Your Story Matters by Nikesh Shukla

 

This was a very easy to read book which was written as if having a chat with a friend. It covers writing both fiction and non-fiction and includes many useful and in depth writing exercises. It is full of actionable writing advice and is an honest and authentic account of life as a writer.

Part 1 is about finding your writing voice, part 2 is about planning your story, part 3 covers character creation, part 4 guides you in creating your setting and part 5 is all about editing. One thing I really liked about this book was that the author stresses how important it is to follow your natural writing instinct and not be a slave to the rules. It is important to be aware of the rules but not let them stifle your unique voice. This is really good advice that more books should cover.

I’ve read a lot of books on writing but this one comes at it from a different perspective. The author doesn’t just tell you how to do it. Instead, he guides us, asks us questions and encourages us to answer them. It is a ‘yes, writing is hard but we are in this together’ kind of book rather than a ‘these are the rules; now go off and do it’ instruction manual. I recommend this to anyone who is a writer and wants to read a book that will gently guide them towards writing their best novel/essay/piece of non fiction.

I have deducted a star for two reasons: first, because of the scattered passive-aggressive comments about racial issues that are not necessary nor appropriate in a book like this, and secondly, because in some places the narrative became cringingly over-familiar, such as when the author went on about what nicknames we could call him. While some people may like this, I felt it added nothing to the learning experience of the book and was, quite frankly, irritating.

Other than these minor annoyances, I enjoyed the book and would recommend it. With thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for a free advance review copy. All opinions in this review are my own.

Verdict: ⭐⭐⭐⭐