Into the Woods: A Five Act Journey Into Story

Of all the how-to books on storytelling structure that I have read, this one is the best. Comfortably the best, I think. Thorough, extremely well-written, well-structured, insightful, sometimes academic, and clear.

The book could have been edited down a bit and the author gets a smidge repetitive, but I get why he does what he does. He presents the same arguments from one direction, then another, then applies and gives examples from another, etc. etc. The benefit is that you understand his points better because he has fleshed them out thoroughly. Do I think a bit too thoroughly? Maybe. It's a quibble. Buy this book anyway if you write stories.

Note: Into the Woods is focused on screenwriting, but don't let that stop you if that's not your thing. Storytelling is storytelling. It all applies.