A review by raesengele
Structuring Your Novel: Essential Keys for Writing an Outstanding Story by K.M. Weiland

Did not finish book.

While I found this book interesting enough, it was way too prescriptive for my liking. I've been finding more and more that KM Weiland likes to tell you that her way of writing is the only way of writing, and this book especially is bad about that. This isn't a book about structure, it's a book on how KM Weiland approaches structure. Turns out she's extremely fond of the "Hollywood" standard of writing, which clings WAY too steadfastly to its precious three acts, and she's very quick to tell you that if you deviate from those three acts your book will fail, which is by no means the case. I would have liked this book much more if she had explored the many variations on structure that exist rather than only presenting the three acts and leaving it at that. I guess I'm just tired of hearing people hand out rigid advice that encourages writers not to experiment with writing. Too many writers are more concerned with marketability than they are with telling a story and it's sad to see so many people accept their word as fact.