joshgauthier's review
5.0
And with that, Chuck Wendig's Damn Fine Story becomes one of my favorite books on the craft and art of storytelling.
Wendig delivers the lessons of this book from the key perspective that writing rules are... malleable at the best of times. He does not try to tell us how we must write. Rather, he begins with simple questions that largely stem from the idea--what are we trying to achieve? From there, he provides an overview and discussion of some key strategies and tools available to storytellers with the repeated urging--use what works and toss the rest.
It is difficult to find a piece of writing advice that is wholly and entirely new. And this book does not set itself up as containing fundamentally new thoughts on storytelling. Rather, Wendig works to offer new perspective on old advice, applying his spin and approach to some familiar core concepts. And he is greatly successful in this goal. Wendig presents these ideas in ways I have never quite considered before, bringing new insight to familiar lessons. And his advice for the application of these "rules" is refreshingly open, stemming from the writer and the characters rather than the constraints of what a story "should" be.
And mixed in to this discussion on art and craft, Wendig also discusses the idea of storytelling--its purpose and passion in our lives. His approach to a book like this is much what I expected based on what I know about Wendig's work--it's funny, conversational, sometimes crass, and always entertaining. Full of cultural references and offbeat humor, Damn Fine Story keeps its momentum from the first page to the last and proves itself a wonderful resource and inspiration for anyone interested in the act of storytelling--whatever form that may take.
Wendig delivers the lessons of this book from the key perspective that writing rules are... malleable at the best of times. He does not try to tell us how we must write. Rather, he begins with simple questions that largely stem from the idea--what are we trying to achieve? From there, he provides an overview and discussion of some key strategies and tools available to storytellers with the repeated urging--use what works and toss the rest.
It is difficult to find a piece of writing advice that is wholly and entirely new. And this book does not set itself up as containing fundamentally new thoughts on storytelling. Rather, Wendig works to offer new perspective on old advice, applying his spin and approach to some familiar core concepts. And he is greatly successful in this goal. Wendig presents these ideas in ways I have never quite considered before, bringing new insight to familiar lessons. And his advice for the application of these "rules" is refreshingly open, stemming from the writer and the characters rather than the constraints of what a story "should" be.
And mixed in to this discussion on art and craft, Wendig also discusses the idea of storytelling--its purpose and passion in our lives. His approach to a book like this is much what I expected based on what I know about Wendig's work--it's funny, conversational, sometimes crass, and always entertaining. Full of cultural references and offbeat humor, Damn Fine Story keeps its momentum from the first page to the last and proves itself a wonderful resource and inspiration for anyone interested in the act of storytelling--whatever form that may take.
trittenger's review
Not a great narrator, but also, not a bad book, just moved on to more fiction.
willwriteswords's review
5.0
Never wept during a non-fiction book before, so that's something off my bucket list. Now to pre-order THE NARRATIVE ANUS.
tanyagold's review
Chuck Wendig encourages writers to think beyond some of the more prescriptive 'rules' of storytelling to develop their own style. If you appreciate Wendig's humor, you'll probably enjoy this.
chylu's review
5.0
An inspiring and encouraging read. I especially loved the second chapter, with its emphasis on how characters *are* the story: characters *are* their problem, and their solution to that problem *is* the story.
I also appreciate that Wendig sticks to a small handful of well-known stories (primarily Star Wars, Die Hard, The Princess Bride, and Buffy) to explain his thought processes. I've read more than a few craft books (and I wouldn't call this a craft book per se as it's not about "how to write" but more about what makes a good story -- but for the purposes of this review I'll call it a craft book) that only refer to the author's OWN BOOKS to illustrate their theories. I tend to put those books down well before finishing them.
I'd recommend this for any storytellers, particularly if you're tired of the "THIS IS HOW TO WRITE A BOOK"-type craft books that promise to show you the magic formula. Those can be useful to have in your toolkit and in your subconscious while you work, but I find a book like this much more organic and applicable.
I also appreciate that Wendig sticks to a small handful of well-known stories (primarily Star Wars, Die Hard, The Princess Bride, and Buffy) to explain his thought processes. I've read more than a few craft books (and I wouldn't call this a craft book per se as it's not about "how to write" but more about what makes a good story -- but for the purposes of this review I'll call it a craft book) that only refer to the author's OWN BOOKS to illustrate their theories. I tend to put those books down well before finishing them.
I'd recommend this for any storytellers, particularly if you're tired of the "THIS IS HOW TO WRITE A BOOK"-type craft books that promise to show you the magic formula. Those can be useful to have in your toolkit and in your subconscious while you work, but I find a book like this much more organic and applicable.
its_kievan's review
informative
medium-paced
3.5
A really great and insightful look at the mechanics of telling compelling stories… unfortunately accompanied by obnoxious Reddit-y “humour”.