How Story Works

An Elegant Guide to the Craft of Storytelling

By: Lani Diane Rich

Narrated by: Lani Diane Rich

Length: 3 hrs and 50 mins

Publisher's summary

Almost two decades ago, Lani Diane Rich signed a two-book deal with Warner Books and panicked. She’d written one story, but had no idea how she wrote it. Right then, she started on a quest to learn everything about stories. Now, 12 novels and thousands of hours analyzing stories later, she’s ready to teach you not only how story works, but how to make it work for you.

Whether you’re writing novels, films, comics, or video games, this theory will teach you what you need to know about craft so that you can get out of your own way and let your magic shine.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2021 Lani Diane Rich (P)2021 Lani Diane Rich

Critic reviews

“How Story Works is a writing encyclopedia, a road map, and a pep talk all rolled into one - the rare 'How To' that feels like you’re having a fun chat with an enthusiastic expert who can’t wait to read what you’ve created. If you have a story inside of you, this book can help you get it out of there and into the world where it belongs.” (Josh Siegal, writer and producer, 30 Rock, The Good Place, Saved by the Bell)

“Lani’s assistance was instrumental in turning my manuscript into an actual book that you can hold in your hands. She won’t just make you a better writer, she’ll inspire to you to work hard, love your creations, and be proud to take them out into the world.” (Luke Arnold, star of Starz’s Black Sails and author of The Last Smile in Sunder City)

Concise and to the point.

This book was fantastic for a basic and succinct overview of narrative theory.

At first I was worried about it’s length, but after finishing it I think it is the perfect length for an introduction that covers enough ground to get one ready to be a better storyteller.

I enjoyed the reading and found the authors performance to be perfectly suitable for the material.

Perfect concise guide!

Such a helpful reference with perfectly articulated ideas. Every writer should have a copy!

Small but useful

Great conversational tone, and superbly narrated by Lani. That was a real surprise. She did a better job than the professionals.

Not super in-depth due to its size, but worth listening to for its clarity and simplicity.

excellent and clear

well thought through and insightful book for new and experienced writers of fun action

A lifetime's work that entertains & informs

Longtime fans of LDR's will hear familiar terms used as she outlines how stories work. Newcomers will hear engaging narration and storytelling and Lani gives us a useful framework for both crafting stories and analyzing the stories we love. At the end of this zippy listen (it's short but detailed & thorough), I'm feeling inspired to both write something new and reread some of my favorite stories, with new eyes to better appreciate them.

Puts You In The Right Mood To Write

This is a brilliant book to get you started on the road to writing. It makes writing fun and exciting. It makes you WANT to write.

A treasure trove for writers

This was excellent - simple and wise, engaging and funny - contains all the advice and tools you need to start your writing journey.

Concise guide and great performance

Easy to understand, short guide to developing a story in any format. A good starting point for any artist.