Story Engineer Book Review
Story Engineering: Mastering the Six Core Competencies of Successful Writing by best-selling author Larry Brooks has been out for several years, but that doesn’t mean his advice is outdated. Far from it.
I’ve read many books about how good stories are structured. They use different terminology and offer different frameworks, but they all hit on some of the same key plot points.
What I appreciate about Brooks’ book is how he distills story structure down to the most basic necessary pieces that can’t be left out, but then leaves room for the writer to get to those points in their own creative way. He does offer extra guidance on getting from point to point for those who want it.
As someone smack dab in the middle of the Plotter—Pantser spectrum, I find this to be a valuable method. Plan the big moments (based on intended character motivations and goals) in advance and then discovery write the in-between moments. With some guideposts along the way, your story is far less likely to get off track, and you’ll be able to see the forest and the trees.
For pantser purists, Brooks makes the point that discovery writing your novel through draft after draft is still a form of story planning—just a far less efficient one. So why not save some time and energy and position some guideposts before starting the writing marathon?
So what are the Six Core Competencies of Successful Writing?
According to the author, there are four elemental competencies: concept, character, theme, and story structure (plot)
and two executional competencies: scene construction and writing voice.
Brooks deep dives into each of these foundational elements. He starts with an explanation of the importance of nailing down your book’s concept (not to be confused with the premise). He spends a lot of time talking about character and how to get at the heart of what their goals and motivations are and what the stakes are if they don’t achieve their wants and needs.
He also dedicates a significant portion of the book to story structure in order to explain the purpose of each part of a story and how you can apply all of this to your own manuscript regardless of genre (within the realm of fiction or narrative non-fiction) or length.
I’m glad I finally got around to reading this valuable book on the craft of writing. (I bought it long ago, but it got “lost” in my digital library.) I think this book is best for writers who want to add some basic architecture to their first draft while still leaving room for discovery writing. If you are a writer who needs every single plot point outlined in advance, this may not give you all the guidance you’re looking for.
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