https://www.nancywaysondinan.com/journal daily 0.75 2025-01-19 https://www.nancywaysondinan.com/journal/writing-books-i-recommend-save-the-cat-writes-a-novel monthly 0.5 2025-01-14 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6281467e33250a12dc777721/ff39de21-69ff-47b1-ac4f-5bb93086357c/71FYfIkskdL._SL1500_.jpg Writer's Journal - Writing Books I Recommend: Save the Cat! Writes a Novel - Make it stand out Cover of SAVE THE CAT! WRITES A NOVEL Whenever I teach a structure of fiction course, this is the book I start with. Based on a very popular screenwriting book, this volume talks about how to make your protagonist a hero, gives a super helpful beat sheet, and then devotes a lot of pages to a discussion about genre that is unlike any other genre discussion I've seen. This book will give you a solid overview of what's expected from novel structure, and there's a reason I start with it in a novel class. WHO IT'S FOR: Novelists, and particularly novelists that lean toward the commercial or genre end of the spectrum. Sometimes MFA students don't love the rigidity of the structure, but I emphasize that you don't have to use it. (I once heard a very wise writer, Mary Robinette Kowal, say that craft was for when intuition was not enough, and that writerly intuition will almost always beat craft rules.) But I argue that it's generally a great idea to understand the expectations before you subvert them. WHAT IT'S ABOUT: This book starts with a discussion about making your protagonist story-worthy, emphasizing the relationship between character and plot. Next, in a very long chapter, Brody goes over the Save the Cat! "beat sheet," or a list of expected story beats with a detailed explanation of what's meant to happen where. Here, she breaks down the roles of each of the acts in the three-act structure, and her imagery of ordinary world, antithesis, and synthesis is great. For much of the rest of the book, she breaks down genre stories in a way that I haven't seen elsewhere. For example, in the "Whydunit" chapter, Brody makes the case that readers don't truly care about who committed the murder, but rather about why they committed the murder. Each genre chapter provides a case study, breaking down the beats of a popular novel in the genre, and then it gives a reading list of other exemplar texts. The book ends with a super helpful discussion of how to write loglines, and then with a chapter on troubleshooting. WHAT'S USEFUL: Seriously, so much. In the first chapter, Brody introduces us to the idea of wants vs needs, and there's an in-depth discussion of why one of these is general and one is universal. The beat sheet is also helpful, and I have created my own beat sheet template that I always pull out when I'm brainstorming an outline. Again, I can't recommend the genre discussions enough, and one day, I'll write a review of each of these chapters, after having read all of the exemplar texts. There's an entire novel writing education at your fingertips here. The other useful thing here is Brody's checklists. At the end of each chapter and concept, Brody provides a checklist to make sure your story is wringing the maximum amount of tension, propulsion, and emotional resonance from each beat. WHAT THIS BOOK DOESN'T DO: This is not a book that discusses industry, query letters, or breaking in. It's a book dedicated to teaching the idea of the expected version of craft. As I noted, some students don't love these expectations, and I often hear them equated to a "formula." I prefer instead to think of this structure as a puzzle, something that you put together but that rewards work and challenging thinking. One thing I'll note here is that, in the book STORY by Robert McKee, McKee talks about these expectations, using a triangle diagram that I find very useful. On one point of the triangle is what McKee calls the "archplot," or the "classical design," and it's the story structure that we expect, the hero's journey. At another point, McKee places "anti-structure" or "antiplot," and at the third point of the triangle is "minimalism." I won't go into the distinctions of these terms, but McKee argues that the further you go from the classical design, the more your audience shrinks. Importantly, however, your audience might become more dedicated as you move away from the classical design. McKee's point here is this: you have to understand that the story structure you choose affects the audience you attract. WHAT TO READ FIRST: This is a great first text, so no need to read anything first. But if you did want to have some more background, Debra Dixon's GOAL, MOTIVATION AND CONFLICT (review here) would be a great choice for reading before, after, or during your read of SAVE THE CAT!. WHAT TO READ NEXT: STORY GENIUS by Lisa Cron INTO THE WOODS: A FIVE-ACT JOURNEY INTO STORY by John Yorke STORY by Robert McKee https://www.nancywaysondinan.com/journal/writing-books-i-recommend-goal-motivation-and-conflict monthly 0.5 2025-01-14 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6281467e33250a12dc777721/b9536dbb-77e1-4d46-a1bf-199f0a73b7b0/81Po2epTiXL._SL1500_.jpg Writer's Journal - Writing Books I Recommend: Goal, Motivation, and Conflict - Make it stand out Cover of GOAL, MOTIVATION & CONFLICT: THE BUILDING BLOCKS OF GOOD FICTION A long time ago -- like more than a decade -- I wanted to be a writer, and I found myself joining a local chapter of Romance Writers of America. I joined a critique group, wrote a chapter, turned in my pages, and then promptly got ripped to shreds. "Nothing is happening," I was told. "Nobody in this story wants anything." At the time, I remembered that these seemed to be two unrelated statements. Debra Dixon's GOAL, MOTIVATION AND CONFLICT taught me that I was wrong -- GMC is plot. Without GMC, your story doesn't move. This book will teach you the fundamentals of creating plot based on an internal and external character arc. WHO IT'S FOR: This book is for novelists who want to figure out what their story is about before they start outlining. It's for novelists who want to learn how to shape a story, and how to make it resonant. This is a book that has been circling for a long, long time among writers who were serious about publication, but who didn't quite know how to get there. WHAT IT'S ABOUT: Dixon teaches you about goal (what some might call character motivation), motivation (what some might call stakes), and conflict. Basically, the goal is what the character wants, the motivation is why they want it, and the conflict is why they can't have it. She spends a chapter on each of these, with conflict getting an additional chapter as she introduces the idea of "conflict mascots." She introduces a chart that you should absolutely use in your own work, and she talks about how the chart gets you to the "big black moment," the moment where it seems like everything has gone wrong and there will be no happy ending. She walks you through scene creation and a brainstorming section. There's a section at the end that is far less developed that talks about querying and selling. WHAT'S USEFUL: THE CHART! Seriously, her chart is so simple and straightforward and brilliant. She introduces it using the story of The Wizard of Oz, and she shows how Dorothy's internal GMC drives the external GMC. Dixon makes a good case that the reader thinks that they care about the external GMC, but that they really care about the internal GMC, and here's what I have to say: yep. Absolutely. If you can take from this book the ability to read and create plots according to her idea and visualization of GMC, you're way ahead of the storytelling game. WHAT THIS BOOK DOESN'T DO: This isn't the book to read to discover how to write a query letter or to break into publishing. There are other, better books and sites for the more industry-side conversations. WHAT TO READ FIRST: This book is great as a first craft book -- it introduces fundamental principles without the need for any prior grounding. WHAT TO READ NEXT: SAVE THE CAT! WRITES A NOVEL by (see review here) STORY GENIUS by Lisa Cron (see review here) https://www.nancywaysondinan.com/journal/writing-books-i-recommend-before-and-after-the-book-deal monthly 0.5 2025-01-14 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6281467e33250a12dc777721/b7e7ff35-5489-4163-9a59-301d0bff775f/71REV8rGCGL._SL1500_.jpg Writer's Journal - Writing Books I Recommend: Before and After the Book Deal - Make it stand out Cover of BEFORE AND AFTER THE BOOK DEAL by Courtney Maum Before I say anything else about this book, I want to say one thing: when I assign Maum's book in a creative writing class, students looooove it. I have had probably a dozen students tell me that this is one of their all-time favorite creative writing books. It's another book that wouldn't be assigned in a traditional MFA, but if your goal is to be a published novelist, this book gives you a candid look behind the scenes, and in my opinion, is not to be missed. WHO IT'S FOR: It's for novelists who want to know what happens at every stage of the publication journey. This is less a craft book than it is a guide to becoming a professional. WHAT IT'S ABOUT: The book is divided into two parts: Book One: Before the Book Deal and Book Two: After the Book Deal. In Book One, Maum covers developing and revising the project (including a discussion of sensitivity readers and the utility of an MFA), submitting and pitching (including a conversation about self-publishing), the financial details of getting paid as a writer, and a lengthy, super useful conversation about finding representation and handling book advances. In Book Two, Maum covers the prepublication process, including editing, publicity and marketing, and planning the launch. She has a long chapter about publication, and here, I want to stress how friendly this book is -- she's treating the reader like an insider, calming the writer's nerves. She talks about the book tour, and she has a super helpful section about what to do next. At the end of Book Two, she collects the advice of publishing professionals and authors. WHAT'S USEFUL: This book treats you like you're a serious writer who wants to learn the ropes, and I absolutely love that tone. Many craft books act like the reader is just starting out, but Maum takes your hand and brings you into the conversation as a fellow practitioner. She also talks about topics that nobody else really seems to address. There's a very real phenomenon of post-publication malaise, and Maum has a frank discussion about this issue. In a section titled "When Trump happens to you," she talks about what happens when your book pubs in a major news cycle, and how that can completely re-orient plans. (My first novel published in May 2020, when the world was on lockdown, and though people were buying books by established authors, debut novels were extremely hard to market and sell.) She talks about adaptation for film and TV, a topic which many writers would like to see discussed more. Her explanation of the business side of being a writer is excellent, as well. Want to know how advances work? She tells you in great detail. Want to know how to get your book into a book club? She addresses that topic, too. Want to know how writers get health insurance? Yep, that's in the book, too. (Spoiler alert: that particular section isn't great news for writers, by the way.) WHAT TO READ FIRST: You can start with this book or with Jane Friedman's THE BUSINESS OF BEING A WRITER (review here). I also recommend Jane Friedman's website. WHAT TO READ NEXT: Ricardo Fayet’s How to Market a Book was recommended to me by students, and I found this book fascinating. It goes into great detail on this very niche part of publishing, but there’s a lot to learn here. This is a part of Reedsy’s platform, if you’re familiar with this editor-for-hire site. https://www.nancywaysondinan.com/journal/overview-of-an-mfa-course-intro-to-creative-writing-studies monthly 0.5 2025-01-14 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6281467e33250a12dc777721/1727794711988-BWVUZPJ0WMN1GBUFUVHJ/unsplash-image-SYTO3xs06fU.jpg Writer's Journal - Overview of an MFA Course: Intro to Creative Writing Studies - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.nancywaysondinan.com/journal/what-you-learn-in-an-mfa-an-overview-of-curriculum monthly 0.5 2025-01-14 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6281467e33250a12dc777721/1727358987901-C2FP07DT6H69K1T6LS05/unsplash-image-6ywyo2qtaZ8.jpg Writer's Journal - What happens in an MFA Program: An Overview of Curriculum - Make it stand out Wall of books with a door in the middle https://www.nancywaysondinan.com/journal/what-happens-in-a-creative-writing-workshop-the-traditional-model monthly 0.5 2025-01-14 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6281467e33250a12dc777721/1727205851703-W5ZZ5TC2E3HGE94XMUQ4/unsplash-image-KdeqA3aTnBY.jpg Writer's Journal - What Happens in a Creative Writing Workshop: The Traditional Model - Make it stand out Writers gathered around a table https://www.nancywaysondinan.com/journal/writing-books-i-recommend-the-business-of-being-a-writer monthly 0.5 2025-01-14 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6281467e33250a12dc777721/508ec382-d169-4f60-be50-0620149935fd/71xQIkF2VzL._SL1500_.jpg Writer's Journal - Writing Books I Recommend: The Business of Being a Writer - Make it stand out Cover of Jane Friedman's THE BUSINESS OF BEING A WRITER https://www.nancywaysondinan.com/journal/adding-voice-and-life-to-a-story-one-strategy monthly 0.5 2025-01-14 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6281467e33250a12dc777721/1725994877386-W1C7YRAM2OL1TTDT7YE2/unsplash-image-pUqTHJ5gq-U.jpg Writer's Journal - Adding Voice and Life to a Story: An Exercise - Make it stand out Man looking into the distance https://www.nancywaysondinan.com/journal/what-im-looking-for-in-an-mfa-application-for-fiction monthly 0.5 2025-01-14 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6281467e33250a12dc777721/1725549002891-0GR8L0TTGE9P9QUZ6N6Z/unsplash-image-UK78i6vK3sc.jpg Writer's Journal - What I’m Looking for in an MFA Application for Fiction - Make it stand out Woman working on a laptop https://www.nancywaysondinan.com/journal/writing-books-i-recommend-romancing-the-beat monthly 0.5 2025-01-14 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6281467e33250a12dc777721/95a667f3-5ae7-4bea-987e-e04b9063c2b2/71Pggb0JZlL._AC_UF1000%2C1000_QL80_.jpg Writer's Journal - Writing Books I Recommend: Romancing the Beat - Make it stand out Cover of ROMANCING THE BEAT by Gwen Hayes https://www.nancywaysondinan.com/journal/writing-books-i-recommend-blueprint-for-a-book monthly 0.5 2025-01-14 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6281467e33250a12dc777721/0a586515-b010-4b0a-b270-a2aefd6e560b/blueprint.jpg Writer's Journal - Writing Books I Recommend: Blueprint for a Book - Cover of Blueprint for a Book by Jennie Nash Cover of Blueprint for a Book by Jennie Nash https://www.nancywaysondinan.com/journal/teach-yourself-to-structure-a-novel-a-syllabus monthly 0.5 2025-01-14 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6281467e33250a12dc777721/74459dc5-79b2-4a90-92bc-57cb0a37a2a1/blueprint.jpg Writer's Journal - Teach Yourself to Structure a Novel: A Syllabus - Make it stand out 3. Finally, Jennie Nash's Blueprint for a Book will help you really finalize that outline. In this book, Nash asks you to consider your market and your ideal reader. If you follow her process, you find yourself with a robust outline, one that includes both what happens and why. READING ASSIGNMENT: Read this whole book. Seriously. It's short, and it's worth it. WRITING ASSIGNMENT: Work your way through all 14 steps of your blueprint, using the story you've already excavated with the previous two craft books. By the end of this process, you should have a pretty good idea what your novel arc will be. I've reviewed this book in more detail here. From here, WRITE A DRAFT. Take some time every day and add to the words you've put on the page. Does this pre-work and outlining help the drafting process? One final thing: I believe that feedback is necessary for the development of most writers. How can you find feedback for your work? Can you join a group of beta readers, a critique group, or take a class? These are not the only texts I recommend for structure (maybe one day I'll do an Advanced Structure syllabus). But these three books will get you really far, and I wish I had encountered them a long time ago. What books are you on your must-read list for learning to structure a novel? https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6281467e33250a12dc777721/a4a352de-1666-4285-8e89-8957ea6feeef/story+genius.jpg Writer's Journal - Teach Yourself to Structure a Novel: A Syllabus - 2. Next, read Lisa Cron’s Story Genius, a book that will help your nail your character’s internal arc. Cron has you digging deep to discover your character’s misbelief, and how that misbelief can be overcome. Your reader wants to see your character grow, to see how they overcome past wounds, and to see whether or not they triumph. Cron is the best guide for this internal arc that I’ve found. READING ASSIGNMENT: Read Part 2 of this book, Creating the Inside Story. You can decide if you need Part 3 or not — some writers like this further development while others find it paralyzing. WRITING ASSIGNMENT: Do the exercises in Part 2, developing the who, why, what next, and when of your novel. BONUS ASSIGNMENT ONE (only if it inspires you): Work through Part 3 of this book, developing scene cards. BONUS ASSIGNMENT TWO (only if you think you need it): Did Story Genius change or refine your Save the Cat! beat sheet? If so, go back through your beat sheet and make notes for your final outline. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6281467e33250a12dc777721/4ca318ce-1327-4b42-a438-832836bd6892/stc+image.jpg Writer's Journal - Teach Yourself to Structure a Novel: A Syllabus - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.nancywaysondinan.com/journal/how-to-give-feedback-on-a-manuscript-aka-how-to-write-a-workshop-letter monthly 0.5 2025-01-14 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6281467e33250a12dc777721/1724808731889-TUG0EFQ94L1H2ZJW52IN/unsplash-image-XrSzacdYbtQ.jpg Writer's Journal - How to Write a Workshop Letter (aka One Way to Give Feedback on a Manuscript) - Make it stand out Man writing in a notebook https://www.nancywaysondinan.com/journal/do-you-really-need-an-mfa-to-be-a-novelist monthly 0.5 2025-01-14 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6281467e33250a12dc777721/1722173740554-RZ9K4GXS8B54H4W8UBYL/unsplash-image-yHG6llFLjS0.jpg Writer's Journal - Do you really need an MFA to be a novelist? https://www.nancywaysondinan.com/journal/category/Drafting monthly 0.5 https://www.nancywaysondinan.com/journal/category/Publication monthly 0.5 https://www.nancywaysondinan.com/journal/category/MFA monthly 0.5 https://www.nancywaysondinan.com/journal/category/Revising monthly 0.5 https://www.nancywaysondinan.com/journal/category/Outlining monthly 0.5 https://www.nancywaysondinan.com/about daily 1.0 2025-04-20 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6281467e33250a12dc777721/67867285-3deb-4e90-b95d-042505a05014/cropped+bw+web+headshot.jpg Nancy Wayson Dinan Image by Adrianne Mathiowetz Photography https://www.nancywaysondinan.com/things-you-would-know daily 0.75 2024-12-14 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6281467e33250a12dc777721/4a5b884a-e280-4d44-a99c-974d46b130be/Cover+--+Things+You+Would+Know.jpg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ec321c2af33de48734cc929/1618511387030-5LI1E5QMVTQ2RY9S00A4/20140228_Trade+151_0046+1.jpg Things You Would Know https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ec321c2af33de48734cc929/1618511440608-5BVMHVN4WR2I9YQV1WWR/Aro+Ha_0010+1.jpg Things You Would Know https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ec321c2af33de48734cc929/1618511467879-K5J9BYNACHJVDV3BNSFU/Aro+Ha_0387+1.jpg Things You Would Know https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ec321c2af33de48734cc929/1618511743693-J3A8OYH6X8C7RXNU5K0J/20140301_Trade+151_0124+1.jpg Things You Would Know https://www.nancywaysondinan.com/contact-us daily 0.75 2024-12-15 https://www.nancywaysondinan.com/home daily 0.75 2024-08-29 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ce6d339a8ffbf0001a8fb20/1618327354071-OCV4YZDDJKDUGG7X5G4U/plant_1_optimized.gif Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ce6d339a8ffbf0001a8fb20/1618327291426-CS1J0TXJRH4TK1CE7DVT/plant_2_optimized.gif Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ce6d339a8ffbf0001a8fb20/1559835300319-AP29DHD68LHDZY17G6D4/giftcard-template.jpg Home - Give the Gift of Greenery Plants are as thoughtful a gift as flowers and last much longer. 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