Monday, October 25, 2021

How to Build a Story by Frances O’Roark Dowell - ADVISABLE


How to Build a Story … Or, the Big What If
by Frances O’Roark Dowell
, 114 pages. NONFICTION. Caitlyn Dlougy Book (Simon & Schuster), 2020. $18.

Language: G (0 swears, 0 “f”); Mature Content: G; Violence: G

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - ADVISABLE

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE

Have you ever had a great idea for a story, started writing it, and then had to stop because you didn’t know what came next? Dowell breaks down how to build a story so that you don’t just start stories but finish them, too!

I appreciate that Dowell refers to the process as building rather than writing a story. I mean, it is all about writing and includes exercises to try after each chapter, but Dowell’s process builds on what young (or not-so-young) writers are doing and teaches them how to keep going. After following all the steps, writers have accomplished something substantial and are encouraged to start again.

Reviewer: Carolina Herdegen

No comments: