Book SummaryThe Master Guides: Storytelling for Fiction Writers, by Shortform

1-Page Summary1-Page Book Summary of The Master Guides: Storytelling for Fiction Writers

Storytelling is an elusive art—you may have found yourself moved to tears by a story without fully understanding why. This makes writing fiction a tricky endeavor. Is it possible to learn how to capture and communicate this kind of emotional magic? Arguably, yes. The same basic storytelling principles apply no matter what kind of story you want to write—whether it’s a hilarious short film, a heart-wrenching novel, or a chilling horror audio drama.

For...

The Master Guides: Storytelling for Fiction Writers Summary What Do People Want From a Story?

Before we discuss everything that goes into an effective story, let’s establish the goal of storytelling: What do audiences want writers to give them? According to our experts, audiences want two things: an emotional impact and a truth about life.

Goal #1: Deliver an Emotional Impact

First, experts agree that a good story appeals to the audience’s emotions. Audiences love emotional stories because they feel more compelling in the moment and remain more memorable later on.

You don’t need to be a master storyteller to stir an audience’s emotions—humans naturally engage with stories on an emotional level. In Unleash the Power of Storytelling, communication coach Rob Biesenbach notes that listening to a story [activates the same regions of the...

The Master Guides: Storytelling for Fiction Writers Summary The Basic Components of a Story

If you want to give your audience an emotional experience and a truth about life, experts generally agree that your story needs three basic components:

• A relatable protagonist
• A goal that’s blocked by obstacles
• A big-picture theme

Let’s discuss each of these in turn.

Component #1: A Relatable Protagonist

Experts agree that one of the most vital components of any story is a relatable protagonist. The protagonist is the character whose shoes we’re stepping into. They provide us with our point of view for the rest of the story, and they’re the lens through which we interpret everything that happens.

In Wired for Story, story coach Lisa Cron asserts that the protagonist helps you, as a writer, determine what information is important and what isn’t. The audience relates to the protagonist and understands the importance of the story’s events through the protagonist’s emotions. The details in your story feel significant because of their emotional impact on the protagonist. If the audience doesn’t...

The Master Guides: Storytelling for Fiction Writers Summary Add Complexity to Your Story

Now that we’ve covered the bare essentials of any story, let’s detail a few extra components you can use to make your story more complex and interesting:

• Story structure
• Symbolism
• A unique voice

Complex Component #1: Story Structure

Experts generally agree that effective stories loosely follow the same pattern—this is called story structure. Rob Biesenbach asserts that people tend to think of a story as any narrative with a beginning, a middle, and an end, but he thinks this definition of a story is too simplistic. Certain things need to happen at each point in the structure to make a story: The structure of beginning, middle, and end on its own is merely a series of events ordered from start to finish.

Biesenbach explains how you can map the essential elements of character, goal, and obstacles onto the familiar beginning-middle-end arc:

• At the beginning, set the scene, introduce your character, and set up an event that pushes your character into action to pursue their goal.
• In the middle, show the character working to...

The Master Guides: Storytelling for Fiction Writers Summary How to Actually Write a Story

Now that we’ve outlined the main ingredients of an effective story, let’s discuss the writing process. We’ve drawn on the advice of several experts to distill the writing process into five steps:

• Step #1: Find story ideas
• Step #2: Write a first draft
• Step #3: Take a break
• Step #4: Revise your story
• Step #5: Declare the story finished and share it

Step #1: Find Story Ideas

Before you can write a story, you have to know what to write about. But how do you come up with story ideas? Rob Biesenbach recommends noticing the stories that play out in your everyday life. You can also interview people about their stories. Alternatively, plumb your own personal history for stories that relate to the message you want to convey, like calling on a childhood memory of building a treehouse to talk about collaboration.

Stephen King advises writers to “write what they know.” However, he’s not referring to what you literally know (otherwise nobody could write about going to...

The Master Guides: Storytelling for Fiction Writers Summary Shortform Resources

For more practical tips that will help you write stories, see the following Shortform guides:

• Unleash the Power of Storytelling, Rob Biesenbach
• On Writing, Stephen King
• _[Wired for...

Shortform Exercise: Analyze a Story

To see how all these ideas fit together, pick a story and examine how its components map onto those we’ve discussed throughout this guide.

Pick a story you’re familiar with. This might be your favorite movie, a book you’ve read, or a memorable play. Who’s the protagonist, and what’s their main goal? Do you find that character relatable? Why or why not? (For example, in Pixar’s Monsters, Inc., the protagonist is the monster Sulley, and his goal is to return the child Boo to her home. Although Sulley isn’t human, he’s relatable because he has human emotions and goals.)