Reviews

Beating the Story: How to Map, Understand, and Elevate Any Narrative by Robin D. Laws

stalwart's review

5.0

So many writing books say the same thing, over and over, derived from screenplays. Beating the Story takes a different, broader perspective that focuses not so much on structure, but on essential story elements, and the details of pacing, particularly the audience's emotional investment. This really opened my eyes to some problems in the novel I've been struggling with for far too long. I expect to be coming back to this one again and again.

soless's review

5.0

Beat mapping is a very structured, analytical way of looking at your story. Personally, I find a strong structure more inspirational than a blank page, so this book was a godsend. Especially when combined with the lessons I've learned from Mary Robinette Kowal.