99 Ways to Tell a Story, by Matt Madden

99 Ways to Tell a Story: Exercises in Style
Matt Madden

Writers of all sorts can gain something from this book, so long as you know what you are getting into: this is not a book that will help every writer. More to the point, only a few pages will really be beneficial for most writers: but for those writers searching for some innovative techniques, even one helpful hint might make the book worth it.

The title says it all: Madden starts with a basic story and retells it 99 different ways...sort of. The basic template is as follows: Madden is working at his desk. He gets up and goes downstairs to the fridge. While he is en route, his wife asks him the time, and answering her question causes him to forget what he was looking for. The final picture looks like this:

Did I mention this was a comic? Yeah, I didn't know either until I got it. Nevertheless, there are a few interesting tidbits for a writer not interested in graphic novels. Unfortunately, many are limited to that medium alone. But as I said earlier, even writers of regular ol' prose can glean some knowledge from the variations Madden illustrates.

My beef? Not all are variations. Ok, so he gives the basic story. Then he retells the basic story from the point of view of his wife. That's a variation. Then he retells it as a flashback. Sounds like a variation to me. Then using all sound effects. Another variation!! Then he retells the story...the same as the template...except now Madden has become a knight. WTF? That's not a variation in style - he's just in costume. Or by using animals -- but keeping the same story. At any rate, some variations seemed less of a variation and more of a way to reach that elusive 99.

Illumination Factor: High, if you write comics. Medium to low if you write non-comic-book material. None at all if you don't like to read comics, write comics, or write anything.

In a nutshell: Mildly interesting and mildly helpful. As a writing teacher, there are a few things I can show in the classroom. I'm glad I bought the book used.

Bibliolatry Scale: 2 out of 6 stars