Book Review- Lisa Cron's Story Genius: How to Use Brain Science to go Beyond Outlining and Write a Riveting Novel

I don’t often review writing craft books, but Lisa Cron has helped me dig my way out of a cycle of dead-end edits. She is a story structure wizard and her book, Story Genius: How to Use Brain Science to go Beyond Outlining and Write a Riveting Novel, has been priceless for getting me back on track with my story.

A bit of backstory; I graduated from the UCLA Extension Writer’s Program several years ago, and had a solid first draft of a novel. As part of my UCLA experience, I was able to pick one professor to give me a written critique and meeting regarding my manuscript. I picked the incredible, New York Times Bestselling author, Caroline Leavitt for my review. Leavitt had been my instructor for a story structure course and had been very supportive of my writing. She also happens to have given a blurb on the cover of Story Genius. I came across Story Genius separately from working with Leavitt, but I was not surprised to see the connection. Leavitt gave me great advice on how to proceed with my edits, but as I moved forward, I still felt stuck. Last spring, I joined a writer’s critique group, and I have been testing fundamental changes to both my protagonist and the first part of my story, but nothing was working.

Story Genius had been sitting on my bookshelf, so I decided to give it a read. It’s an eye-opener! Cron gives a clear explanation of what attracts humans to stories, including how it triggers us in ways we don’t realize. She details the fundamental elements that stories must have, and how to make sure these key ideas are woven into your story.

Her book has exercises to create story structure prior to outlining or writing your novel. The exercises will develop your characters, which in turn, will inform your plot. I read through Story Genius without doing the exercises, and now, I’m going through the book a second time, following the exercises. Immediately, I feel like I’m on the right path towards correcting the problems with my novel. I had been in a huge slump, but now I feel confident that I know how to solve my character and story structure issues. More than confident, I’m excited about my story. I’m excited to write. The initial thrill is back!

Story Genius is an indispensable craft book, and I only wish that I had known about it prior to starting my novel. I highly recommend it for writers of all levels. I’m sure that it will be read many times, especially as I embark on new projects.

Book Review- Alexander McCall Smith's Precious and Grace

Recently, I had the pleasure of meeting Alexander McCall Smith at Powell's Books in Beaverton, Oregon. Smith is one of my favorite authors, and I was absolutely thrilled to meet the creator of   Mma Ramotswe and Mma Makutsi. 

My husband took this picture of the crowd waiting to hear Smith speak. I'm somewhere in here. 

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Smith spoke for approximately thirty minute and left about thirty minutes for an audience Q & A. One of the more interesting things that he spoke about, was the television adaptation of the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency. He was asked if Jill Scott was what he imagined for Mma Ramotswe. He he had nothing but positive things to say about Scott and the rest of the cast, but he also mentioned that he never pictures what his characters look like when he writes them. He pictures what they wear, their voice, their personality, but not so much physical features, and that he rarely describes his character's physical details. This was an "ah-ha" moment for me. I'm not at all comparing myself to the amazing Smith, but I also rarely visualize my characters and I thought this was something failing in my imagination. I felt this sense of relief to hear Smith speak on this subject. Smith gave a very entertaining and humor filled talk and caught everyone up on his most current projects. I marvel at his ability to be so prolific and with so many different series. I'm also happy to report that he does not envision The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency series ending any time soon. Or any of his other series for that matter. 

After he spoke, I got in line to have my book signed. I also bought a copy for my mother-in-law for Christmas, as she is also a fan. He wrote "Happy Christmas" to her and said that I'd get daughter-in-law brownie points!

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On to the book...

PLOT- In this seventeenth installment of The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency series, titled Precious and Grace, Smith works with themes of forgiveness. The agency has to solve the mystery of a Canadian woman, returning to Botswana to find a nanny who babysat her as a child. They only have a few memories and a less than stellar photograph to work with. They also must resolve the issue of Mr. Polopetsi, who has unwittingly become involved in a pyramid scheme. And can Grace live up to her name and overcome the fact that her arch-enemy, Violet Sephotho, has been shortlisted for a "Woman of the Year" award? All of this and Precious must find a home for an injured dog that has come into her care.

LIKE- As with every book in this series, I look forward to spending time with Precious, Grace, and all of the other characters. I don't read many book series, but the charm in them, is growing to deeply care about the reoccurring characters. The characters that Smith has created, feel like old friends. 

In Precious and Grace, Smith brings up the important topic of forgiveness. I think that most readers will identify with one or more of the characters, especially without how they react to the topic of forgiveness. The worst in this dilemma is Grace, who has a tough time trying to be gracious towards Violet, who has truly been a horrible person to her on more than one occasion. Smith writes a wonderful section on the importance of a hand shake, even if that person is someone you dislike. It's important to show respect. I read this the same night as the third presidential debate in America, in which Clinton and Trump did not shake hands. I wish the world had a little more of Smith wisdom in action.

DISLIKE- I love the story, but the one thing that is getting stale, now that we are in the seventeenth volume, is the rehashing of previous events and explaining the main characters. Unfortunately, this takes up a lot of space in the story and it's tedious this far into the series. It makes it so Precious and Grace, could be read independent of the series, but it's frustrating as a long time fan.

RECOMMEND- A fan of the series? Precious and Grace is a must-read. Smith continues to prove that he is an excellent storyteller. 

Book Review - Jesse Eisenberg's Bream Gives Me Hiccups

I like Jesse Eisenberg as an actor, so I was curious to see how he would do as a writer. Thank You to Grove Press for an advanced copy of Bream Gives Me Hiccups, in exchange for an honest review. 

PLOT- In Eisenberg's debut short-story collection, he offers a mix of a traditional short-story format and theatrical writing. The subjects of his pieces are vast, from pop-culture to historical figures and all types of fictional characters thrown into the mix. 

LIKE- Bream Gives Me Hiccups started out strong, with the title story, which follows a privileged nine-year old, as he reviews the places that he visits with his parents, who are divorced. This story was funny and affecting, with the kid trying to make sense of his world, which includes a heavy dose of dysfunction via a manipulative and vengeful mother. 

I also appreciated Eisenberg's play with the format of his stories. This collection could as easily be found in fiction, as it could be in the theatre section of a bookstore. Many of the stories are in the format of a monologue or a dialogue scene. As I was expecting something more traditional, this was a refreshing change of pace and a fitting format for many of the stories. A lot of the characters are young and I kept thinking that this would be a good resource for teenage drama students.

DISLIKE-  After the first story, the collection takes a huge nose dive. An often stated piece of writing advice, is to make sure that your protagonist is a minimum of one of the following;

1. Smart.

2. Likable.

3. Funny.  

Unfortunately, Eisenberg failed to include at least one of these traits in most of his characters. He certainly was not trying to include likable, as these are a miserable bunch of people. When he tried to go for smart, it rang as pretentious and most of the time, the funny fell flat. The title story had all three of these elements, but the rest, failed to measure up to the initial story.

The worst of the bunch was a sluggish tale of an unhappy college freshman, which is told through the letters that she writes to her former high school guidance counselor. Harper Jablonski is such an unlikeable protagonist, that it a painful read. This story comes about mid-way through the book and it derailed my interest entirely. I trudged on, but only because I was committed to writing a review.

RECOMMEND - No. If you have a chance to read the first story, Bream Gives Me Hiccups, do so, but skip the rest of the collection.