Narrative: Telling the Story

by Amy Jones

What is the best way to tell a story? In first-person peripheral, or third-person focalised? Unfolding in the present, or as events in the past? Where is the camera? What is the lens? Where is the action? In this concise little book, educator Amy Jones describes the different ways that novelists and scriptwriters tell their stories. Packed with examples and insights, this is an essential reference guide for writers of all ages and disciplines. It’s not the story, it’s how you tell it!

Genres: Writing

64 pages, Paperback

Published March 15, 2024

About the author

AMY JONES won the 2006 CBC Literary Prize for Short Fiction and was a finalist for the 2005 Bronwen Wallace Award. She is a graduate of the Optional Residency MFA Program in Creative Writing at UBC, and her fiction has appeared in Best Canadian Stories and The Journey Prize Stories. Her debut collection of stories, What Boys Like, was the winner of the 2008 Metcalf-Rooke Award and a finalist for the 2010 ReLit Award. Originally from Halifax, she now lives in Thunder Bay, where she is associate editor of The Walleye. The author lives in Thunder Bay, ON.

Reviews

[Shiv · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a must read for not just aspiring fiction writers, but also for those who can spare some time for a quick read and in return acquire a very impressive amount of knowledge on storytelling.

Although it is less than 60 pages, ‘Narrative’ by Amy Jones is a book that provides the reader with dozens of storytelling techniques that have been practiced throughout the ages to create fictional worlds that stand timeless in literary history. This is evident by the examples Jones provides for every method, the methods ranging from types of narrators all the way down to how a story can be framed.
I would recommend taking your time with this book as it is packed with technical information on the craft of creative writing. However, if you opt to read it casually or use it as a reference guide every now and then, either way it is a book worth having on your shelf.

[Brooke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Straight to the point

This entire series is incredible. No wasted time sifting through exposition or extravagant language, it gets right to the point and gives you what you need to understand the topic. Perfect reference material for any writer.