The Marshall Plan Workbook : Writing Your Novel from Start to Finish [Paperback]

Evan Marshall (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 2001

The Marshall Plan Workbook, companion volume to the very successful Marshall Plan for Novel Writing, focuses on building a novel's plot, with more than 100 pages of fill-in sheets that become a veritable blueprint for each reader's novel.

The Marshall Plan Workbook pushes deeper into the process of writing a novel scene by scene. Readers will learn to craft intriguing story goals and compelling conflicts all within a specific framework that enables them to produce any type of novel in a systematic yet creative way. They'll also learn the ins-and-outs of selling their work once it's finished.

* Lively, interactive approach makes the book fun as well as educational
* Easy-to-follow instruction takes the mystery--but not the creativity--out of writing a novel

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Marshall has written a number of mysteries and owns a literary agency. In this companion to The Marshall Plan for Novel Writing, he concentrates on the nitty gritty of producing a novel. Marshall deals specifically with writing genre fiction as the type most likely to be picked up by a publisher. The first half of the book gives the writer help in building characters, developing plot, and setting goals. The second half is the Plan Blueprint, a 58-page section of fill-in-the-blank sheets that will help dedicated students of the method produce a novel. The marketing information included concentrates on the manuscript: how it should look, how many pages it should have, paper weight, etc. This is a nice addition to writing collections, although the worksheets and charts may make this book inappropriate for some public libraries. Lisa J. Cihlar, Monroe P.L., Monroe, WI
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From the Author

"If The Marshall Plan for Novel Writing held aspiring novelist's hands, The Marshall Plan Workbook picks them up and carries them."

Product Details

• Paperback: 250 pages
• Publisher: Writer's Digest Books (March 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1582970599
• ISBN-13: 978-1582970592
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 8.5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #220,372 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Evan Marshall is an internationally recognized expert on fiction writing and author of the "Hidden Manhattan" and "Jane Stuart and Winky" mystery series. A former book editor, for 27 years he has been a leading literary agent specializing in fiction. His Marshall Plan® Novel Writing Software, written with Martha Jewett, is an adaptation of his bestselling Marshall Plan® series.

Marshall Plan® blogs:
http://www.WriteANovelFast.com
http://www.WriteYourMemoir.com

Psychology Today - The Literary Life:
http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-literary-life

Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/TheMarshallPlanet

Twitter:
http://twitter.com/MarshallPlanet

Evan Marshall's mysteries:
http://www.evan-marshall.com

Evan's LinkedIn Profile:
http://www.linkedin.com/in/themarshallplanet

E-mail: [e-mail]

6 Tristam Place
Pine Brook, NJ 07058

T 973.882.1122

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars If you want to write fiction, you need this book., July 16, 2006

By 

BJ - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Marshall Plan Workbook : Writing Your Novel from Start to Finish (Paperback)

Evan Marshall explains everything you need to know to get started with your novel. It may be too elementary for experienced writers, but it's exactly what the beginner needs. He not only tells you what to do but shows you how to do it. For instance, all the how-to books say to use a header; this workbook shows you what the header should look like. Marshall's charts for characters and plot make sense of the rhetoric, and his blueprint will move the novel along to completion. This is the clearest, most helpful book on writing that I've found.

23 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars GREAT BOOK FOR THE ASPIRING BEGINNER, August 15, 2002

By 

"bjd-books" (Northville, MI United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Marshall Plan Workbook : Writing Your Novel from Start to Finish (Paperback)

I checked out at least 2 dozens books on how to write your own novel from my local library. I then spent at least an hour with each book to decide which ones were worthy of my collection and needed further studying. Was I surprised? There is so much junk out there that is no help at all. This book was very different. It was excellent. It is the one that I decided had all that I needed to get started. It was the only one that actually lays out in detail the steps that you need to follow to complete a novel. Don't spend all your time looking at other books about novel writing, this is the one to get...

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Such a help!, July 16, 2004

By 

Elizabeth Osborn (Youngstown, OH) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Marshall Plan Workbook : Writing Your Novel from Start to Finish (Paperback)

I'm about 3/4ths done with this book, and I can't begin to convey what a help it's been. If you're setting out to write a marketable book and need help with structure, as I do, this workbook will really help put the skeleton together for you. It doesn't write your novel for you, but it shows you how to best organize your ideas and plot the necessary elements, giving a lot of attention to pacing and appropriate length. I feel like I have a better handle on my own mind and creation already.