Larry Brooks does it again

26 Feb Larry Brooks does it again

Though I usually write reviews for less well known books, look for “Astrology for Writers” in the upcoming weeks. This week I am going to review a Writer’s Digest book. I had the privilege of meeting the author at Willamette Writers Conference. He proved to be a dynamic speaker, and broke down the three act structure to digestible bite size pieces.

This week I look at Larry Brooks “Story Fix, Transform your Novel from Broken to Brilliant.” This is a follow up book to his well know “Story Engineering,” and “Story Physics.”

I despair at the organic writers. They let their vision take them to strange places that doesn’t propel their plot forward. Well story fix is a revision book that everyone should read, from pantsers to plotters. You need to get your story into a classical structure, and this book will help you do it through a series of hard line, yet humorous, instructions.

Many of you have heard me despair over my friend that is a diehard organic writer. I want to help her, I truly do, but she seems to reject the work that she must do. The other week she mentioned that because she read so much she instinctively wrote in the classic story structure. The problem is, she didn’t. She has been working on her book for 10 years and still hasn’t finished it. What is she going to do when an editor, who might be interested in her book, asks how long it takes her to write one? The can be devastating to a career where publishing houses expect at the minimum 1 book a year.

I have recommended to her Larry Brook’s books, just so she can learn structure. I recommend this book to you. Whether you are an organic writer or not you will benefit from a cold hard clinical look at your novel and see where you need to tighten it up.

He deals with situation like where to actually start your book, hint it is not at the beginning. How to identify each of the plot points for you novel and how and when to strengthen them, and how to give you reader a bit of a break.

Finally he uses case studies from his own business as examples of conversation that the person must have with themselves.

I give this book five stars because it doesn’t pull any punches and will make you look at your work with a critical eye.

Good luck and I hope to see you al next week.