How to Build a Story...Or, the Big What If by Frances O'Roark Dowell

 How to Build a Story...Or, the Big What If by Frances O'Roark Dowell - 128 pages, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

A middle-grade introduction to writing stories, from brainstorming ideas to publication.

Although this is a middle-grade title, I would recommend it for writers and aspiring writers of all ages.  Frances O'Roark Dowell does an excellent job breaking down each piece of the writing process into small chunks that are easy-to-understand for kids and not as overwhelming for adults as many other writing advice books can be.  I really liked her framing of a story's plot as a combination of big problems, sticks and stones (smaller problems), and the monster (the biggest obstacle yet).  It's a slightly different way of thinking about plot that makes more sense to me than something like a beat sheet or a traditional outline.  A very helpful book.