Steve Garriott's Reviews > Story Trumps Structure: How to Write Unforgettable Fiction by Breaking the Rules

Read Stephen King's On Writing and then pick up James's book, a great combination. As a seat-of-the-pants writer who hates the whole idea of planning your novel and character worksheets and outlines (never liked outlines for essays either!), this is the kind of encouragement I need. There are few books out there that encourage writers to discover and let the story develop as it will. Don't get me wrong: James provides a trove of concepts to consider, but his style is based on discovering your main character's unmet desires, constantly questioning as you go, and keeping the reader at the forefront of everything you do. This is about the reader, about telling a good story. If you follow these concepts, you can avoid the flood of half-baked and draft novels that have flooded the market. We are archaeologists and it is our job to meticulously excavate the story; you'll find out what kind of story it is once it's all revealed.