I'd had my eye on Story Engineering by Larry Brooks for a while before I came across it in a second hand shop. My copy is covered in pencil underlining the most random words and phrases, but it's clear where the previous owner stopped reading, as the pencil disappears. A bit tragic that this other author never finished, but it was a win for me, because I got to have this book at last.

Overview
Story Engineering: Mastering the 6 Core Competencies of Successful Writing is 278 pages (paperback) of explanations of what a story needs, why it needs that, and tips on execution. The six competencies themselves aren't shocking to seasoned writers, but each section discuss a competency in depth, offering examples or exercises. The book ages itself with references to the Da Vinci Code often and a joke about Bill Clinton, but otherwise the advice is fairly timeless. 

My Experience
I highlighted something in most chapters, but the section I've returned to is about character. This book explained one, two, and three dimensional characters in a very practical manner that I'd never seen anywhere before. It changed how I'll see character dimensions forever, and will hopefully help me write deeper ones. A lot of the rest of the information, though useful, was information I've seen before. Story beats and what's happening in them, what is an idea vs a concept, voice, etc. All great reminders, but not exclusive to this text.
My only complaint is that the book hyped itself a lot. It often repeated how the six competencies would make me a better writer--and then not explain what they were, and would go on about how important they were with no other explanation. It happened often enough at the end of chapters that I'd just skip ahead to the next one.

Is It Worth It?
I paid $8 for my used copy from a locally owned independent bookstore. That alone is worth it. If you're looking for a book that gives an overview of what makes a solid story and guides you on how to get there, this is a great option. It's not too in depth on any one topic, so it feels more introductory than I'd hoped, but there were still valuable ideas that helped me as a writer. Overall, I'd say this is worth the read to improve your writing craft.

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Have you read Story Engineering? What about the sequel, which is on my TBR, Story Physics? Let's discuss in the comments!

There's another version of the cover with different colors which is also fabulous. Shout out to the cover designer!

The Phoenix Keeper by S.A. MacLean debuted this past August, and I found it on a list of new books on Instagram. From the moment I read the concept I knew I had to read it: a zookeeper for Phoenixes is determined to restore her zoo's breeding program but the last zoo to make the attempt had their phoenixes stolen. It's cozy fantasy with a queer romance subplot. I'm using it as a comp for the book I'm currently querying because my book also involves fantasy zookeeping, flirting while working at said zoo, and the theme of letting go of the fear of failure.

Aila is the zookeeper in question, a very shy and anxious animal lover who has her dream job of being the phoenix keeper at her hometown zoo. She's great with her BFF, but with anyone else from guests to crushes, she's not as capable. When the phoenix chicks at another zoo are stolen, Aila's program has the chance to step up and become the next breeding facility. However, Aila can't do it all alone, and must learn to ask for help, including from attractive griffin keepers, if she's going to achieve her dream, and protect her phoenixes.

As a former zookeeper, I enjoyed the zookeeping parts of this book, which were realistic despite the animals being fantasy. I really liked the grounded nature of it. I thought the plot was enough to keep be entertained and had specific, achievable stakes. (If you've listened to the podcast, you know I don't always find that the case for things described as cozy.) As a side note, one of my random favorite parts of this book was Aila's family's restaurant. It was a fantasy world fusion as nonsensical as Carlos O'Kelly's, the very real Irish/Mexican midwestern restaurant. If that's not what S.A. MacLean based Aila's family's restaurant on, then I will be blown away. Another thing I liked about this book was that Aila was a really high achiever in school, and was terrified of failing as an adult. (Oh look, it's me!) Her whole character arc, and the theme of the book, was letting go of that fear, figuring out that asking for help is not fear, and realizing you can be successful without that fear.

There were some things that didn't always work for me. I'm a person who suffers from second hand embarrassment, so when characters are too cringy (which the author is doing on purpose because the character is supposed to grow, I know!) then I really struggle and have to skip ahead. Since Aila's social anxiety was so bad, I had to skim some of the more painful interactions. I also knew who was helping the smugglers immediately, so there was no tension there, so I experienced less tension than most readers will. There were also a lot of place and animal names, so I admit I didn't keep track of some after a while.

This book is for you if you love zookeeping/zoos/wildlife breeding programs, fantasy animals, queer romance, or lower tension (cozy) fantasy. This book is not for you if you have social anxiety that can be heightened by reading about others' social anxiety, if you need higher external stakes, or if you're not interested in a romance subplot.


Have you read The Phoenix Keeper? Which was your favorite animal? Let's discuss in the comments!

As part of winning the Dark and Stormy short story contest with BARN this year, I got to read five minutes of my short horror story, Waxing Fame, at the annual BARN Dark and Stormy party. It was a fun and full event with amazing published authors from the area who read stories and excerpts of their work. There was also a great liaison from a local museum who talked about a serial killer in Bainbridge's history. Everyone who shared did a fabulous job, and it was a very entertaining night. My reading went well, partially because I'm used to public speaking, but I'm sure many other writers aren't. If you are preparing for your first public reading (or your 100th public reading) and are looking for tips, here are mine!

1. Practice practice practice
Read your story aloud at home alone over and over again. You want to make sure you aren't tripping over names, phrases, scene breaks, etc. The more of your story you memorize, the easier it will be to follow my next pieces of advice.

2. Look up!
Every now and then as you read (every 3-5 sentences, at most) look up from your paper and in the direction of the audience. Some readings you'll have lights pointed at you so you won't be able to see anyone specific, and other times you'll be able to see each and every face. If eye contact while public speaking makes you nervous, just look at people's eyebrows. Do a sweep, don't just focus on one person. This is most effective when done during dialog, especially anything you want to emphasize, like a prophecy, threat, or joke.

3. Stick to the time
Whether you're in a line up with other writers, or you're doing a solo reading, your venue will probably ask you to read for a certain amount of time. Stick to it! Even if you have to stop in the middle of your story, it's fine to leave readers wanting more. They may buy your book or look up your short story to find out what happens. It also builds a good relationship between you and the venue if you're respectful of their request. If you're one of several people reading, sticking to the time is essential to make sure everyone gets a chance to share.

4. Fake It Til You Make It
Nervous? The audience will notice. Even if you have jitters in your seat, when you get up to read, put on a smile and pretend you're the most comfortable pubic speaker of all time. Play act as someone else, a you from a parallel universe who doesn't fear public speaking. That can give you a level of distance from your performance so you can say "well it wasn't me the audience was judging, it was the character I was playing." You can also pretend the audience already knows and loves you and your writing. Whatever method of pretending you need to do, give it a shot. Deep breaths, smiling, and standing up straight can even trick your brain into calming down, so by the end of your reading you're not pretending to be confident anymore, you actually are.

5. Roll with the Punches
Sometimes chaos ensures, such as something balanced on the podium falling while you read, or a disturbance occurring in the audience. You can pause to make sure everything's okay (certainly don't read through someone having a heart attack, for example), but if all's well, it's fine to laugh off little things or make a comment acknowledging a little chaos, and then dive right back in to the story. No need to point out small things like someone leaving, because maybe they're just going to the bathroom or taking an important call. Don't let interruptions, major or minor, derail you. If you've lost your place on the page, buy a little time with the classic "where was I?" until you find it, then repeat the last sentence before the interruption and chug right along.


I hope those tips help you prepare for you next live reading. Have more questions or tips you want to share? Drop them in the comments!