Book 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.
Great read for all writers! This little gem cuts through all the noise and gets right down to analyzing the mechanics of good stories. It's full of wonderfully simple observations and immediately applicable guidelines, the kind that are obvious in retrospect but that I never noticed before. The author's not out to cramp anyone's style, either - he recognizes that writers generate material in all kinds of different ways. Definitely worth picking up.
Very helpful for novel writers This book is the best book of advice for aspiring novel writers I have seen. Lots of practical examples and some good techniques to try out. Even has a chapter-by-chapter system to go from nothing to a novel by the end of the book (if you want to use it).
It is also engaging to read and is not boring or "text-booky" at all.
Higly recommended.
Invaluable advice
I purchased his book after attending a class Mr. Bell gave at a writer's conference.
The book is invaluable, it will save countless hours of re-writing, and make the entire effort easier. Plot is perhaps the most important element of a book.
Just as a house has a kitchen, bedroom, front door, etc, a well-crafted book should contain certain elements as well.
There are time-tested techniques and pointers, this book lists them and makes their application much easier.
We all have at least a dozen books on the craft of writing, this should be one of them. It is worth the investment and the time it will take to digest it.
Dan Elliott Jr.
Good work on how to build plot This book, as it says on the title, focus on plot and structure. He gives an introduction to each then delves into them for the rest of the book. The concepts are solid and anyone who want to know how to write but doesn't (or thinks they can't) owes it to themselves to pick this and the other "Write Great Fiction" books. There's a criticism that the author just reuses the same information that's been out there for a long time, which is like criticizing a history book on the Romans. There's only one set of history out there, so of course it will have the same information! Besides, since it's the SAME INFORMATION as other "how to" books, and since this book is clearly written towards those who want to know how to write, the criticism is again made completely moot. On that same note, if someone got this book, then why would they buy another book on plot?
The author's use of the "LOCK" system and the "doorways" is excellent and helps a new would-be writer more easily conceptualize the elements that are needed for a good plot. That was what he intended to do, that was what he did, and so that is why this book is worth the money.
Excellent This how-to book actually delivers! So many books give definintions of writing terms, but this book explains HOW TO DO those things. Intellegent, useful, and sometimes even funny.
Buy this book. The excercises are even good- and I HATE writing excersises.
Best of all- this book is ENCOURAGING. The author's you-can-do-it spirit flows from every page and his clear explainations make you believe him that you can.
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