, and Animal death
motherhorror's review against another edition
5.0
I Googled "Writing advice for fantasy novels" back in 2015 and I clicked on "terribleminds.com" which is Chuck Wendig's blog. His humor and his advice were spot on. So I made regular trips to the blog and even entered a few Flash Fiction challenges. Eventually, I was curious as to how the guy actually writes! So I bought a stack of his books (the first three Miriam Black books and Zeroes)
I LOVE the Miriam Black Series SO HARD. One of my favorite book series ever!
This book, Damn Fine Story is my first "on writing" book I've brought home from Chuck but he has several others and I might just need them all.
This one is about the art of storytelling--not just all the rest of what goes into crafting a novel--but the actual story itself. The components-what makes a story--well, GOOD. Which we want, of course. We want to hook people and give them something compelling because there are so many things to be distracted by!
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So what grabs a reader by the nose and keeps it in the pages of your book? Chuck explains it all in an easy to digest, HILARIOUS way. The man is truly so funny. My favorite part of this book were the 50 tips at the back. I took so many notes during this whole read and then I got to that part and I was like, well I could have just used THESE!! But no, really, my notes will be so useful and keep me grounded while I write and I'll be referring to those 50 things A LOT! So this book will stay on my desk always. Right along, King's On Writing and Anne Lamont's Bird By Bird.
A must have for any writer!
I LOVE the Miriam Black Series SO HARD. One of my favorite book series ever!
This book, Damn Fine Story is my first "on writing" book I've brought home from Chuck but he has several others and I might just need them all.
This one is about the art of storytelling--not just all the rest of what goes into crafting a novel--but the actual story itself. The components-what makes a story--well, GOOD. Which we want, of course. We want to hook people and give them something compelling because there are so many things to be distracted by!
Social media
Netflix
News
So what grabs a reader by the nose and keeps it in the pages of your book? Chuck explains it all in an easy to digest, HILARIOUS way. The man is truly so funny. My favorite part of this book were the 50 tips at the back. I took so many notes during this whole read and then I got to that part and I was like, well I could have just used THESE!! But no, really, my notes will be so useful and keep me grounded while I write and I'll be referring to those 50 things A LOT! So this book will stay on my desk always. Right along, King's On Writing and Anne Lamont's Bird By Bird.
A must have for any writer!
amplenert's review against another edition
4.0
It has a bit of a Tone but I liked it and found it helpful.
el_stevie's review against another edition
4.0
Really enjoyable 'romp' through the art of storytelling. No place for the precious here, but lots of good tips and plain talking. Useful and informative.
abetterjulie's review against another edition
5.0
I loved this book. Honestly, it's worth it for the last story alone. I'm still laughing.
So. On the writer's continuum, I've written a novel and am querying. I've written short stories which have been published and paid me. I'd like to write more novels and more paying things, and this book reinforced lessons I knew and opened my brain to new ones. All while making me laugh, smile, or nod sagely. I learned. I was inspired. I want to write even better than before!
It was never dry. The pacing was greased lightning (what does that even mean, really?), and I feel more confident as a writer now. When I turned the last page, I immediately handed the book to another person because they should read it.
Hence, the five stars. (also, his blog is wonderful and you should get his emails)
So. On the writer's continuum, I've written a novel and am querying. I've written short stories which have been published and paid me. I'd like to write more novels and more paying things, and this book reinforced lessons I knew and opened my brain to new ones. All while making me laugh, smile, or nod sagely. I learned. I was inspired. I want to write even better than before!
It was never dry. The pacing was greased lightning (what does that even mean, really?), and I feel more confident as a writer now. When I turned the last page, I immediately handed the book to another person because they should read it.
Hence, the five stars. (also, his blog is wonderful and you should get his emails)
squishy_mage42's review against another edition
5.0
Chuck Wendig's sense of humor makes a book about telling stories a fun book to read in addition to being full of good advice.