Your students have stories in them… but getting them excited about writing feels impossible.
Most students don’t hate writing—they just don’t feel connected to what they’re being asked to write. They’re given structure, rules, and assignments… but not the emotional foundation that makes storytelling meaningful.
But what if writing didn’t have to feel like a struggle—for you or your students?
Make Your Story Matter introduces a simple, psychology-based approach to storytelling that helps students build emotionally engaging stories—so writing becomes something they want to do.
Hey there! I’m Abbie.
I teach writers how to make their stories matter by harnessing the psychology of storytelling to transform their ideas into masterpieces.
For the past seven years, I’ve been sharing my passion for storytelling on my YouTube channel, which has grown to over half a million writers from all over the world. Drawing on my passion for psychology and neuroscience, I’ve made it my mission to decode the “story instincts” we all naturally possess.
In Make Your Story Matter, I share the Who, What, Why Method—a simple but powerful 3-step framework rooted in psychology.
With this method, your students will learn to:
Break free from rigid writing rules and harness their brain’s natural storytelling instincts
Transform raw ideas into emotionally compelling stories
Craft complex, magnetic characters that readers connect with and care about
Outline gut-gripping plots that hook readers from the opening sentence to the final page
Find their unique voice and make it unforgettable
Beat creative burnout and reconnect with the joy of writing
Request your digital desk copy!
Due to overwhelming demand from educators, we’ve reached our limit for complimentary physical desk copies.
The good news? You can still get instant access to a digital advance copy to review right away—so you can explore the material and decide if it’s a good fit for your classroom before placing a bulk order for your students.
Struggling to get your students excited about writing?
Make Your Story Matter will change that.
Make Your Story Matter addresses every piece of the storytelling puzzle.
Featuring templates, guided exercises, and a printable workbook, this book gives you a repeatable method and a reliable way to stay focused and energized, even when the writing gets tough. By the final page, you’ll have a clear roadmap to writing a story that matters—to you, to your readers, and to the world.
Novels •
Screenplays •
Short Stories •
Memoirs •
Video Games •
Web Comics •
Novels • Screenplays • Short Stories • Memoirs • Video Games • Web Comics •
Everything you need to bring this into your classroom—without extra prep
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Classroom Resources Included
When you request a desk copy, you’ll also get access to classroom-ready resources designed to help you immediately apply the book with your students.
These resources are only available for a limited time.
Here’s what you’ll get:
📘 1-Week Creative Writing Lesson Plan
A complete, ready-to-use plan you can bring into your classroom right away.
✏️ Printable Student Worksheets
Interactive exercises to help students develop characters, conflict, and story ideas.
💬 Classroom Discussion Guide
Thoughtful prompts to spark deeper engagement and conversation.
🔥 Creative Writing Prompts Pack
High-interest prompts designed to get even reluctant writers started.
🧠 Flexible Curriculum Integration Guide
Simple ways to adapt the material for short units or longer-term instruction.
Want to get a feel for Make Your Story Matter and see if it’s a good fit for your students? Check out the classroom resources included with your complimentary desk copy.
Not another boring textbook
Unlike other writing guides that bury the student in information and leave them to guess their way through the process, I’ve designed this book to be an interactive journey—complete with a companion workbook that your students can follow, chapter by chapter, as they build an unforgettable story from the ground up.
That’s right: your students don’t have to read this book cover to cover before they can start implementing what they learn.
Instead, they’ll make progress on their stories while they read, and by the end, they will have a failproof roadmap to follow—and all the confidence they need to bring their stories to life.
Seth Godin
New York Times Bestselling Author of The Practice and The Dip
"A hands-on, practical and effective manual for anyone building a powerful story. In an age of AI cookie cutters, Abbie's approach gives you the power to make your story fully human.”
Jessica Brody
Bestselling Author of Save The Cat! Writes A Novel
"Understanding why stories move us is one of the most powerful things a writer can learn. Make Your Story Matter brings the psychology and heart of storytelling to life in a way that will transform how you think about your characters and your craft. Abbie Emmons has built something special here—the kind of book that doesn't just teach craft, it reignites the reason you started writing in the first place."
Virginia Hume
USA Today Bestselling Author of Haven Point
"Abbie Emmons' Make Your Story Matter is a generous gift to aspiring authors. Emmons has thoroughly deconstructed the elements of an effective story – particularly the complex interplay between internal conflict (character), and external conflict (plot) – and rebuilt it from the ground up as a working toolkit, a guide as accessible as it is thorough. Had Make Your Story Matter been available when I was writing my debut, I suspect I would have saved some time and heartache!"
Ready to bring this into your classroom?
If you can see your students engaging with these ideas, the next step is simple: get the book into their hands.
Bulk orders are available at a discounted rate, making it easy to provide each student with their own copy to read, annotate, and apply directly to their writing.
When every student has access to the same framework, discussions deepen, engagement increases, and writing becomes something they actually care about.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Nope. This book is for anyone telling a story—whether you’re writing a novel, screenplay, short story, stage play, video game narrative, TV series, memoir, or even a Broadway musical. Storytelling psychology works across formats. If your project has characters, stakes, and emotional impact… Make Your Story Matter is for you.
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Yes, and it’s also powerful enough for experienced writers. If you’re brand new, it will give you a clear roadmap so you don’t feel lost. If you’ve been writing for years, it will help you refine your craft, deepen emotional impact, and finally understand why certain stories work.
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Not at all. One of the best parts of Make Your Story Matter is that you can start implementing what you learn while you’re still reading. Each chapter includes: Guided exercises, brainstorm prompts, clear steps to implement what you learn. You’ll be actively shaping your story from the very first sections—not just consuming information you’ll later forget.
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Yes! The book includes a free download for your companion workbook, which includes powerful guided exercises designed to help you apply these techniques to your story. The best part? You can print this workbook and use it again and again for every story you write!