Customer Reviews

How To Write Your Best Story - Advice for Writers on Spinning an Enchanting Tale

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Phillip Martin has edited several of my books, so I know that he is a great editor. Now, having read How to Write Your Best Story, I can say that he is a great writer, too.

This is a gem of a book--a must read for anyone who has written or wishes to craft the "best story" possible. Toward the end of the book, Phillip refers to a work by nature writer Barry Lopez, who define isumataq, the Inuit word for "storyteller," as follows: "the person who creates the atmosphere in which wisdom reveals itself."

This summarizes the tone and insight of this wonderful little book. It is just one of the many words of wisdom in which Phillip Martin weaves a story about how to better write and simply enjoy our own stories.

Martin launches his book with the premise that thousands of stories are being written with "something lacking." The writer labors, but fails to grab the attention of the reader. In this book, he asks whether good storytelling can be "taught."

What he succeeds in doing, admirably, is not only describing some of the elements of good storytelling, but describing them in such a way as to model good storytelling in the very act of explaining it. In short, this book is wonderfully readable. I have stacks of books on my shelf, waiting to be read -- but when I picked up this one I wanted to keep going until I finished it.

Martin breaks down the topic of storytelling into three basic sections: Eccentricity, Details, and Surprises. Each section is satisfyingly complete, and packed with examples from favorite stories, classic novels, and some less well-known sources. Throughout the book, Martin weaves in a parable to keep the reader "hooked" on a growing story that serves as an example of the techniques being described.

The tips here aren't new or groundbreaking. We've all heard that "less is more," and that knowing what to leave out of your story is just as important as what to put in. What works here is the style in which the material is delivered. Too many books on "how to write a story" are dry, pedantic and dull -- delivered like lectures to a group of drowsy students. Others illustrate their text with examples drawn entirely from their own works -- which is great if you think their work is brilliant but not so great if you don't.

Thus, for a book on "how to write well" to work, it must itself be written well -- and in such a way as to encourage you to read it. In this, How to Write Your Best Story is a success, and an enjoyable addition to any fiction writer's bookshelf.

Moira Allen, Editor of Writing-World.com

[...]

A hands on work that guides with descriptive detail. It helps me develop the detail important to take a reader into the story. Love it!

What's the difference between plot and story? Find out in this concise, almost poetic examination of what makes a great story. Martin's examples are perfectly selected. The book is short, doesn't have a lot of filler, but packs a punch, which I really like. A quick must read!