The Grimoire
Write the Magic
Deep magic isn’t a spontaneous explosion of creative energy. It burns too hot and dies too fast. Real power comes from deliberation, skill, and craft.
4.4 out of 5 stars · 154 ratings
Book Craft: The Art and Science of Writing Great Books
Unlock the deep magic of storytelling with Book Craft, your ultimate guide to mastering the art and craft of writing fiction that resonates, captivates, and endures.
Writing is more than just an art — it’s a powerful spell that you can learn to cast with precision. Book Craft will teach you the craft behind the magic.
This is not a book. It’s an initiation.
You’re here because you love the alchemical process where your creativity and inspiration bleed onto the page. You’ve tasted the power of using letters to communicate ideas and cast spells, bewitching readers and captivating them with the powers of your mind.
You’ve got a taste for it, but you want more. So you’ve sought me out, and here we are. This information took me decades to uncover, and I don’t reveal it lightly. Not every author is ready to hear the valuable lessons I’m about to share with you, but this book isn’t for them. It’s for you.
What’s Inside
In This Book, You’ll Discover
Story Structure
Advanced techniques to inject intrigue, suspense, and irresistible tension into your stories. A clear, structured approach to plotting that allows your creativity to flourish while maintaining control.
Writing Craft
Learn the mechanics behind scenes, dialogue, pacing, tension, description, and revision from someone who has seen exactly where manuscripts fail. Essential tools to craft dynamic characters and captivating narratives.
A Working Practice
Build a repeatable process that helps you write with more confidence, more clarity, and less fear-driven hesitation. Methods to polish your manuscript, saving you thousands in editing costs.
Real Magic? Or just a trick?
Who am I? We’ll get to that later. Right now, let’s talk about you and what’s holding you back. You’re determined to improve your writing, because you respect your audience enough to give them your best work. You’re excited about the story you’re drafting, but not sure if you have the right skills to do it justice.
This book is not about prioritizing the structure, rules, process instead of allowing the magic to happen; it’s about coaxing the magic, the ritual, to inspire confidence, which will lead to progress. Book Craft is about the magical technique of creating sustainable, reliable bouts of creative genius to get more of your best words on the page, with less of the fears, doubts or indecision most writers face.
For Fiction Writers
This book is not a call to minimize the importance of magic, only to resurrect the ancient truth that the muse comes to those who are prepared and willing. It’s about building a reliable, craft-based writing practice based on rules and shortcuts and templates and story outlines, so you can finish more of your best work faster and unlock masterful prose.
For Nonfiction Writers
You have a story to share, knowledge or wisdom to impart, or a message powerful enough to change lives and hearts, but you’re stuck on the practical pursuit of getting words on the page. There are specific, actionable writing strategies you can use right now to not only get your book finished and published, but make it 10X better than anything else on the market.
Inside the Book
What You’ll Learn
Write the Magic covers everything from story structure and character arcs to pacing, tension, dialogue, and the deep magic of making readers truly care about your characters and worlds.
Advanced techniques to inject intrigue, suspense, and irresistible tension
Essential tools to craft dynamic characters and captivating narratives
A clear, structured approach to plotting that allows creativity to flourish
Methods for crafting characters with depth and authenticity
Tactics to enhance emotional impact so stories resonate profoundly
Insights on scene construction and pacing that keep readers engaged
Methods to polish your manuscript, saving thousands in editing costs
The Promise
I want you to become a master conjurer. A sorcerer of words.
I’ll give you the structure and ritual you need so you can cast powerful spells over your readers.
Derek Murphy
Derek’s obsession with literature led to a PhD, two failed Fulbrights to study vampires in Romania, four castle writing retreats. And now… This.
His YouTube videos have gotten nearly 3 million views. When not suffering migraines on the couch, he chases street cats, worries about things he said years ago and sometimes goes on a manic productivity bender.
He’s currently working on nine unfinished series and has an #amwriting tattoo.
What Writers Say
SO MUCH CLEARER
“I was always puzzled when people told me I needed to add more conflict, or add more tension and I was never sure what that meant, but now it’s a lot clearer for me. I have paid so much money for courses and books and editors that won’t reach 15% of the knowledge you share.”
★★★★★
INSPIRATION
“I can not thank you enough. Before this I was just winging it and hit a dead end with what amounted to a short story rather than a novel. Your structure has helped motivate me again and flesh out my plot in a proper way to build suspense. What a treasure and inspiration you are to amateur writers everywhere.”
★★★★★
100% SOLVED
“I have been a frustrated author for a few decades and the main problem was how to get started. You have 100% solved this for me. Your way of explaining is absolutely brilliant and within a couple of days I have learnt more than I have in years.”
★★★★★
ABOVE AND BEYOND
“I can’t thank you enough for taking the time to do a developmental edit on this. It was above and beyond and is greatly appreciated. Your insights will go a long way towards making this the best novel it can be.”
★★★★★
WORTH IT
“I’ve been writing and learning for a decade and still found every section useful. If you’ve been looking for a writing program that’s fit for newbies but works for experts as well, this is it, and it’s a fraction of the price.”
★★★★★
HUGE FAN
“Huge fan of your 25-chapter plot template. I’ve read all the classics — Save the Cat, Story, etc. — many times over & the way you map out and describe the narrative flow really evokes logical scenes.”
★★★★★
ADVENTURE IN WORDS
“I would like to say a huge THANK YOU for coming into my life. I am confident that I have the vision and imagination to become a good writer and your assessment of my very first series has been a humbling and uplifting experience. You have already helped to upgrade and transform not only my writing but, magically, made me examine where my adventure in words will take me.”
★★★★★
PURPOSE OF SOUL
“These words (all of them) are like breath and water for my soul. They describe my condition, my existence, my desire and ambition, and my realizations and knowings, longings in every way. I am in love with the word craft and I die inside with longing to release what it is that resides in my own heart, fulfillment of the purpose of my soul.”
★★★★★
Pulling a rabbit out of a hat is a cute trick. Ripping a heart out of a cadaver is a brutal sacrifice.
Write books that matter.
Ready to Cast Your First Spell?
The secrets are within — if you’re willing to do the work. Book Craft is your key to unlocking the secret alchemy of storytelling, where art meets craft to create fiction that captivates, resonates, and lingers long after the final page.
Want Personal Feedback?
Inside this book you’ll find a list of 25 specific red flags or common writing mistakes most authors make in their first few chapters. But if you’d like an expert, literary critique from a doctor of literature on your first few chapters — start with the first 5,000 words.