210 books
—
87 voters
Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read.
Start by marking “Structuring Your Novel Workbook: Hands-On Help for Building Strong and Successful Stories” as Want to Read:
Structuring Your Novel Workbook: Hands-On Help for Building Strong and Successful Stories
(Helping Writers Become Authors #4)
by
Discover the Proven Blueprint for Creating Stories That Sell!
Internationally published author K.M. Weiland’s previous book, the award-winning Structuring Your Novel, showed writers how to create stories with strong and compelling plot structure.
Now it’s time to put those lessons to use! Building upon the principles you’ve already learned, the Structuring Your Novel Workb ...more
Internationally published author K.M. Weiland’s previous book, the award-winning Structuring Your Novel, showed writers how to create stories with strong and compelling plot structure.
Now it’s time to put those lessons to use! Building upon the principles you’ve already learned, the Structuring Your Novel Workb ...more
Get A Copy
Kindle Edition, 154 pages
Published
November 15th 2014
by PenForASword Publishing
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
Reader Q&A
To ask other readers questions about
Structuring Your Novel Workbook,
please sign up.
Recent Questions
Community Reviews
Showing 1-30
Start your review of Structuring Your Novel Workbook: Hands-On Help for Building Strong and Successful Stories
For all my friends who are or want to be writers, if you want to give yourself some homework, discover the work of KM Weiland. She's helped me wrap my whole head around conceptualizing the structure of novels (and how to do it well). It's an art just like learning any other craft. (Reading this, I felt the way I did in my early days of photography, piecing together all the elements that entailed shooting in manual).
...more
...more
So helpful! It aids in helping you process, assemble, and execute your story. Highly recommend, along with the other two workbooks.
This is a GREAT guide for any fiction writer. Even after you've written your story, this will help you in revisions. I'm using it to make sure I've hit all the important points. But it's most helpful when you find yourself lost in the weeds of your story and you're not sure which direction will get you to the end.
The questions that follow each section provide terrific guidance. They help you order your thoughts about your story. And sometimes you come across a question you hadn't thought of or d ...more
The questions that follow each section provide terrific guidance. They help you order your thoughts about your story. And sometimes you come across a question you hadn't thought of or d ...more
This would make a great electronic fillable form. As it stands, I got the kindle version, which is fine, but lacks that satisfying, fill-it-in aspect. The paperback would be nice, but I'd likely need to buy one for every story. :) I do love all the directions and questions in it. It's like getting the anatomy of your story laid out in an easy to digest format. I feel the need to rearrange some of the items, though. I think this book blends really well with Randy Ingermanson's How to Write a Nove
...more
Great writer's guide for scene and plot structure. Lots of detailed descriptions and examples, and although geared more towards fiction writing, I think this book is helpful for writing in all genres and for beginners and older writers alike.
...more
If you are just beginning to dabble in the world of story writing, then this workbook would most likely be an incredibly useful guide. However, if you've been dabbling in this world for a while and are simply looking to hone your craft or find your "it" factor, then this book may not be as useful to you. A lot of the information in here are just reiterations of things that an English teacher would tell you about the process of good story structure (in my opinion). I found myself nodding a lot an
...more
STRUCTURING YOUR NOVEL WORKBOOK by K. M. Weiland
Learning anything new is a challenge, especially when there is more than one way to go about it. That's why I love this workbook. The questions in the workbook spotlight problems in your novel that you never noticed before. I had quite a few moments of gratitude to Miss Weiland. Once I realized there was a deficiency, I was able to attack it. But first it needed to be brought to my attention. The workbook did that for me. It was truly eye-opening.
Y ...more
Learning anything new is a challenge, especially when there is more than one way to go about it. That's why I love this workbook. The questions in the workbook spotlight problems in your novel that you never noticed before. I had quite a few moments of gratitude to Miss Weiland. Once I realized there was a deficiency, I was able to attack it. But first it needed to be brought to my attention. The workbook did that for me. It was truly eye-opening.
Y ...more
Hard to work through in order, given that it expects you to already know your project outline, pinch points, plot points, etc. A little jumping backwards and forwards may be in order, especially for those who have a beginning and ending in mind but not necessarily all the middle, or a bunch of events but not necessarily know the exact order or where they fall in the three act structure yet.
Lots of good questions and exercises, very good at making you think about how events flow into each other a ...more
Lots of good questions and exercises, very good at making you think about how events flow into each other a ...more
This book is a good resource but as hard as I tried, I felt like I just did not get it. For my writing ideas kept on changing and molding, and it probably would show if anyone looked at my answers.
Sometimes I felt like I was being asked the same question again and again or the answer I write is for the wrong question. This book is more ideal for a planning writer who knows everything from A-Z to the book. Than if you say are a discovery writer. Although throughout the frustration I've had with ...more
Sometimes I felt like I was being asked the same question again and again or the answer I write is for the wrong question. This book is more ideal for a planning writer who knows everything from A-Z to the book. Than if you say are a discovery writer. Although throughout the frustration I've had with ...more
A rigorous companion to Weiland's Structuring Your Novel that put my plot through its paces. I've been working on my novel for a while (too long), so I was already pretty far along in the process, and the workbook still led me to make several changes that I think improved it greatly. I don't know how well I would've done if I'd been starting from scratch, but I definitely recommend it for stories that seem stuck or aren't coming together properly. I also recommend using it alongside Structuring
...more
I read it after I wrote one novel and one short story. I also was in the middle of two new novels in parallel.
I did not complete all the excercises. But only reading the summary of each of the components of the novel struture, and the scene structure, was of a good help for me.
It is like creating a wardrobe without having any idea about carpentary. Even you end up with a good one because you have the skill and the passion, with knowledge of its basic structure you would reach a better looking, s ...more
I did not complete all the excercises. But only reading the summary of each of the components of the novel struture, and the scene structure, was of a good help for me.
It is like creating a wardrobe without having any idea about carpentary. Even you end up with a good one because you have the skill and the passion, with knowledge of its basic structure you would reach a better looking, s ...more
I love every one of K. M. Weiland’s books
As a systems thinker (retired systems engineer actually), I really resonate with her clear systematic approach and relevant examples. Her books are among my top go-to’s for learning and reference as I continue to grow as a writer and as a person.
As a systems thinker (retired systems engineer actually), I really resonate with her clear systematic approach and relevant examples. Her books are among my top go-to’s for learning and reference as I continue to grow as a writer and as a person.
Amazing!
This is by far the single greatest book I have read concerning novel writing advice. K.M. Welland puts forth her knowledge in a straight forward and easily understandable manner. Highly recommend this book and all of her others.
This is by far the single greatest book I have read concerning novel writing advice. K.M. Welland puts forth her knowledge in a straight forward and easily understandable manner. Highly recommend this book and all of her others.
Great for in-progress works or those in need of revision.
As with many of K.M. Weiland's books, this workbook is a true life saver. Thank you!
...more
Fabulous resource
This is a great writing resource workbook. Using this you will have a solid plot with an interesting journey. I recommend using it in tandom with the book and the Character Arc book and workbook.
A great companion to the Structure your Novel book.
Wordy but useful
"Structure should never be about trying to force our stories into a box." Weiland, K.M..
I'm a newbie in the writing world, never been published, and feel very self-conscious about my writing ability, so I've been reading just about everything I can in the writing-self-help category. I began outlining a project I feel very close with, and I think with the information in this book I fine-tune my plotting and answer some questions I haven't been able to put into words. (For instance some scenes I k ...more
I'm a newbie in the writing world, never been published, and feel very self-conscious about my writing ability, so I've been reading just about everything I can in the writing-self-help category. I began outlining a project I feel very close with, and I think with the information in this book I fine-tune my plotting and answer some questions I haven't been able to put into words. (For instance some scenes I k ...more
K.M. Weiland - or Katie - is not only a master of fiction stories, but also a whiz when it comes to plot, characters, and planning your novel. She has a wonderful way of making everything make sense, and provides a step-by-step guide to plot and structure, while still leaving enough room for creativity.
Katie shares every possible thing you need to know about plot structure, plus more amazing tips! She provides examples from other popular works and explains things in a very down-to-earth way and ...more
Katie shares every possible thing you need to know about plot structure, plus more amazing tips! She provides examples from other popular works and explains things in a very down-to-earth way and ...more
I got the book and this workbook in the summer of 2015 to help me prep the writing of my second novel in time for Nanowrimo. It was during the reading of the book that I realized that my first novel, Chrysalis, was unsound and would need to be restructured.
In December of 2015 I decided to go back to revising Chrysalis. I have been dutifully working on it the last three months, not by re-writing any words, but by going through the workbook, thinking through the questions, exploring different pos ...more
In December of 2015 I decided to go back to revising Chrysalis. I have been dutifully working on it the last three months, not by re-writing any words, but by going through the workbook, thinking through the questions, exploring different pos ...more
To be fair, I must confess I did not read the book this workbook is based on. That said, this approach of comparing the novel to a play simply did not work for me. While the book posed several thought provoking and helpful questions, I do not feel that I learned as much as I wished to from this workbook. After struggling through the first few chapters, I wound up skimming the rest of the book in my spare moments here and there over several months. I have given it three stars because I feel most
...more
An excellent workbook to accompany the Structuring Your Novel book. It takes you in-depth with each point of the novel, letting you ask questions to nail down what events happen why, and why. It provides questions to prompt you to think about the growth of heroes as well as villains, and even side characters. It offers questions to develop your sub-plots, and a couple chapters that help to flesh out your individual scenes. I'm excited to use this workbook on my novel and give it a proper frame t
...more
I found Structuring Your Novel really helpful. It's clear, full of examples and practical tips. The book explains the three act structures in a way that can be applied both to the outlining of a new project and to the editing of an existing one. Moreover is a pleasurable reading, entertaining and encouraging.
I have just gone through the workbook without completing all the exercises, but they seem interesting and helpful guidelines for revising and outlining.
On the whole is a book I suggest to ev ...more
I have just gone through the workbook without completing all the exercises, but they seem interesting and helpful guidelines for revising and outlining.
On the whole is a book I suggest to ev ...more
A comprehensive, driving step by step guide to good plot structure. It leaves very little to the imagination, and offers even less with how to deviate and change it up from this full-steam-ahead type of writing, but it's not a bad system by any means. Definitely give it a skim or proper study regardless of where you are in your publishing process: you either learn something new or get a refresher from the foundation levels.
...more
I love this book, and its companion book "Outlining Your Novel Workbook." I'm a complete discovery writer, a pantser, and I'm so glad I have these wonderful books to give me just the amount of structure and help that I need. Weiland breaks down each act of a story, and helps you figure out the must useful places for bits and pieces to go. This is a truly invaluable resource, and I know I'll keep referring to it for years to come!
I LOVE the way K.M. writes about writing, she gives it such a clini ...more
I LOVE the way K.M. writes about writing, she gives it such a clini ...more
A solid companion to Weiland's Outlining Your Novel Workbook. Practical guidelines and provocative questions help the writer stumble through the maze of making sense of a story once you've got the plot and characters figured out.
...more
Cracking workbook for new and seasoned writers. I've written a ton of notes, pulled out all the questions I think I'll need to keep asking myself as I draft my own manuscripts. What more can I say? I learnt several things, and know I will refer back to it.
Would recommend for any writer. ...more
Would recommend for any writer. ...more
Absolutely brilliant!
There are no discussion topics on this book yet.
Be the first to start one »
Readers also enjoyed
K.M. Weiland lives in make-believe worlds, talks to imaginary friends, and survives primarily on chocolate truffles and espresso.
She is the IPPY, NIEA, and Lyra Award-winning and internationally published author of the acclaimed writing guides Outlining Your Novel, Structuring Your Novel, and Creating Character Arcs, as well as Jane Eyre: The Writer’s Digest Annotated Classic.
Her fiction include ...more
She is the IPPY, NIEA, and Lyra Award-winning and internationally published author of the acclaimed writing guides Outlining Your Novel, Structuring Your Novel, and Creating Character Arcs, as well as Jane Eyre: The Writer’s Digest Annotated Classic.
Her fiction include ...more
Other books in the series
Helping Writers Become Authors
(8 books)
News & Interviews
Need another excuse to treat yourself to a new book this week? We've got you covered with the buzziest new releases of the day.
To create our...
45 likes · 12 comments
No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »
