Useful books on storytelling
I love reading books about writing, as you’re learning from someone else’s story. Even if 90% of a book is useless to you, you’ll always find something that helps you solve problems in your characterisation, plotting or story. As long as you approach it as something to help you rather than something prescriptive or a magic key, then you’ll get something out of them.
Below are some books I recommend. There are affiliate links that take you to purchase the book if you want it. It also means I get some money for promoting it at no extra cost to you or the author. Also, there’s obviously my book The Craft of Character, but this list is dedicated to ones I haven’t written!
I think it’s most useful to read books once you’ve tried to write. Explore, experiment, then read.
Writing for Emotional Impact - Karl Iglesias
This is my favourite screenwriting book. Karl Iglesias looks at the psychology of the reader and audience. We’re in the business of creating emotional experiences, and this book explores that. How to make every page carry us forward, deeper into story and engage us further with character. There are hundreds of dramatic techniques to improve your dramatic writing from character development, narrative and dialogue. There’s a great section on flaws as well.
On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft - Stephen King
This is a fun read if you’re a Stephen King fan, but still useful if you’re not. It’s part memoir and part educational but has some valuable lessons in storytelling from one of the best. One of the cool things is seeing where his own experiences have linked into some of his stories. This is a story in itself so makes it an entertaining education if you find the more academic texts a bit tedious. He really hates passive verse…
Save The Cat!: The Only Book on Screenwriting You’ll Ever Need - Blake Snyder
When I first read this I loved it. It offers you a beat sheet, and breaks down good techniques for writing your draft of a screenplay. There are also some amazingly useful passages on character and distinctiveness and I'd pay close attention to the section on log lines. However, do not take this book as prescriptive. It’s a great one to read because it’s easy to understand, but sadly this has become a bit of an industry go-to, and some gatekeepers will use the Save the Cat structure to critique a script without really understanding storytelling or the flexibility of the form.
The Hero with a Thousand Face - Joseph Campbell
As a fantasy writer, I love this book. Campbell outlines the hero's journey through the change and transformation that occurs within character, and the departure from the ordinary to the extraordinary world. There's a lot of depth to this book and it is a fun read.
This is a book you should read before you commit to a story. Erik defines what makes a sellable and engaging idea. Get this book and save yourself months of hard work. Erik explores the seven elements he believes are essential for any story idea to be viable. I recommend you read this before you read anything else.
Writing Screenplays that Sell - Michael Hauge
Michael Hague looks at story concept, character development, theme, structure and scenes. Most of us love writing for art and to express ourselves, but there’s also the point of making actual money. This book is commercial with advice on how to market yourself and how to make it commercially.