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Plot & Structure: (Techniques And Exercises For Crafting A Plot That Grips Readers From Start To Finish) (Write Great Fiction)
 
 
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Plot & Structure: (Techniques And Exercises For Crafting A Plot That Grips Readers From Start To Finish) (Write Great Fiction) (Paperback)

by James Scott Bell (Author) "I wasted ten years of prime writing life because of the Big Lie..." (more)
Key Phrases: common plot problems, action prologue, tools for plot, New York, Stephen King, Dean Koontz (more...)
4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (87 customer reviews)

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Editorial Reviews

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.

About the Author
A former trial lawyer, James Scott Bell is the award-winning author of The Darwin Conspiracy, Deadlock, Final Witness, and the Shannon Saga series. A frequent speaker at writing conferences, he resides in Woodland Hills, California.


Product Details

  • Paperback: 240 pages
  • Publisher: Writers Digest Books; 5 edition (October 6, 2004)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 158297294X
  • ISBN-13: 978-1582972947
  • Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.7 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (87 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,626 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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87 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
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122 of 123 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars It's time to plot your next book!, June 8, 2005
Bell starts from the assertion that anyone can learn to craft a good plot. Whether you prefer to plan every detail of your stories in advance or fly by the seat of your pants, you can still learn all the elements of an engaging story and use them to draw your reader in. Bell has spent a great deal of time analyzing the plot structures of those books that consistently draw people in, and he has come up with a number of systems, theories and exercises which he shares in this book.

Bell addresses just about every aspect of plotting I could think of, from "What's a Plot, Anyway?" to generating ideas, dealing with beginnings (and middles, and endings), handling individual scenes, crafting complex plots, integrating character arc into plot, different systems of crafting plot, revising plots, plot patterns, plot problems, cures for plot problems, and even checklists to go through to make sure you're remembering everything as you write your book.

One of Bell's major contributions to plot theory is his "LOCK" system, which stands for Lead, Objective, Confrontation, Knockout. In order to have a gripping plot you must have a lead, he must have an objective, there must be confrontation, and the ending must have "knockout power." There are a million-and-ten possible variations on this simple structure, but this basic idea alone can help a struggling writer to get a grip on the basics of plot.

I highly recommend "Plot & Structure" for anyone who writes or plans to write fiction. It's been a while since I sat down to write fiction, but this book makes me want to sit and work on a novel right this moment. It's clear, coherent, practical, and immensely useful to any student of the craft.
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93 of 94 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A must have. No exaggeration!, March 30, 2007
By Paladin08 (Folsom, CA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)      
From the multitude of writing books I've read, this one ranks in my top 5 of all time books on the craft. The author does an excellent job of breaking down what we as authors/readers too often make an overly complex process. He explains why some stories just work and how we as aspiring author can do the same.

One of my pet peeves with any non-fiction book is the use of too many examples to fill pages vs. giving me hard content I can walk away with and attempt to use. This isn't the case here. I felt that 90% of the book was pure content with a sprinkle of examples to further prove the author's point. Thank you Mr Bell!!

You can click "Look Inside This Book" at the top of this product page and you should. The author deftly covers the whole gambit of What's a Plot, Anyway? to Plotting Systems (a great chapter regardless on your style of plotting), to Tips & Tools for Plot and Structure.

As with the rest of the books in the series, the icing on the cake for the impatient ones in the world is Appendix A, which lists the authors main points in the book in bulletted form. For those of us who stick with it, this was a wonderful summary of the previous 200pages we just journeyed through.

My recommended plotting plan:
1) Read this book for an overview of plotting and some real world tools that can be applied to the process

2) Pick up The Marshall Plan of Novel Writing by Evan Marshal or First Draft in 30 Days by Karen Weisner. Both of these books take many of the concepts listed in this book and put them into templates and forms you can fill out to plot your novel

3) Write. Write. Write.

Don't do what I did and spend the last ten years reading more on writing than actually writing. Get that first 1 million words written asap!! While you are doing it, read this book which has a permanent place on my book shelf as a handy reference and reminder of what makes a successful plot.
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29 of 29 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Bell is a great teacher! You will learn how to structure your novel, August 29, 2006
By Bill Garrison (Oklahoma City, OK USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)      
Plot and Structure is a Writers Digest Book by James Scott Bell. While he touches on many topics, the focus of the book is how to structure your novel to hook your readers and how you can create a riveting plot by giving it structure. Bell peppers this book with examples from literary greats Stephen King and Dean Koontz and many other popular authors.

As with most writing books, this book won't teach you everything and some things you'll find helpful and some things you won't. Some of the lessons I took away were how to structure your book in three acts, how each scene must contain suspense, and of course how you should show, not tell. Also, your hero and villian must have adhesive, ie, there must be a reason the hero can't just walk away from the villain. Bell also emphasizes the importance of constantly looking for ideas to make your plot original and to not be afraid to let your mind wander and fill your story with some crazy, outrageous ideas. You can always cut them out later.

Bell is a strong advocate that you can learn to write well. While some people are born great writers and some aren't, even the best writers have to hone their craft and develop their potential. So, if through trial and error or rejection slips has caused you to think you weren't born to be a great writer, you may be wrong. This book will help you evolve into the great writer you were born to be, or at least improve upon your current meandering novel.

This is fun book to read and Bell is a great teacher.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Great For Analytical People
I have been devouring books on writing, and this one stands out as the best, by far. As an engineer who is seeking to understand what makes fiction "tick", this book is a... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Me

2.0 out of 5 stars Yes You CAN!
This book reads like a satire of a self-help guru seminar. It is painful. I could not make it through. Read more
Published 2 months ago by peachkinn

4.0 out of 5 stars Just want to sit down and write? Maybe not
James Scott Bell shows (in 230 pages) that there is no difinitive way to write a great novel or screenplay. Read more
Published 2 months ago by F. Harrison

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Book
I will be keeping this book as a resource for a long time. After reading a few chapters, it fired me up and I couldn't wait to try out some of the suggestions. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Mary Mcdonald

5.0 out of 5 stars great book about writing.
This is a must-read if you are interested in writing or you are a beginner writer. With many excercises and good information.
Published 5 months ago by Consuelo Leal Garza

5.0 out of 5 stars Enlightening!
This is the 2nd best book I have read on writing, the first being Techniques of the Selling Writer by Dwight Swain. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Charity M. Lowdermilk

5.0 out of 5 stars Things you need to know and how to love writing
One of the other reviewers said that this book had been recommended and then exceeded his expectations. I can only agree. Read more
Published 5 months ago by J. Foster

5.0 out of 5 stars Too helpful
If you need help constucting a plot, this is the book for you.
It ruined a partial ending of The Great Gatsby for me sice I'm going to have to read it for school... Read more
Published 5 months ago by Shela G. Chessor

4.0 out of 5 stars Plot and Structure
Plot and Structure gives a 1, 2, 3, way of putting together either a short story or a novel. I found it easy to use and very helpful.
Published 5 months ago by John Belville

5.0 out of 5 stars very helpful book on plotting and structuring fiction
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... Read more
Published 6 months ago by Tom L. Waters

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