This book was a brilliantly written piece of non fiction. I want to be a writer and this book helped me understand what parts of my work I can enhance by making a few tweaks. This book changed the way I take in stories as well. Gave me a whole new perspective on storytelling and pace. Will use this as a reference to craft my stories in the future. What an amazing read, 10/10.

Good story but took a while to get started. But don't give up and keep reading because it is a strong plot.

Thank you, Netgalley, for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review (yes, it's been a while but life happened bigly). This was such a good book I went and bought a hard copy.

I would say it's great even for people who AREN'T writers - it breaks the CONCEPT of a story down, so even if you're telling a story in a different way, really understanding the components of "story" make this book useful to you.

It's written well. It's not boring, not at all. The way it's broken down into 27 lessons is perfect. I have a *thing* for books on writing. Although I'm discretionary in my choices, I do have a whole shelf of them and can honestly say that this is one I return to more frequently than any other.

A well-structured book about storytelling. Rubin approaches this topic in a conversational and approachable way. His 27 principles are illustrated with examples from famous books and movies, which makes it even more accessible and easy to understand.

My ARC's format was all over the place so it was a bit hard to follow at times, but generally, the content was great. Anyone who wants to write a book or maybe is facing an obstacle in their plotting will find this useful.

It's me, the typical book blogger who would love to write a book or ten one day. I have the ideas but how do I get them onto the page? I'm usually hesitant in approaching self-help/writing books, but I was intrigued by the idea of learning by example. I liked that Rubin took his example form a wide variety of media, to make sure that as a reader you understand storytelling permeates everything but also abides by the rules everywhere. While I'm horrible at doing my homework, I did enjoy the fact that this is an interactive and proactive book. if you follow Rubin you'll have much more of an idea what you're doing by the end!

This is a book that any writer or English professor will eventually end up having on their shelves. That being said, there is not anything new to the elements of writing in this book so if you have read other writing books before you've essentially read this one.

This book needs to have a warning for spoiler alerts. It's kind of funny that the author mentions at one point that he's trying to avoid a spoiler for Lord of the Rings, but then goes ahead and spoils a whole bunch of storylines for other books and shows. The sections called "How a Master Did It" are full synopses that give everything away. After reading three chapters and being annoyed that an entire HBO series has just been spoiled, I decided I can't read this book.

It's a well researched and well written book. I really like the structure. I haven't written in years, and it had me wanting to dig out my manuscripts and putting the principles of story into practice. I think you will get more out of this book if you have a work in progress that you can workshop as you read it. It is also a good idea to make sure you have read/seen all of the example stories before you read those sections.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I received an ARC of this book thanks to NetGalley and publisher Workman Publishing Company in exchange for an honest review.

I really liked the layout and format of this book. I've not read a huge amount of writing books (How Not to Write a Novel is pretty much the only one but it's a good one) so I was interested to see what this would be like. It basically introduces a story principle, gives an example of it being used in pop culture and then presents several writing exercises for you to try and engage with the principle. It makes for a really interesting read about the theory of story, as well as a useful writing prompt/tool. I think the story elements chosen make sense and cover a broad spectrum of topics. All in all, a handy little book!

This is a great writing craft book that is well organized and laid out for ease of reading and referencing. I'm a very visual person and I need the information to be highlighted in a way for me to take notice so I can remember the content. I'm a fan of craft books and I would place this one in my top 10.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

I've read a lot of craft books, and this one still gave me some new tips, tricks, and framing. A worthwhile addition to a writer's stack!

A useful book, giving examples from literature of many different tropes and styles. Handy to dip into for inspiration.

There's a lot of information packed into this book. Each of the areas of focus uses examples from popular fiction (both screenplay and novels) to illustrate the concept, then provides action steps for providing the idea to your own writing. An application question at the end of each chapter allows you to test your understanding. Although there's nothing earth-shattering in terms of good writing here, the detail with which they're explored makes them easier to pull apart and apply. The writing is conversational and easy to read. Highly recommended as a manual for great storytelling.

Irreverent and funny, this book on storytelling craft delivers a lot of good information and even better ideas. I was impressed by the range of media the author managed to site, and that he really managed to tie it all back to the issue he was discussing.

While a lot of the mini quizzes seemed subjective to me, I did find many of the recommended exercises to be useful, especially linking character actions by "therefore/but" to create a plot line, and the dialogue exercises.

Interesting, useful, and enjoyable.

Firstly, I love the organization of the book. I find it will be easy to grab from the shelf any time I need a refresher or a restart. Each chapter is divided into How It Works, How A Master Did It, and How You Do It. This recurrent structure makes the book much more readable and relatable while also giving the reader assurance that a successful and engrossing writing style is within reach.

Secondly, the tips and strategies offered are easy for anyone to try. Anyone can write a good story after reading this book and implementing the lessons. Rubin's writing is accessible to all levels of writers and makes for an enjoyable read while learning something important.

Finally, I so appreciated all of the references. There's something for everyone. Shakespeare, Finding Nemo, Dickens, Ms. Marvel, Toni Morrison, and more. Again, these added to the readability of this text and makes the book widely relatable.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this title in exchange for an honest review.

The title, 27 Essential Principles of Story, basically explains what the book is about. It looks closely at plot, character, setting, dialogue, and theme.

The book uses a simple system. First, a brief description of the principle. Then, a detailed explanation of how the principle works. Next, an example from all types of literature (from Shakespeare to rap to video games). Finally, a step-by-step guide on how to apply the principle to your own writing. There is also a single multiple-choice question as a final exam. Extra credit if you also do the more intense continuing education exercises.

I think 27 Essential Principles of Story will assist me in determining what is making me like or dislike a particular book. But it is most effective as an excellent, easy to use tool for new writers. It is written in common English unlike some writing handbooks I have read. I especially enjoyed the last principle. Principle 27 says that it’s okay to break the other 26 principles as long as you are doing it consciously.

Overall, a great choice for aspiring, and struggling, authors regardless of medium. 5 stars!

Thanks to Workman Publishing Company and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

I haven't written a story in ages, and I found myself itching to write something after reading this book!

You do not have to read it in a particular order. If you are a writer and stuck in one aspect of the process, just check the table of contents and go to the chapter tackling the problem you have. However, if you are in a sort of a pause in between the works, then it would be worth your time perusing this book from the first to the last chapter. Each chapter analyses a specific aspect of the story and the writing process. After that it validates its points by using successful movies, stories, and plays as examples. I found it so beneficial that the author thus recommended various kinds of writing for aspiring writers, telling us in short that a good story comes in many forms.

For a long time I am simply a reader and a viewer, and yet I found myself nodding in agreement while reading the advice given in the book. The author put an effort in pointing out important things writers and screenwriters sometimes do not take into account, such as a necessity for putting the main character(s) into a grave dilemma in order to make ourselves more invested in the story. If there is no dilemma (the kind of depends on the "type" of the story you are telling), or if it is a weak one, you'll have a boring story (or a movie) that would probably be a waste of everyone's time (tastes differ, of course).

Highly recommended for writers! Even if you are already a successful one, you might find some inspiration from the book. General reading audience is also welcome, if you would like to educate yourselves on many levels of reading and viewing experience.

I received a complimentary ARC copy of “27 Essential Principles of Story Master the Secrets of Great Storytelling, from Shakespeare to South Park” by Daniel Joshua Rubin from Netgalley and Workman Publishing, in order to read and give an honest review.

… Well-written, informative and down to earth, Mr. Rubin gives us wonderful tools to help writers fully develop and expand their storytelling…

Multi-Media Writer, Playwright and Yale graduate, Daniel Joshua Rubin, gives us a masterclass in his book 27 Essential Principles of Story. Reading this I knew that it would be one of those books I would constantly refer to time and again. Well-written, informative and down to earth, Mr. Rubin gives us wonderful tools to help writers fully develop and expand their storytelling.

The book is divided into three sections Plot, Characterization and Setting, Dialogue, Theme. The author teaches us 27 valuable tools by dissecting scenes that reference many popular books, comic books, tv series and movies everything from Shakespeare and Finding Nemo, to Breaking Bad and Jhumpa Lahiri’s Interpreter of Maladies. Mr. Rubin illustrates each principle and follows up with exercises as well as mini quizzes to help writers master each example and really understand the core of each principle.

As I mentioned previously this is a book, I will be referring to time and again. Recently challenged with a character in a current work in progress, I particularly loved and needed his principle “Peel the onion” about approaching creating characters in a more holistic manner and it has really helped. I can’t say enough about this book and would highly recommend this to anyone who wants to learn the nitty gritty of successful storytelling.

Practical Fiction-Writing Gems

As someone who both works with writers as a freelance editor as well as a writer myself (though mostly nonfiction), I can't get enough books on writing. This particular book is a very well-thought-out and well-structured book that would help any fiction author hone their craft. In it, the author shares what he considers to be the 27 key elements of good fiction writing. The book is divided broadly into three sections: plot; character; and setting, dialogue, and theme. Both the plot and character sections are relatively large while the third one is not as long. Each chapter is similarly structured, first giving you a brief idea what the concept is, a deeper explanation of its key elements, a brief analysis of it being used well in a fictional context—book, play, movie, television show, song, etc.—how you can employ this technique in your writing, a brief scenario with a multiple-choice question to help cement the knowledge, and a further work you can explore that also well exemplifies what the principle is about. Interestingly, the author has opted to not use a lot of traditional words typically used when we talk about plotting and characterization like climax. He wants things to be more open-ended and easily personalized for the writer and the writer's works. The author has a writing style that is pleasant to read and easy to understand, thankfully, as he shares a lot that gets you thinking about the elements of a story. I like that the author approached and picked apart all these concepts from several different angles. If you write novels, or if you want to, I highly recommend this book to help get you and keep you on the right track.

27 Essential Principles of Story is a masterclass in plotting and storytelling aimed at authors by Daniel Joshua Rubin. Due out 18th Aug 2020 from Workman Publishing, it's 384 pages (for the ebook) and will be available in paperback and ebook formats.

This is an -extremely- well written and usable manual presenting clear and concise examples of plotting, tension, characterization, setting, dialogue, theme and other parts of narrative fiction which are essential tools for writers. The tutorial examples are arranged thematically: essential principles of plot, character, and setting dialogue & theme. Each of the tutorial chapters is presented with a real life example from literature, tv, or other media and broken down and examined point by point. Highlighted text boxes provide prompts and self quizzes to help the reader master the presented material.

Wonderful book on the nuts and bolts of story creation and writing. It would also be quite useful for reviewers and other readers who need to understand the bones of creative writing. Highly recommended.

Five stars.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

This book is broken into three overarching sections: plot, character, and everything else. Each principle is introduced by the author, Daniel Joshua Rubin. He gives a short overview of how each principle impacts storytelling. Next, Rubin offers a description of how to recognize it when it is being used by another storyteller. Followed by an example of how it was used by a particular writer successfully. Rubin then breaks it down into action steps for an aspiring writer to integrate into their work. One of the more unique aspects is when Rubin offers a hypothetical story with multiple possible answers (one or more of which illustrated the principle in action). This prompts a decision from the reader, forcing them to take part in active storytelling. When the answer is revealed on another page, Rubin offers rationale for his choice.
One of the most interesting factors of this book is the constant references to writing as a practice. From the beginning, Rubin makes the connection between practice and work.
While I’m not convinced that there are only 27 principles of story, I am certain that this is one of the most valuable texts that I have encountered for aspiring writers. Much of that has to do with the no-nonsense, practice your craft attitude that counters the long held and harmful assumptions about talent and inspiration.
I recommend this for any aspiring novelist or screenwriter. This book will help you decode the stories that you love, while honing your craft.
Note: I received an electronic ARC through #NetGalley in exchange for my review. #27EssentialPrinciplesofStory