What do you think?
Rate this book
The Story Template: Conquer Writer's Block Using the Universal Structure of Story
Writing a novel or screenplay sounds like a fabulous idea. But where do you start? And how do you finish? Award-winning author Amy Deardon answers these questions in The Story Template: Conquer Writer's Block Using the Universal Structure of Story. This approach will help you focus your creativity and complete your unique and compelling story, script, or novel. With this tool and more than 100 targeted writing exercises, you will learn to:
A. Ascertain the four foundational story pillars, and use the "secret weapon" of the story template, to structure your story.
B. Build character depth with believable change.
C. Create subplots to raise tension while you deepen and contrast story themes.
R. Review writing techniques that shape your ideas into a compelling manuscript.
The Story Template is a product of Amy's comprehensive research-as well as her personal experience-for what makes a story "work." No matter your level of accomplishment, this book will help you build a better story.
A. Ascertain the four foundational story pillars, and use the "secret weapon" of the story template, to structure your story.
B. Build character depth with believable change.
C. Create subplots to raise tension while you deepen and contrast story themes.
R. Review writing techniques that shape your ideas into a compelling manuscript.
The Story Template is a product of Amy's comprehensive research-as well as her personal experience-for what makes a story "work." No matter your level of accomplishment, this book will help you build a better story.
260 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 25, 2011
76 people are currently reading
224 people want to read
About the author
Amy Deardon
9 books9 followers"I’m married with two children. In my life B.C. (before children) I was a Ph.D. scientist under a different name who did bench research. I also love writing and story structure.
I quit work to stay home for raising our kids, and figured I finally had the time to write a novel. While writing, I was surprised at how difficult it was to get the words down because I’d never suffered from nonfiction writer’s block. It wasn’t laziness, but a pervasive frustration that, while my writing was “good,” the story itself wasn’t working.
After finishing my novel (through sheer grit) I decided to scientifically study story structure so my next novel wouldn’t be so difficult. Along this side road I was amazed at how deep and consistent was story structure, and began coaching students to help them avoid the frustration I’d felt, and also to test and perfect my algorithm."
http://amydeardon.com/bio/
I quit work to stay home for raising our kids, and figured I finally had the time to write a novel. While writing, I was surprised at how difficult it was to get the words down because I’d never suffered from nonfiction writer’s block. It wasn’t laziness, but a pervasive frustration that, while my writing was “good,” the story itself wasn’t working.
After finishing my novel (through sheer grit) I decided to scientifically study story structure so my next novel wouldn’t be so difficult. Along this side road I was amazed at how deep and consistent was story structure, and began coaching students to help them avoid the frustration I’d felt, and also to test and perfect my algorithm."
http://amydeardon.com/bio/
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
January 18, 2014
A bit on the side of meandering, but still a good book. It has practical exercises for the reader to follow in a "building block" measure, but it may be a bit too elongated for those who want a quick guide. For those who want something that builds from one step to another in a steady, patient stream for their ideas and identifying problems/stuck points in a narrative, it is quite helpful.
Overall score: 3.5/5 stars
Overall score: 3.5/5 stars
Read
January 2, 2013A long, long list of free writing exercises with a little contextual guidance. Which, if you're into free writing, could be a boon. But I had to stop when the author asserted that writers have an obligation to provide good, uplifting morals in their "art". Yeah ... no. DNF.
April 1, 2023
okay-ish
I like the structure and the exercises.
The book doesn’t give new/original information but leans heavily on other structures and ideas.
So, okay - I guess
I like the structure and the exercises.
The book doesn’t give new/original information but leans heavily on other structures and ideas.
So, okay - I guess
December 1, 2023
۱۴۰۲/۹/۱۰
November 17, 2011
This review is from: The Story Template: Conquer Writer's Block Using the Universal Structure of Story (Paperback)
I love the concept Deardon has come up with. It's very scientific, but at the same time it allows for complete creativity. It's technical, but at the same time she gives so many examples and lists questions in each section of exercise that will easily guide you. There's a great summary of the template in the book, too, that makes for a great quick-reference once you've already read through and completed the exercises.
Basically, Deardon watched a dozen or so movies and read a good number of books, all of which drew huge audiences, and analyzed them. She noted common elements of the stories that fall at very specific places in the time line, and used her findings to create a template on which to build a story.
Deardon also discusses the four "pillars" of story (character, plot, story world, and moral) and what encompasses each. There are exercises throughout that will help you through each portion of the template. And she touches on some basic principles of writing as well as gives a smattering of advice about editing and manuscript submission. Those last areas are by no means comprehensive, but Deardon includes a great listing of resources for delving into them.
At first glance, you may think the book is strictly for those who love to outline their novels. And I definitely think it would be a huge benefit for that kind of writer. It lays out all the elements and helps you get everything in order, in the right proportion, and the various "pillars" interconnected. She recommends the use of note cards and story boards--things that make pantsers cringe.
BUT, I think all writers--outliners, pantsers, and hybrids--would benefit from this book, just in different ways. As I read through, I was mentally checking my already written and published novel, Finding Angel, against her recommendations. First, it was lovely to see that I apparently grasped a lot of this intuitively, as I was able to pretty much check off everything Deardon discussed. And as I did so, I couldn't help thinking what a great tool for someone who has finished a manuscript to go through and find if and where anything isn't right with their story! I believe wholeheartedly that if your manuscript seems "off" in any way, The Story Template will help you pinpoint why.
Deardon takes you through creating a one-sentence description of your story concept, to a larger description, to a full synopsis. If you've already written your manuscript, follow her techniques backwards to narrow down your story to a synopsis and then a one-line pitch. I wish I'd had this book when I was trying to do that for Finding Angel--I really think it would have made the process much less painful!
All in all, I highly recommend this book. More experienced writers may find the later writing, editing, and submission basics chapters something they can skim past, but they are great chapters for newer writers who need to know "what's the next step." And as I said, it makes for a excellent reference for all writers when either planning out their story before writing and/or evaluating it once the first draft is complete.
I love the concept Deardon has come up with. It's very scientific, but at the same time it allows for complete creativity. It's technical, but at the same time she gives so many examples and lists questions in each section of exercise that will easily guide you. There's a great summary of the template in the book, too, that makes for a great quick-reference once you've already read through and completed the exercises.
Basically, Deardon watched a dozen or so movies and read a good number of books, all of which drew huge audiences, and analyzed them. She noted common elements of the stories that fall at very specific places in the time line, and used her findings to create a template on which to build a story.
Deardon also discusses the four "pillars" of story (character, plot, story world, and moral) and what encompasses each. There are exercises throughout that will help you through each portion of the template. And she touches on some basic principles of writing as well as gives a smattering of advice about editing and manuscript submission. Those last areas are by no means comprehensive, but Deardon includes a great listing of resources for delving into them.
At first glance, you may think the book is strictly for those who love to outline their novels. And I definitely think it would be a huge benefit for that kind of writer. It lays out all the elements and helps you get everything in order, in the right proportion, and the various "pillars" interconnected. She recommends the use of note cards and story boards--things that make pantsers cringe.
BUT, I think all writers--outliners, pantsers, and hybrids--would benefit from this book, just in different ways. As I read through, I was mentally checking my already written and published novel, Finding Angel, against her recommendations. First, it was lovely to see that I apparently grasped a lot of this intuitively, as I was able to pretty much check off everything Deardon discussed. And as I did so, I couldn't help thinking what a great tool for someone who has finished a manuscript to go through and find if and where anything isn't right with their story! I believe wholeheartedly that if your manuscript seems "off" in any way, The Story Template will help you pinpoint why.
Deardon takes you through creating a one-sentence description of your story concept, to a larger description, to a full synopsis. If you've already written your manuscript, follow her techniques backwards to narrow down your story to a synopsis and then a one-line pitch. I wish I'd had this book when I was trying to do that for Finding Angel--I really think it would have made the process much less painful!
All in all, I highly recommend this book. More experienced writers may find the later writing, editing, and submission basics chapters something they can skim past, but they are great chapters for newer writers who need to know "what's the next step." And as I said, it makes for a excellent reference for all writers when either planning out their story before writing and/or evaluating it once the first draft is complete.
October 18, 2015
The Story Template trumps any and all writing books I have ever read, and that is saying A LOT! This isn't just another book on writing great prose, or creating memorable characters, or detailing place, or creating a scene. In The Story Template, Amy Deardon explains what she discovered when she sat down and applied scientific research techniques to isolate the common elements that make hit stories, hits. In reading The Story Template prospective writers will not only learn what elements comprise all hit stories, they will also receive practical instruction on how to implement those ideas. If you've got the great prose, memorable characters, vivid place down pat, but your stories still keep falling flat, then The Story Template just might be the last writing book you'll ever need.
November 17, 2013
[4½ stars, but I prefer to round up rather than down.]
With books on writing, the question is not so much "Does this author have something new to say?" as "Does this author have a particularly good way to say something well-known?". Amy Deardon has met that second criterion. This is one of the broad, general books on writing: Deardon lays out a process that takes the reader from the first idea for a novel or screenplay through submitting a finished manuscript. She states up front that her book won't be enough on its own to get you a finished work, and I'd agree; it covers each aspect of writing too briefly. If you need to work on your world-building or character development or whatever, you'll need to read further. But as anyone who's familiar with the writing section of the bookstore knows, there are plenty of books out there to help you, and if you want suggestions about where to start, Deardon includes a bibliography of her favorites.
Of the topics Deardon covers, story structure and character development interest me the most, so those were the sections I paid the most attention to. Perhaps other authors have described the model of four story pillars that are the foundation of her story template—plot, character, moral, and story world—but this was the first time I'd come upon all of them organized like this, and how they're the combination of the inner and outer stories with the concrete and the abstract. This alone didn't get the book the high rating I gave it, but it's a major part of it. Her "story strands" were also new to me, and I think they'd be a useful way of keeping track of subplots.
Books on writing often include exercises, as does this one. Unlike many of them, though, the "exercises" in The Story Template are more like guided instructions for working up your own novel or screenplay, rather than small practice pieces. This approach appeals to me, although I'm guessing it will seem too rigid for people who prefer to do their writing intuitively—but then, if you really don't like the idea of outlining your novel, you're probably not planning on reading this book anyway. For those who do like outlining and structuring their novels/screenplays before writing, The Story Template is a clear explanation of one way to do that, and has earned a spot on my overflowing bookshelves.
With books on writing, the question is not so much "Does this author have something new to say?" as "Does this author have a particularly good way to say something well-known?". Amy Deardon has met that second criterion. This is one of the broad, general books on writing: Deardon lays out a process that takes the reader from the first idea for a novel or screenplay through submitting a finished manuscript. She states up front that her book won't be enough on its own to get you a finished work, and I'd agree; it covers each aspect of writing too briefly. If you need to work on your world-building or character development or whatever, you'll need to read further. But as anyone who's familiar with the writing section of the bookstore knows, there are plenty of books out there to help you, and if you want suggestions about where to start, Deardon includes a bibliography of her favorites.
Of the topics Deardon covers, story structure and character development interest me the most, so those were the sections I paid the most attention to. Perhaps other authors have described the model of four story pillars that are the foundation of her story template—plot, character, moral, and story world—but this was the first time I'd come upon all of them organized like this, and how they're the combination of the inner and outer stories with the concrete and the abstract. This alone didn't get the book the high rating I gave it, but it's a major part of it. Her "story strands" were also new to me, and I think they'd be a useful way of keeping track of subplots.
Books on writing often include exercises, as does this one. Unlike many of them, though, the "exercises" in The Story Template are more like guided instructions for working up your own novel or screenplay, rather than small practice pieces. This approach appeals to me, although I'm guessing it will seem too rigid for people who prefer to do their writing intuitively—but then, if you really don't like the idea of outlining your novel, you're probably not planning on reading this book anyway. For those who do like outlining and structuring their novels/screenplays before writing, The Story Template is a clear explanation of one way to do that, and has earned a spot on my overflowing bookshelves.
January 13, 2012
Title: THE STORY TEMPLATE
Author: Amy Deardon
Publisher: Taegais Publishing, LLC
July 2011
ISBN: 978-0-9818997-3-2
Genre: Writing/plotting/writer’s block
Most people say they want to write a novel or a screen play. But they don’t have any idea where to begin. They write some words, maybe a chapter or two, then they don’t know where to go from there. If you are that person, then THE STORY TEMPLATE is a book you should consider.
THE STORY TEMPLATE is a writer’s conference in one book. It takes you from the beginning, using the plotting method, of planning your novel. Who are your characters? What do they do? What do you want the underlying message of the story to be? Where will it be set? What time period? What do you envision when you think of that area? And it gives you writing exercises, where you describe what you are “seeing,” and what you’re wanting to convey.
With THE STORY TEMPLATE you can:
Ascertain the four foundational story pillars, and use the “secret weapon” of the story template to structure your story
Build character depth with believable change
Create subplots to raise tension while you deepen and contrast story themes
Review writing techniques that shape your ideas into a compelling manuscript
THE STORY TEMPLATE is a product of Ms. Deardon’s extensive research when she started writing. It is an invaluable tool for the beginning writer, or even a more accomplished one who is suffering from writers block—or finding themselves facing a tight deadline with no idea where to start. If you are a writer, at any level, then you’ll want a copy of Ms. Deardon’s THE STORY TEMPLATE. $15.95. 239 pages
Author: Amy Deardon
Publisher: Taegais Publishing, LLC
July 2011
ISBN: 978-0-9818997-3-2
Genre: Writing/plotting/writer’s block
Most people say they want to write a novel or a screen play. But they don’t have any idea where to begin. They write some words, maybe a chapter or two, then they don’t know where to go from there. If you are that person, then THE STORY TEMPLATE is a book you should consider.
THE STORY TEMPLATE is a writer’s conference in one book. It takes you from the beginning, using the plotting method, of planning your novel. Who are your characters? What do they do? What do you want the underlying message of the story to be? Where will it be set? What time period? What do you envision when you think of that area? And it gives you writing exercises, where you describe what you are “seeing,” and what you’re wanting to convey.
With THE STORY TEMPLATE you can:
Ascertain the four foundational story pillars, and use the “secret weapon” of the story template to structure your story
Build character depth with believable change
Create subplots to raise tension while you deepen and contrast story themes
Review writing techniques that shape your ideas into a compelling manuscript
THE STORY TEMPLATE is a product of Ms. Deardon’s extensive research when she started writing. It is an invaluable tool for the beginning writer, or even a more accomplished one who is suffering from writers block—or finding themselves facing a tight deadline with no idea where to start. If you are a writer, at any level, then you’ll want a copy of Ms. Deardon’s THE STORY TEMPLATE. $15.95. 239 pages
June 15, 2012
Amy Deardon’s The Story Template has a basic premise: all successful stories are composed of thesame building blocks, and if you are going to write a successful story, you need to deal with those elements. We’ve seen this before in works like Blake Snyder’s fantastic Save The Cat!, but Deardon breaks it down much further, and not only addresses issues of plot but also character arc, theme, and message. She includes new ideas I’d “gotten” but never really formulated for myself, such as “story bubbles” and “plot pillars.”
The book is structured around exercises designed to guide you, step by step, through the process of plotting and framing your entire novel. The earliest exercises help you nail down what you love about the books you read, and then you begin framing out your own work. These exercises are thorough and will address every aspect of your book, from character development to setting to theme. The final exercises help you develop your logline, synopsis and pitch.
Whether you’re a plotter or a SOTP-er, whether you write character-driven fiction or plot-driven fiction, this book can only help. Even if you don’t do the exercises (I did not) it gives a window into how a well-formed story is crafted and all the major points it needs to touch upon to feel satisfying to the reader.
I highly recommend this book for anyone who writes fiction.
The book is structured around exercises designed to guide you, step by step, through the process of plotting and framing your entire novel. The earliest exercises help you nail down what you love about the books you read, and then you begin framing out your own work. These exercises are thorough and will address every aspect of your book, from character development to setting to theme. The final exercises help you develop your logline, synopsis and pitch.
Whether you’re a plotter or a SOTP-er, whether you write character-driven fiction or plot-driven fiction, this book can only help. Even if you don’t do the exercises (I did not) it gives a window into how a well-formed story is crafted and all the major points it needs to touch upon to feel satisfying to the reader.
I highly recommend this book for anyone who writes fiction.
Read
December 8, 2012A well-organized set of lessons and exercises to help structure your story. If I wasn't such a seat-of-the-pants writers, I'd use this. I've been writing for over two decades now, so it's rare I find a new concept in a writing manual. But this author had several. I especially liked the idea of a protagonist-mirror, a character who had been confronted with the same problem as the protagonist, but made a different decision. I used that in my work in progress. The only thing I'd change about this book is adding an index. Maybe I'll stick some Post-It note tabs in to help find key concepts. The Story Template is a welcome addition to any writer's toolbox.
April 16, 2013
While not as engaging as C. Yardley's "Will write for shoes," this was a really helpful book. I particularly liked her usage of well-known books and movies to illustrate her points. There really is a universal story structure, and she is very compelling. Less compelling was her use of "you might not agree, but my research proves that..." as an academic, I'm less interested in hearing that she's done a bunch of research, and more interested in seeing her research. But I understand that that's not something everyone enjoys.
I'm not for free-writing as it's never been useful to me, so I ignored most of the activities. But the nuts-and-bolts advice was very useful.
I'm not for free-writing as it's never been useful to me, so I ignored most of the activities. But the nuts-and-bolts advice was very useful.
March 4, 2013
If you've ever thought about writing a novel, or even a short story, this book is for you. Never written anything before, have writer's block, or just don't know how to get started putting your ideas for a great story down on paper? Reading this instructional book with its easy to follow exercises is sure to jumpstart your imagination and creativity. While I haven't written my first widely acclaimed novel just yet, haven't even started it, this book certainly has me believing in the possibility.
June 13, 2013
If you are looking for a formula to write that novel, well, it doesn't exist. But this is the closest you'll come to a step-by-step guide to writing a novel or screen play. After each lesson, Amy provides an exercise. By middle of the book, your novel will begin to take shape and have depth.
I highly recommend this book for any novice writer looking to learn the trade and for any advanced writer seeking a boost.
I highly recommend this book for any novice writer looking to learn the trade and for any advanced writer seeking a boost.
March 21, 2015
The first half of the book has good exercises to help develop a novel (or script). It was informative and something to refer to if you get stuck with your writing. I would give the first half 4 stars. The second half was based on what to do afterwards and is/could be very outdated. I didn't read it. She, also, included her own moralistic code in how/what to write, which put me off a bit, but it's not too heavy that it makes reading a bore. I give the second half 2 stars.
March 24, 2013
This book was lent to me by a friend and fellow writer and I am going to have to buy this book to help me as I continue to write fiction. I did not do the exercises that she gives along the way, but I plan to go back and utilize these exercises to help with cohesiveness of my work. If you want to grow in writing I definitely recommend this book.
November 12, 2013
I don't write fiction but a lot of non-fiction and presentations, so telling stories is still important. This book has some very good structures to help with good storytelling, if you are a fiction writer it would be quite useful. For me, it's mostly understanding good story structure, especially as I have some storytelling techniques in some of my classes.
April 30, 2016
Great!
If you've ever wanted to write a book, and didn't know where to start then this book is for you. In clear simple to understand language the author takes you step by step through the process of writing a novel. It made it possible to fulfill my dream. I highly recommend this book.
If you've ever wanted to write a book, and didn't know where to start then this book is for you. In clear simple to understand language the author takes you step by step through the process of writing a novel. It made it possible to fulfill my dream. I highly recommend this book.
May 6, 2013
This was good, but I think there are better books on writing out there. Kind of hard to get excited about although I am always looking for more of these books. Will try to read again someday, maybe I will get more from it when I am in a different place in writing.
December 5, 2012
Very concise and can help pinpoint an area you might be stuck at.
June 25, 2013
Love this! Less restrictive than The Marshall Plan. Love how it talks about relating the subplots with the main plot. Highly recommended for plotting.
February 27, 2015
Good and helpful. Plan to go back and do the exercises now that I've read through the book.
January 2, 2015
A good basic study of story structure.
November 25, 2015
A scientist studied how stories are actually designed, and turned her findings into a step-by-step program to creating a competent, well-integrated work of your own.
February 26, 2016
This is a good book about writing that explains the structure of story. An excellent book for new aspiring writers.
December 12, 2012
Great craft book! Found this very useful for revisions.
April 18, 2017
I love the no-nonsense approach to this book. It is packed with lots of useful information about organizing the different strands involved in writing a longer work of fiction. Loved it!
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews