“Full of helpful tips and worksheets a writer can use at any stage–brainstorming, outlining, writing the draft, revising. By taking a journalistic approach it encourages thinking of your story, settings and characters as real, deepening the fictive dream for the reader. A worthy addition to any writer’s bookshelf”. – James Scott Bell, International Thriller Writers Award winner

“There is so much storytelling wisdom in Amber Royer’s Story Like a Journalist. With this book as your guide you’ll write the most clear-eyed version of the story you want to tell and hook your reader along the way. I can’t recommend this book enough.” -Blake Kimzey, Founder & Executive Director of WritingWorkshops.com

“Amber Royer has many years of experience teaching creative writing and it shows. Her method is easy to understand and clearly written, and with the wonderful amount of worksheets to fill in for your own book, any plotter could create the world bible they need to hit the keyboard running.” — Laura Maisano, Senior Editor for Anaiah Surge and Author of Cosplayed

“If you’re any kind of fiction writer, this workbook should be an essential part of your personal toolbox. It’s accessible, easy to use, and is incredibly helpful with everything from world-building to narrative structure.” — Melissa A. Bartell, Amazon Review

“When faced with the momentous task of keeping a reader captivated by a story of your own making, it is important to be organized and focused because of all the moving parts. This is the first book on writing I have come across that does this very well and even provides worksheets! I find that most similar books will encourage you to do some kind of exercise or activity to get the creative juices flowing, but they don’t often provide you with the space or template to work with.” — Lorilai Gonzales, Amazon Review

“I really enjoyed Story Like a Journalist: A Workbook for Novelists because it covers so much that I think most aspiring authors don’t think about. There are many topics included in this book that will really help you get that book ready before you even start the first page! The outline of the book is organized well and I love that Royer includes many worksheets in each chapter that helps the reader implement what they are learning. She also uses short examples of published books that apply to what she is talking about. This gives the reader a better understanding of how the topics she discusses look in other stories. A very well done workbook that authors at any level can use to organize and perfect their storytelling. Highly recommended!” — M.M., Amazon Review

“One of the things I appreciate about Ms. Royer’s textbook is the inclusion of examples for my genre. She seems to have insider knowledge of the expectations and conventions of writing romance as well as other genres and that made me trust in her expertise.” — MaBiche, Amazon Review

“Even for a discovery writer like myself, this gives me a good structure in which to gather my thoughts after the initial draft, as well as reminders of concepts that don’t always naturally appear when the story first flows out on the page. I have just completed my rough draft for my latest novel, and plan to make use of much of this book and its worksheets to help rein in my work.” — William  Mangieri

“After a year like we’ve been through, it’s been hard to focus on the craft of storytelling. Personally, I’ve really struggled to care in the way I once did about my writing, and so I’d been on the lookout for inspiration to get my writing muse going again. I found all this and more through Amber Royer’s fantastic workbook: Story Like a Journalist. Over the years my writing process had changed, from when I started out as a “pantser” to gradually including more and more outlining tendencies. I started creating character lists to list my main characters’ traits. I made “world” documents filled with descriptions of the fantasy worlds I created and the peoples and creatures that inhabited them. But I’ve never put together a fully comprehensive “story bible” in the fashion Royer recommends. Royer approaches worldbuilding and storytelling in ways I hadn’t perceived before. She encourages writers to “think like a journalist” and in some cases, a television screenwriter. I have a background in music and theater and loved the way Royer bridged different mindsets to create the strongest possible method for the craft. Over the years, I’ve read countless books and articles on writing, and I can honestly say Story Like a Journalist combines all the best advice I didn’t know I’d forgotten. Everything Royer offers here is pure gold, from her advice to the countless worksheets I am still in the process of filling in for my current manuscript. I plan on using Royer’s method for all my future projects this coming year. And I’m excited to report, that spark I had been missing these past awful months has been reignited.” — Jennifer Silverwood, Amazon Review

“Since I started my writing career as a journalist first, I could relate in so many ways to what this author had to say. Going back to the basics of the main questions that a journalist is asked to answer in a news article or a feature story, the who, what, where, why, and how is an important starting point for any writer of fiction as well. I use those questions often when I’m starting a new novel, and it made me smile to find my approach validated in this terrific writer’s resource. I recommend it to writers at any stage of their career.” — Marilyn Miller, Amazon Review