"Story Formula: Sevastian's Personal Secrets to Finding Intriguing Characters and Amazing Stories Every Time You Write" by Sevastian Winters: An Ebook Review

Sevastian Winters has graciously allowed me to review Part 4 of his Indie Writer's series. This volume reveals the secret to creating the memorable characters within his stories.

What is in this Ebook?

The first thing that Sevastian points out is that great characters are not created, they are found. This tends to go against the grain of a lot of writers, according to Sevastian, who then goes on to explain his theory. "When an author plays God," Sevastian writes, "they end up creating characters in their own image instead of letting the characters be themselves."

He says that one should interview the characters, asking a variety of questions to reveal who and what they are, then look deeper to find the hypocrisy within. He points out that paradoxical characters are memorable, and by digging deep to find out what they truly believe.

He continues to describe the essence of amazing stories, pointing out that to make a story memorable you must make your characters want something, dangle it in front of him and make him work and struggle to get it, always keeping it slightly out of reach.

Part 3 of this volume details his story formula, the list of questions he asks of each character and their best friend. This series of journalistic questions will not only help the author better understand the character, but to actually flesh out the story that is calling to be written.

"Story Formula: Sevastian's Personal Secrets to Finding Intriguing Characters and Amazing Stories Every Time You Write" by Sevastian Winters: An Ebook Review

What is the best part of this Ebook?

Sevastian uses several vivid examples to demonstrate his methods for fleshing out characters and creating memorable stories. He details different ways to torment and torture your characters in order to make them and the story memorable. He even provides a practice exercise for aspiring writers to complete as they master this fascinating way of creating fiction.

This book, while brief, more than accomplished it's purpose in explaining this method of creating fiction. The prose was clear and to the point, the information valid, and the results (as seen in his short stories) are proven.

Where Can I get this Ebook, and How Much Does it Cost?

Sevastian hosts these works on his website the Self-Publishing Center, which you can visit by clicking here. He also has made this work available for immediate download on the Amazon Kindle. The price at both sites is $2.99, and download onto the Kindle is immediate, but delivery from his website is via email and may take a few minutes to process.

Overall this work satisfied the purpose for which it was written: showing the indie author how to create memorable stories. It was short and to the point, eliminating the unnecessary fluff so prevalent in modern media. This reviewer rates this work to be 5 stars out of 5 for clarity, content and purpose.

I have enjoyed reviewing Sevastian's works and look forward to reading more from this wonderful writer and coach.

Source:

Review copy of "Story Formula: Sevastian's Personal Secrets to Finding Intriguing Characters and Amazing Stories Every Time You Write" by Sevastian Winters

Click here for the complete list of books that Annie has reviewed.