If you want to write a book, you need to study masterworks. As one of my favorite authors, Cormac McCarthy once said, “The unfortunate truth is that books are made from books.” Let's look at some masterwork examples and how to study them to learn how to write your book. 

We aren't born knowing how to write books. No we need to learn to write books.

And how do we learn? By studying masterworks.

Why Study Masterworks

Studying masterworks transformed my writing and even my life.

In 2008, I had just gotten my first break as a writer. I had somehow talked my way into writing a news story for a local magazine. It was really exciting. This was it. I was going to get published in a real magazine. I was going get paid for my writing! It was a big deal for me.

But there was just one problem. I had no idea how to write a news story. I had no idea what I was doing.

So I set out to figure out how to write one.

Here’s what I did: I went found five of the best news stories that I could. II studied them (i.e. I found masterworks), asking questions like this:

• How did the writer of this article start their piece?
• How did they handle transitions?
• What did they do in the middle?
• How did they end the piece?
• To sum up: How did they accomplish what I'm trying to do in my article?

These questions worked! My article was published in the magazine, and the editor loved it. He said, “You can write for us whenever you want.” It was a breakthrough for me.

I did the same thing when I wrote my first book. I had no idea how to write a book. I had never written a book before. So I found five masterworks, studied them, and used them to solve the problems I was facing in my book. 

It worked! I finished the book. It was published, and it became an Amazon bestseller.

This is the process of using masterworks.

But hang on, what are masterworks and how do you find masterwork examples?

Masterworks Definition

Masterworks are books the best books in a genre or book type.

They're books by masters, in other words. 

But while studying any masterwork is worthwhile, it's most useful to study a masterwork with your own book type, a book that is doing the same essential things at it's core that you're trying to accomplish in your book.

What Are Book Types?

We talk about nonfiction book types here and story types here, but the basic idea is that as humans have told stories over the last many thousands of years, patterns have emerged.

We don't have time to discuss why those patterns emerged, but if you want you can explore that more in my book, The Write Structure. 

But for our purposes, there are nine types of stories and eight types of nonfiction books. 

These types transcend genre. They're more about what's happening at the core of the content.

However, by studying books of the same type that you're writing, you'll multiply your efforts and be much more successful in your study.

So below, I'll share the nine types of stories and eight types of nonfiction books, and give you masterwork examples for each one.

9 Story Types

There are nine types of stories, each with their own masterwork examples.

Adventure

Adventure stories begin and are primarily driven by a MacGuffin—the thing everyone is looking for, whether that is an ancient relic, a kidnapped character, or some other item—and often end in a final showdown with an antagonist over who can gain control of it.

Adventure Masterworks:

• The Odyssey by Homer
• The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
• Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
• Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
• The Martian by Andy Weir
• Hatchet by Yann Marten
• National Treasure (film)

Action

Action stories are primarily driven by an antagonist, whether that is a person or some kind of force, and often ends in a final showdown with the antagonist.

Action Masterworks:

• The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexander Dumas
• Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
• Die Hard (film)
• Casino Royale by Ian Fleming
• The Hunt for Red October by Tom Clancy

Horror

Horror stories are primarily driven by some kind of monstrous antagonist. The antagonist sometimes chooses to target the main character(s) after they commit some kind of taboo, and the story often ends in a final showdown, during which the protagonist is, at some point, at the mercy of the antagonist.

Horror Masterworks:

• The Shining by Stephen King
• The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty
• The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson
• The Grudge (film)
• Candyman (film based on the short story by Clive Barker)
• Macbeth by William Shakespeare

Mystery

Mystery stories begin with some kind of crime and are driven by the investigation into that crime and the restoration of justice. They feature red herrings in which the audience is led to believe another character is the criminal rather than the true antagonist, and the story usually ends with some kind of confession.

Mystery Masterworks:

• Inspector Poirot series by Agatha Christie
• Still Life: An Inspector Gamache Mystery by Louise Penny
• Knives Out (film)
• Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky

Thriller

Thriller stories begin with some kind of crime and are driven by the investigation into that crime and the restoration of justice. They typically feature especially monstrous or evil antagonists and can be full of danger and psychological tension, almost a cross between horror and mystery with a touch of action.

Thriller Masterworks:

• Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (subplot), Chamber of Secrets (main plot), Prisoner of Azkaban, and Goblet of Fire
• Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
• The Bourne Identity by Robert Ludlum

Love Story

While Love Stories are typically about a romantic relationship, they are one of the broadest and most flexible plot types, and can focus on the power of either belonging or isolation and a protagonist's relationships with friends, family members, or even their community.

Love Story Masterworks:

• Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
• Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare
• Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery
• Almost Every Rom-com

Performance

Performance/sports stories revolve around some kind of competition, and deal with the main character(s) working to achieve success and esteem within the eyes of their community as well as dealing with the potential and consequences of failure.

Performance Masterworks:

• The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown
• The Queen’s Gambit by Walter Tevis
• Miracle (film)
• Ghost by Jason Reynolds
• Hamilton (musical)

Coming of Age

Coming of Age stories are primarily driven by identity or worldview. They can be about characters of all ages who are focused on either self-actualizing and reaching their full potential or diverting from their full potential and becoming a worse version of themselves.

Coming of Age Masterworks:

• How to Train Your Dragon (film)
• Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
• Good Will Hunting (film)
• Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
• The Ugly Duckling

Temptation

Temptation/morality stories begin with some kind of battle between a character’s internal dilemma toward right and wrong, what they desire to do but which is harmful to them or their community versus what they don't want to do but might benefit themselves and their community.

Temptation Masterworks:

• Wall Street (film)
• A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
• Frozen (film)
• The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
• Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky

8 Types of Nonfiction Books

Nonfiction books can be categorized into several distinct types, each with its own purpose and examples of masterworks. Here is a list of some masterwork examples in each of the eight nonfiction book types.

Self-Help/How-To

These books are highly problem and solution-oriented, offering actionable advice to solve specific challenges or achieve goals.

Examples:

• The 4-Hour Workweek by Tim Ferriss
• The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey
• Atomic Habits by James Clear

Investigative

Investigative books aim to uncover the truth about a field, concept, or phenomenon by exploring data, expert opinions, and stories to understand what's really going on.

Examples:

• Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell
• The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson
• Mindhunter by John E. Douglas

Reference

Reference books serve as tools or guides to provide quick access to information or frameworks on a specific topic, often used for study or practical application.

Examples:

• The Write Structure by Joe Bunting
• The Joy of Cooking by Irma S. Rombauer
• The Elements of Style by William Strunk Jr. and E.B. White

Inspirational/How-To Memoir

These books blend storytelling with problem-solving, using the author's personal experiences as a framework to inspire and teach readers how to overcome challenges or improve their lives.

Examples:

• You Are a Badass by Jen Sincero
• Can't Hurt Me by David Goggins
• The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin

Riff

Riff books combine stories, instruction, and exhortation into chapters of varying lengths, often written by seasoned experts who distill decades of experience into engaging lessons.

Examples:

• The War of Art by Steven Pressfield
• On Writing by Stephen King
• Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott

Biography

Biographies and autobiographies focus on chronicling an individual’s life, exploring their experiences, achievements, and personal journey from birth to the present or significant milestones.

Examples:

• The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank
• Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson
• I Am Malala by Malala Yousafzai

Academic

Academic books often follow the scientific method or provide comprehensive overviews of topics, presenting well-researched and peer-reviewed content for scholarly use.

Examples:

• A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking
• The Structure of Scientific Revolutions by Thomas S. Kuhn
• Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari

Memoir

Memoirs focus on personal storytelling, highlighting key moments or themes from the author’s life, emphasizing narrative over instruction or problem-solving.

Examples:

• The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls
• When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi
• Becoming by Michelle Obama

If You Want to Write a Masterwork, STUDY Masterworks

Books are made from books. You can't write great books without studying great books.

So use the above list of masterwork examples as a reference, a starting place for you to find the right masterworks to study.

Then, read them and ask the following questions:

• How did the author start their book?
• How did they handle transitions?
• What did they do in the middle?
• How did they end the book?
• To sum up: How did they accomplish what I'm trying to do in my book?

I hope this process transforms your writing, as it did mine and so many others in our community.

Happy writing! 

What type of book are you writing? What masterworks did you choose to study (on or not on this list)? Let me know in the comments below.