I found this book very helpful as it condensed a wealth of writing knowledge into a short read.

I do think some of the chapters could have been put in a different order (or at least a quick mention of 'we'll cover those points later') and they might have made more sense. In the "Black Moment" chapter, one example story which is used in all the other points is missing, which makes it harder to grasp the 'how to' point.

I would be remiss if I didn't mention that frequent typos and the use of "four letter words" gave this craft book a juvenile, unprofessional feel. Also, how to craft the story climax is skimmed over in this book, which is a pity.


But if you just need a refresher course and want to know how to streamline the draft process, this is the book for you. As I said above, it did help me, and I'm glad I read it. ( )

This short and sweet little book explains the writer's plotting methods in a very straightforward fashion. It expects you to be familiar with the three-act structure.

Despite quite a few typos this book was definitely worth the time and cost. It explained certain aspects of the three-act structure to me in a way that finally 'clicked'.

4 1/2 stars. ( )

Less 'it was amazing' than remarkable lucid and practical advice. As in linguistics, it's most helpful as a descriptive rather than prescriptive idea on how fiction works. Yardley specifically points out her book isn't relevant to literary fiction, but I rather think it should be. ( )