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Binding: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 808.394
EAN: 9781582972947
Edition: 5
ISBN: 158297294X
Label: Writers Digest Books
Manufacturer: Writers Digest Books
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 240
Publication Date: October 06, 2004
Publisher: Writers Digest Books
Studio: Writers Digest Books
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Editorial Review:
Product Description:
The second book in the Write Great Fiction series, Plot & Structure offers clear and concise information on creating a believable and engaging plot that readers can't resist. Written by award-winning thriller and suspense author James Scott Bell, this handy instruction guide provides:
* Easy-to-understand techniques on every aspect of plotting and structure, from brainstorming story ideas to building scenes, and from using subplots to crafting knock-out endings
* Engaging exercises, perfect for writers at any level and at any stage in their novel
* Practical and encouraging guidance from one of the most respected writers publishing today
Full of diagrams, plot brainstormers, and examples from popular novels, mastering plot and structure has never been so simple.
Average Rating: 
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This is part of the Write Great Fiction series from Writer's Digest. Each book in the series covers one broad aspect of writing fiction, and of course there is some overlap as well.
I liked this book a lot, and learned a good deal from it. Bell recognizes that different stories and different writers need to approach plotting in different ways, so this is not a cookie-cutter approach to plot construction. Earlier on, we are introduced to the difference between literary fiction and commercial fiction, which Bell elucidates particularly well. The book includes a lot of diagrams to clarify things like rising intensity, crisis points, setbacks, and so on.
Bell's mnemonic for basic plotting is LOCK (lead, objective, confrontation, knockout). After introducing that framework, he goes on to talk about what makes a good beginning, middle, and end. Although most of the examples come from novels, the basic ideas apply to short fiction with little adaptation.
There ... Read More
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This book has helped transform the general story idea in my head into a well structured plot that does all the things I wanted it to accomplish. It explores great ways to: keep your reader's interest piqued through any stage of the book, construct strong scenes, and build a plot schematic for your story to follow. I've been impressed with every book in the Write Great Fiction series and would highly reccomend them to any writer.
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This book came highly recommended, yet still managed to exceed my expectations. Like its author, I've always been able to write, but have had real problems with plotting--with the basic structure of a novel. Since I'm completely disinterested in "literary" fiction and want to learn to write compelling, can't-put-it-down genre books, understanding plotting is absolutely essential.
After studying this book, I finally "got it"! Bell explains with great clarity exactly how a page-turner is constructed and the reasons for each "bone" in the structure of a great book. When I complete the manuscript on which I'm now working, I'm thinking of unearthing one I wrote and rewrote and re-rewrote years ago, since now the errors I made are clear to me at last.
Rating:  -
Every so often I get insecure in my efforts to write a decent book, and I check out one of these craft books. Often they help, often not. This one falls in the latter category. It outlines the most common concepts of the most common fiction (the necessity of conflict, an objective for the main character, opposition thereto, the three act structure, etc.), and tells you how to fill in this cookie-cutter design and maybe tweak the shape so you come up with a new variation on the reindeer or the Christmas tree (or the thriller or the mystery or the romance). The section on plotting can be summarized as, "If you're going to plot, and you should, just think of anything that could happen, write it on a card, fill lots of cards, and then put the cards into a sequence that leads to someone getting shot and then someone else having to deal with it." I exaggerate, but only slightly. A good scene usually ends in some sort of drastic action, a gunshot being a good example. Passing reference is occasionally ... Read More
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I am savoring every word in this book. The exercises at the end of every chapter have helped me brainstorm deeper and more intense scenes for the book I have been attempting to write for years. I have many other books on plot and scene writing - this book has me writing more effectively than I have for a long time.
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