• Structuring Your Novel

  • Essential Keys for Writing an Outstanding Story
  • By: K. M. Weiland
  • Narrated by: Sonja Field
  • Length: 6 hrs and 16 mins
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars (713 ratings)

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Structuring Your Novel  By  cover art

Structuring Your Novel

By: K. M. Weiland
Narrated by: Sonja Field
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Publisher's summary

Is Structure the Hidden Foundation of All Successful Stories?

Why do some stories work and others don't? The answer is structure. In this IPPY and NIEA Award-winning guide from the author of the bestselling Outlining Your Novel, you will discover the universal underpinnings that guarantee powerful plot and character arcs. An understanding of proper story and scene structure will help you to not only perfectly time your story's major events, but will also provide you with an unerring standard to use in evaluating your novel's pacing and progression.

Structuring Your Novel will show you:

  • How to determine the best methods for unleashing your unique and personal vision for your story.
  • How to identify common structural weaknesses and flip them around into stunning strengths.
  • How to eliminate saggy middles by discovering your "centerpiece."
  • Why you should NEVER include conflict on every page.
  • How to discover the questions you don't want readers asking about your plot-and then how to get them to ask the right questions.

Story structure has empowered countless bestselling and classic authors. Now it's your turn!

©2013 Katie M. Weiland (P)2014 Katie M. Weiland

Featured Article: The 10 Best Audiobooks on Writing


National Novel Writing Month—or NaNoWriMo—is the one time every year you can be totally obsessed with your novel, live knee-deep inside your own stories, and no one can say anything about it! It is, in short, a creative writer's dream (or nightmare, depending on how well you write under pressure). From fantastical epics to realistic shorts to flash-fiction, we each have our own wonderful story to tell. This carefully selected list of the best audiobooks on writing will help you access your inner writer and get your story on the page.

What listeners say about Structuring Your Novel

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An Outstanding Resource for Writers

As a fiction writer myself, I love to study the masters of the trade, from the fabulous screenwriting teacher of Story, the great Robert McKee, to Orson Scott Card, and the many professors who instruct others in the art. But K.M. Weiland has distilled much of that knowledge into a writer's resource that is succinct and extremely useful, whether you are a seat of your pants writer (a pantser) such as myself, or a writer who doesn't even begin the draft until a detailed outline is complete.

I still take a month-long break between novels to study the craft, but when I start laying out my plots, developing my characters, and working on the character and story arcs, I pull out K.M. Weiland's STRUCTURING YOUR NOVEL. It has certainly made my work much easier.

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44 people found this helpful

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Finally! The bones of novel writing!

I've been wondering for quite some time whether there was a logical structure underpinning the art of writing novels. In this wonderful reference book K.M. Weiland confirms there is. She goes on to explain it in a way that makes sense and is easy to understand.

I'm very glad I read this book and recommend it to others who want to better understand the craft of writing.

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27 people found this helpful

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Perfect

This audiobook is just what I was looking for. I liked the clear explanation of story, scene, sequel (not what you might think), and sentence structure so much that I am on my third time listening. I also ended up buying the Kindle book, plus the workbook, as well as both the Kindle and Workbook on Outlining.

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17 people found this helpful

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A Writer's Best Friend

I've downloaded and read countless books and references for writers- some good and some not worthy of a bookend. This audible version that I downloaded is keeping me busy in the car, on the walk, and while in between the computer and the pen. The best part aside from the usefulness of the content is the narrator's pleasing and easy-to-follow voice. I've tossed a couple of audibles due to horrible accents or patronizing tones. This one is a perfect match to the content. Very well done!

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13 people found this helpful

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Good tips and beautifully voiced.

Good tips and a nice condensed format. Helps explain the basics of story telling, scene structure and sentence structure. The narration is also beautiful.

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9 people found this helpful

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This book is excellent!

I just loved this book. The author explained each detail so clearly. This book will help you in so many ways. If you're working on a book already and you've hit a brick wall this book can help..

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6 people found this helpful

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So helpful

Just when I think I've gotten all I can from how-to books one like this comes along and provides new info. Loved the examples like Pride and Prejudice, etc., which helped clarify the examples. Also really liked the narrator. Overall great book.

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5 people found this helpful

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Accessible and informative

A good utility knife for opening the essentials of story structure.

This was an excellent book for a young writer.

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3 people found this helpful

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It’s no Save The Cat

Just do yourself a favor and read Save The Cat — either the original screenplay version or the novel version. This is an inferior version of that extremely useful series.

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2 people found this helpful

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Learned Something New

This was a good overview of structuring a novel. I am interested in writing and I write a lot for work, so I am always looking for ideas and ways to improve. I picked up a few new tidbits in this book that I can use, whether for my "fun" writing or my "work" writing. I liked the format, as the author uses well-known works to illustrate her points.

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2 people found this helpful