A Story is a Promise The Spirit of Storytelling [Paperback]

Bill Johnson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 5, 2011

This book on the craft of storytelling has three sections. A Story is a Promise explores the mechanics of telling a story. Deep Characterization explores what happens when an author makes characters an extention of the author's issues. The Spirit of Storytelling suggests techniques for authors to create characters with fully realized inner lives; characters who are vibrant, dynamic, and resonate with readers. The book includes a link to an outline of The Lovely Bones and a diagram for developing the dramatic truths of characters, and new reviews of popular movies, including Inception, and detailed reviews of Romeo and Juliet (the play), The Heidi Chronicles (play), The Shawshank Redemption and The Usual Suspects (movies), Fifty Shades of Grey, and The Lovely Bones (novels). These reviews are meant to help writers understand the underlying process that creates popular stories.

Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Blue Haven (December 5, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 061557470X
• ISBN-13: 978-0615574707
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,637,530 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Bill Johnson is author of A Story is a Promise and The Spirit of Storytelling, a writing workbook. He's an award winning, produced playwright who served for many years on the board of the Northwest Playwrights Guild. He's the office manager for Willamette Writers, a non-profit writing group based in Portland, Oregon, with over 1,700 members. Bill leads workshops on writing around the United States. He reviews popular movies, novels and plays to explore principles of storytelling at his website, (www.storyispromise.com).

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Thank You Bill Johnson August 19, 2011

By JAD

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

I have never reviewed anything on Amazon before but I feel so indebted to Bill Johnson that I have to give him a review. I went to a big name film school for college and throughout the entire 4 years and thousands of dollars, I never learned more about storytelling then I did reading this 3 dollar kindle book. Bill Johnson really gives you the map to the maze. After 6 years of making movies, I had some idea on what made a story work and what didn't, but Bill Johnson really gives the theoretical groundwork to what makes a story resonate with an audience. Not only did the book corroborate some ideas that I already had but enriched them and gave me so much more to think about. Thank You Bill!

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Bill Johnson gets to the core of storytelling November 20, 2011

By Carolyn J. Rose

Format:Kindle Edition

Bill's work made me take a longer look at what matters to readers - and what matters to me as a reader - at the emotional core. I feel my characters are deeper and more memorable because of what I learned.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A Valuable Resource For Writers February 11, 2013

By A. R. Arias

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

Wow! I've had this book (Kindle version) for some time and refer to it constantly because it has so much to offer. It's one of the few books I consider that really helped me understand what it takes to develop and write an effective and powerful story. Bill Johnson really knows how to lay it out and put it all into perspective by revealing the key elements and techniques that go into storytelling by using plenty of examples and literary references.

I only wish I'd read it before I started writing my first novel. But luckily, many things are fixable so that's what I did and it's made a big difference. Let's face it, it's a long and winding road to publication, but this is one tool you're going to need if you want to break through.

You simply can't go wrong with this book. It's a goldmine of important information you really need to know if you want to infuse your work with all the right stuff. Get it. It's all good.