A Story Is a Promise: Good Things to Know Before You Write That Screenplay, Novel, or Play

by Bill Johnson

A Story is a Promise offers a fresh new model for mastering the elusive art of writing dramatic and engaging stories. In order to illustrate its major principles, the book includes reviews and analyses of over a dozen popular films, novels, and plays. Complete with prompts and questions at the end of each chapter, A Story is a Promise can be used as a workbook to help writers internalize the principle that underlies all well-told that a story should be a promise and that a promise should be kept. The inclusion of familiar examples makes this book accessible and useful to all writers of fiction, plays, and screenplays. Bill Johnson has been using the manuscript of A Story is a Promise in his workshops for years. Many editors also use the workbook to teach blossoming writers the craft of storytelling.

Genres: Writing, Nonfiction

240 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2000

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.

Reviews

[Bonnie]

I actually read the 30th anniversary edition and yes, I got lots out of it, especially in the new section, but where the heck was the copy editor????

I really can't rate it because of the above. A shame. Not that I won't use the book...

[Karen Azinger · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent book for learning about the importance of THEME in writing screenplays or books. I highly recommend this book by Bill Johnson.

[Catherine McLean · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good book for fiction writers and one that I just reread again because I'm polishing a manuscript.

[Mindy Halleck · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you plan on writing a novel or screenplay, read this first: Save yourself years of struggle and grief. Story Is A Promise by Bill Johnson is one of my favorite writing tools. I have 7 books that I call my writing Bibles on my desk and this is one of them. Johnson offers tools for creating vibrant story characters, outlining a novel, and a guide to writing a novel, screenplay, or play, and how to evaluate a manuscript, review a screenplay, and tools to revise a novel. But don't let your education stop with this one book Bill Johnson also writes an educational blog at www.storyispromise.com where he does autopsies on essays and popular stories to help you understand how they were constructed and skillfully uses them to teach craft, whether you’re writing a novel, movie script, or play, these explorations into popular stories that have done well, is worth your time. Bill Johnson is somewhat of a story genius. Story is a Promise establishes the golden writing rules, and then explains why they're important in clear and concise language. This craft book is HIGHLY recommended for all levels of writer from novice to sagacious.

[Dedrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very focused book with one clear point to make, while applying the point to every aspect of storytelling and story writing. It really brought things into focus for me, regarding where I was missing the key to writing stories. I am eager to apply the guidance and structured analysis that this book provides to one of my story ideas and see if this helps me write an effective story.

[Tracey · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best screenwriting book you've never heard of - that's the way it was described to me by a UCLA instructor, and that's the way I describe it myself.
Don't miss a chance to see Bill Johnson if he's speaking at a screenwriting event ... he's a rare combination of brilliance and common sense.

[Carina Burns]

I haven't yet finished but a MUST read for any writer of any genre. Simple and it makes sense to me so that I remember his pointers. He aptly begins his book that I was lured into wanting more information.

[Skye · Rating 3 out of 5]

good book on the craft of structure

[Jeanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Explains the promise that a story must make and fulfill. This is a key, valuable focusing device for writers, particularly novelists.

[Suzie Quint · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book offers a great perspective on story telling. Highly recommended it.

The full review is at http://suziequint.blogspot.com/2014/0...