Story Made Simple: A No-Nonsense Guide to the Essential Elements of Storytelling

by Brandon McNulty

Unlock the secrets of storytelling and unleash your creativity!This ultimate guide for fiction writers demystifies the eight essential elements that every great narrative concept, character, worldbuilding, theme, plot, structure, scenes, and pacing.

Whether you’re just starting out or looking to supercharge your skills, this book is packed with practical insights, clear examples, and actionable tips. Each chapter breaks down the storytelling journey into easy-to-follow steps, empowering writers to craft unforgettable narratives.

Discover how Breathe life into compelling, multidimensional charactersDesign immersive worlds that captivate audiencesConstruct dynamic, engaging plots that keep audiences hookedCreate impactful scenes that propel the story forwardMaster pacing to maintain tension and intrigue from start to finishAnd much more!

With Story Made Simple, transform your ideas into stories that resonate and inspire. Get ready to embark on a thrilling writing journey—your masterpiece awaits!

Genres: Writing, Nonfiction

150 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 29, 2025

About the author

Brandon McNulty grew up loving monsters, demons, and the thrill of a great scare. Now he writes supernatural thrillers, horror, and other dark fiction. He is a graduate of Taos Toolbox Writers Workshop and a winner of both Pitch Wars and RevPit.

YOUTUBE CHANNEL: https://www.youtube.com/c/WriterBrand...

WEBSITE: https://brandonmcnulty.com/

Reviews

[Universal · Rating 5 out of 5]

English below. What have I done? My best.

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Jaki koń jest, każdy widzi - "Story made simple" spełnia obietnicę złożoną w tytule, jest niczym mniej i niczym więcej. Autor przeprowadził wiwisekcję opowieści, rozkładając strukturę na części pierwsze i syntezując najważniejsze informacje - począwszy od fazy koncepcyjnej i postaci jako centralnego punktu historii. Jedynym większym mankamentem wydaje się brak pełniejszego podsumowania i zestawienia wszystkich najistotniejszych spostrzeżeń - zakończenie jest krótkie i pozostawia niedosyt, choć może był to celowy zabieg.

Zgodnie z zapowiedzią poradnik nie zawiera bicia piany i zbędnych ozdobników - przykłady (spoilery!) są klarowne, język prosty (+/- B1-B2) - choć nie prostacki. Proponowane rozwiązania można z powodzeniem wykorzystać jako szkielet własnej opowieści, tym bardziej że McNulty zachęca do eksperymentów, tworząc po prostu bezpieczny punkt wyjścia dla początkujących. Znając poziom wielu utworów na rynku "Story made simple" można polecić też i publikowanym autorom, zwłaszcza tym obrażonym na świat który się na nich nie poznał. Należy mieć przy tym na uwadze, że to poradnik stworzony przez praktyka, a nie certyfikowane, uniwersyteckie kompendium.

Czytane w papierze, baaardzo budżetowa wersja - cieniutki papier, ledwie akceptowana jakość druku przypominająca domową laserówkę, okładka miękka jak wrażliwość debiutanta. Proponuję dopłacić do twardej okładki lub kupić ebooka (i przyoszczędzić na diabelnie drogiej wysyłce).

Polecam współtowarzyszom twórczej niedoli, przynajmniej na początek, a może i na dłużej.

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"Story made simple" really delivers on the promise made in the title. Brandon McNulty breaks a story down, analyzes each part of it, and synthesizes valuable directions - starting from the conceptual phase and focusing on characters as a nexus of a narrative. The only flaw I see is the lack of a comprehensive summary; the ending feels somewhat premature, but maybe that was McNulty's intention.

As promised the guide is not bikeshedded - examples are lucid and a language is intelligible (for foreigners - something around B1/B2 level I guess). McNulty's suggestions and hints are conveniently adaptable to writing own story and the author encourages finding your own ways of expression; this makes the book a safe haven for beginners. Being quite familiar with modern book market allows me to make a malicious statement that many authors could benefit from McNulty's guide, especially those with siege mentality. However it has to be emphasized that "Story made simple" is written by a craftsman for fellow writers, that's not an Oxford's compendium for a narrow target audience.

I got a paperback edition; it looks a bit cheap — thin paper with an overly flexible cover, and the print quality is reminiscent of a home printer. I suggest buying the hardcover or the ebook version (which also saves a considerable amount of money on shipping).

[Meg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perhaps the best non-fiction book I have read all year. If you are a writer or if you want to be a writer, read this book. If you are a reader, read this book. If you are a movie or TV show watcher, read this book. You will become a stronger writer, reader, and watcher because of it. Not only will this book make you a stronger writer (whether being a writer applies to you or not) but it will make you a better critic overall. It will allow you to better appreciate great stories in whatever form you like to consume them. Especially if you fit in the category of “I know that I liked this book/movie/show, but it’s hard for me to articulate why,” this book will teach you why good stories are good. It truly is the how-to-write book to end all how-to-write books. 125 pages of exactly what the subtitle promises: a no-nonsense guide to the essential elements of storytelling. This book was clear, concise, and explained the elements of story telling five times better than books five times its length. (And believe me, I’ve read a lot of long-winded how-to-write books. This may sound overzealous, but I doubt I’ll need to read any other how-to-write books again.) McNulty breaks story down simply into eight succinct chapters: concept, character, worldbuilding, theme, plot, story structure, scenes, and pacing. McNulty explores all of these elements so efficiently and also gives accessible, actionable steps to help writers make their stories stronger. Put simply, he makes it make sense. And for the first time, I’ve read a how-to-write book that makes me feel excited and empowered to write rather overwhelmed and discouraged. If I ever teach a composition or writing class, this would very likely be the only book I felt necessary for my students to read and the rest of the curriculum would center around it.

I wish there had been a chapter on dialogue. Even though McNulty’s advice for dialogue has a lot in common with his advice for the 8 other elements, I see fatal dialogue flaws so often in stories that I wish he had focused on that more. With that being said, any writer who adapts his 8 elements adequately to their story is set up for success to write good dialogue. On top of that, he has so many fantastic YouTube videos about dialogue, and I consider all of his videos to be supplemental to this book.

Read this book, follow his channel, you will only benefit and become a better appreciator of great stories if you do. I’ve been a long time follower and fan of McNulty’s YouTube channel and I was so excited to get this book. Boy did it not disappoint. I’m very excited for him and his success. He deserves it!

[Dawn Kravagna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Do you need another writing craft book?

Yes!

Every book has a golden nugget that can transform your writing for the better and this book is no exception.

Brandon has a wonderful YouTube channel on the writing craft so I immediately purchased his book when it became available.

A big positive is that this book covers every essential of the craft, yet is concise and to the point.

Each chapter has a “cheat sheet” to summarize the main points.

Eight story events are covered:
Concept
Character
Worldbuilding
Theme
Plot
Story structure
Scenes
Pacing

He breaks the process down from the big picture to drill down to scene beats.

The book is worth purchasing just for page 97 alone, which lists ten plot points every good story should hit.

I plan to combine these 10 with my Save The Cat! Writes Horror (Jamie Nash—5 stars) best sheet to create in unbreakable story structure.

[Andrew Pelechaty · Rating 5 out of 5]

While everyone wants to write the 'Great American Novel', the process is a lot harder than the dream.

McNulty's YouTube channel is full of informative videos analysing various fiction writing elements, using plenty of pop culture references and humour to get his message across.

And "Story Made Simple" has the same vibe.

McNulty breaks down the craft into eight steps: Concept, Character, Worldbuilding, Theme, Plot, Story Structure, Scenes, and Pacing. He illustrates his points with hypothetical examples and examples from popular movies (mostly using "Spider-Man", "Star Wars", and "The Godfather").

While it's short book, the longevity (and value for money) increases as a reference tool for budding writers. It may not take long to read cover-to-cover, but you'll find yourself bookmarking your favourite sections for future use.

[Lucy Appadoo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Story Made Simple was an inspirational and educational book that is suitable for aspiring and established authors.

The author focusses on all aspects of writing structure, including character profiles, worldbuilding, theme, plot, story structure, scenes, pacing, and great examples to demonstrate the concepts.

The book was written in a way that puts what you may already know about writing into a simple and easy to understand format that provides a different perspective to all the other writing books out there. It is not like any other writing book, as it draws you deeply into what works for story and explains the complexity of writing into a way that any layman can understand.

Such a brilliant piece of writing and so highly recommended.

[Barbara Venkataraman · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a long-time fan of Brandon’s writing channel on YouTube, I was excited to see he finally wrote a book on writing. I think I even suggested it once or twice, lol.

And it was worth the wait! I’ve read dozens of books on writing and only a handful were helpful. This book is one of them. Brandon’s clear, conversational style, backed up by examples of each concept, is exactly what we need. Both new and seasoned authors can benefit from Story Made Simple. I plan to read it again. Thanks, Brandon!

[J. S. Bailey · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh.

For someone who hasn't read many books on storytelling, this lays out the basics. Otherwise, it's hollow--Brandon is not saying anything new here or coming at storytelling from a unique perspective.
Its simple in every way.

Though his videos are some of the best out there on craft.

[Kel · Rating 5 out of 5]

wow!

[Jubilee Lipsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredible! Must read for anyone who wants to remove the mystery and actually know what they’re doing when crafting a story. Just as much fun as the YouTube channel!

[Étienne de Vignolles · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't intend to become an author, but this book helps you understand how storytelling works.

His novels are excellent too.

[Edin Kapić · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent companion book to Brandon's video series. Short, sweet, actionable....what more can you ask of it? If you're a writer (or want to become one), grab a copy.