Customer Reviews

The Plot Thickens: 8 Ways to Bring Fiction to Life

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

How does a writer turn an idea into a plot? How many brilliant flashes of inspiration lead to books, movies, or plays? Not many because ideas wither away without great characters and events that drive the story forward. Although this book is plot development, Noah Lukeman addresses the threads that are woven throughout the story in order to create the fabric from which beautiful, lasting images are created.

He uses many examples from film because this is the media where life is visualized for the audience, and his "chief concern is illustrating (sometimes abstract) points." (Lukeman)
An example:
* A young man is unhappy and feels trapped in his rural life.
* He hungers for adventure.
* He is inducted into thrilling adventures by chance.
* He is part of a mystical adventure, for which he is unprepared.
* Circumstances force him to face his inadequacies.
* He gains friends and companions along the way.
* Ultimately he finds the confidence he needs to succeed.
* He saves the realm.
The ideas belongs to many stories from Lord of the Rings to Harry Potter to Star Wars, and more. The magic of each story is wrapped into the characters and the lives they live; they are real.

Each chapter and the introduction are deeper than I can show in a review. The book should be on every writer's desk.

Both chapters one (Characterization: The Outer Life) and two (Characterization: The Inner Life) are 90 percent questions. I decided that a great addition to the book would be a CD listing of all of the questions. However, as I read and contemplated the details a writer must know about the people who live in their stories, I realized that a CD would make it too easy. By taking time to write the questions and answer them, they become part of a writer's arsenal. Even more significant is the gathered information can generate ideas to carry the story forward and create new plots.

Chapter Three -- Applied Characterization discusses whether the character is major or minor, the frequency s/he appears, entrances and exits, and more. "Plot does not magically appear with the creation of a character; Frankenstein's monster might open his eyes, but until he gets up from the table and does something, there is little basis for a plot." (NL) Think of Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde -- if the elixir he drank had killed him there would be no story, yet if it was murder mystery a or ghost story the death is instrumental to the plot.

Chapter Four -- The Journey takes us on an emotional or mental experience (not necessarily a trip) that brings about change. Simple and familiar examples are Star Wars, Saving Private Ryan, The Bourne Identity, Speed, Cujo, Carrie, etc.

Chapter Five -- Suspense, "more than any other element, affects the immediate, short-term experience of the work." (NL) What is the destination, why is it significant, and what obstacles stand in the way? In The Lord of the Rings, if the dark riders killed the young hero Frodo, then there would be no story. The suspense is heightened because we know the ring has been awakened, it is calling to its dark master, and Frodo (and anyone near him) is in grave danger. This is how J.R.R. Tolkien created the roller coaster. A great writer constantly raises the stakes and provides some relief between encounters.

Chapter Six -- Conflict causes changes; they can be obvious (court, sports, or battle scenes, etc.) or subtle, such as Sandra Bullock's role in Miss Congeniality: Gracie Hart must become Gracie Lou Freebush, a beauty queen. No matter what the conflict is, it must exist on multiple levels because people, therefore characters, are complex. One single conflict is not enough to propel a plot.

Chapter Seven -- Context "influences suspense, conflict, pacing, progression, and ultimately meaning." (NL) A writer or editor must keep the entire work in mind, and gauge the overall impression of each element in the creation of the story -- does it work? Judging repetition of information is one of the important steps. The keys in a murder mystery may be listed for analysis, but repeating the scenes can be disastrous and boring, yet might be necessary to solve the case. The obscure repetition of inferred information can also be deadly.

Chapter Eight -- Transcendency taps "...into the universal, timeless truths and facets of the human condition." (NL) The examples are clear and powerful.

The Plot Thickens: 8 Ways to Bring Fiction to Life is profound, and as I read, I applied much of the information to my own life -- in the end, I am richer than I was before I opened the first page. The highest compliment I can give to a book is that it made a difference to me.

Noah Lukeman's books should be required reading. Without doubt, this is five-star book for everyone.

Victoria Tarrani

I can't help but feel that I was deceived by some of the other reviews of this book. Helpful they said. Great guide they said. I am not a well-published writer, but I found little in this book helpful.

The first half is composed of mostly questions to ask yourself, mostly about your characters. How does the character treat other characters? Who does he choose to spend time with? Does he have a disfiguring disease? Perhaps these questions could be useful in inventing a character to base a story off of or in developing characters as a beginning writer, but not to an experienced and reasonably-competent writer trying to flesh out an already existing idea.

Anyone who reads regularly will know most of this information already. It can help inspire new ideas though. The exercises aren't terrible, though they really just recap the rest of the writing.

He seems to push conflict and tension over the top. He actually recommends cliches. For instance, if a character has to cross a river in order to continue journeying with his colleagues, Lukeman recommends that the story migt benefit if the river has a rushing current AND is full of man-eating crocodiles AND the character is being chased by an army AND 90% of the people who try to cross die. A story full of super-high tension and rediculous obstacles and conflicts is not my idea of good writing. It's more like the formula for a Hollywood blockbuster for testosterone junkies too pumped-up to recognize the difference between plot and situational window dressing. Jeopardy isn't jeopardy unless we believe he might not succeed.

Even the title is misleading. This book is about how to start writing a story, not how tho thicken the plot. I liked "The First Five Pages" and did find that helpful for revising stories, especially the early parts. Lukeman just dropped the ball on this one.

This should be on every writer's bookshelf. Noah Lukeman writes as though he's an ancient finger-wagging English teacher, so I was surprised to see the bookflap photo and find he's quite young.

Overlook the slightly disapproving tone, because the book is a gem. Few books are able to distil so much knowledge into such a short space.

Detailed character-building exercises take up a large chunk of the book, because Lukeman firmly believes that character is the plot. He doesn't just work through appearance and background, though he does this in detail. He also covers which characters to put together, major and minor characters, how often they should appear, who they should interact with and when, what they react to, etc.

Next he explains the different types of journey your characters can be on and how that affects the story, how to build suspense and develop conflict.

Each chapter has suggested exercises to practice what you've learned.

This deserves to be a classic.

New writers do need advice about writing, the market, and structure. This is a shortcut to years spent cruising the learning curve. Noah's book is a nice addition to the books that serve the novice writer. G. Miki Hayden, author of Writing the Mystery, an Agatha and Macavity nominee.

I found this book too formulaic to be at all useful. If you review the book in the bookstore you will find that in a few minutes you will be able to glean all the useful information from this book.

I would recommend checking it out from the library before you make the purchase and decide for yourself.

I found this book useful for the fiction writer working on an extensive, detailed manuscript. The book is a lengthy set of prompts. It assumes the writer already understands something about structure and the writing process. The book assumes character is king and that plot emerges from character. If your technique is different from this, you may find the book irritating. If you need help fleshing out characterization to either augment or fundamentally build your story, this book is for you.

Tackling a first novel is a big deal for someone always afraid to go for it. Lukeman's book is a lot like having Dad teach you to ride your first bike. The exercises help build balance and skill. As in learning to ride a bike a steadying guide takes out some of the wobbles. The beginning that points to arrival signals an enjoyable ride.

To some extent, I have to agree with Scott of Cookeville. This book's main feature is its two chapters of questions you can ask about your characters in order to better flesh them out. (In my humble opinion, these questionnaires are simply the best I've ever seen in a writing book. And, as Scott mentions, the rest of the book is really about how to START a story rather than how to "thicken the plot".But since that's my need right now, I'm giving this book 4 stars.

On the other hand, I disagree with Scott's comments about the cliched suspense stuff. My read of that paragraph (p. 123 in the hardbound edition or see Scott's review below) is that Lukeman is merely giving an example of increasing danger, one of a variety of ways to increase suspense. In the start of the chapter, Lukeman also says, "One can have undeveloped characters... and a weak plot, but if suspense exists, an audience will often stay with the work." On the other hand, though, he points out that the suspense needs to arise from the characters and the situation itself, and should not be used as "a means in and of itself". Given that caveat, it hardly seems to me that Lukeman is recommending the (cartoonish) addition of crocodiles, roaring rapids and enemy soldiers patrolling the opposite banks just for the sake of a suspenseful river crossing.

"The Plot Thickens" is the best book I have read to date on the subject of creating living characters in fiction. Bravo, Noah.

Without being overbearing, and without injecting his own personal "style" upon the reader, he outlines practical approaches in the form of questions designed to force you (as both reader and writer) to think about your characters in new and oftentimes inspiring ways.

After reading only the first two chapters I found myself drawn to my lap-top to write another story with 3 new characters that I had envisioned while reading the questions he posed.

If you--like me--have had trouble developing characters in your fiction, if you have found that breathing life into your protaganist anti-hero has left you frustrated and at your wits end, if you have felt as though you have failed as a writer because your round characters seem as flat as non-descript's, then you need to buy and read this book; it is a decision that you will never regret.

6 out of 5 stars. Keep it coming, Noah. You have succeeded. You said, quote, "As a Literary Agent...I have had to read over fifty thousand manuscripts...now I will teach back what you taught me. Now I will return the favor."

We apprecaiate it, well done.

Lukeman's questions are dangerous. He forces you to engage your characters in all their raw flesh and bones. Before you write you must flay them alive and then recreate them. You cannot simply ask what your characters look like. You must know them as you know yourself. You must ask their motivations. You must know their guts and innards like you know your own face.

Here, then, is a distillation of Lukeman's advice, though a distillation does it little justice:

1. Character is plot, because plot is simply a gathering of events, and events are things that happen. And nothing happens unless somebody makes it happen. Cause and effect is all. Plot is a consequence of a character's will.

2. If your story compels the reader not, raise the stakes. Increase the tension. Things happen because of action and reaction. Action and reaction are born from conflict. So if your prose is bland, spice it with conflict. Consider it thus: if all is fine in your fictional world, why the hell should anything happen? But flip that coin--if everything is all shot to hell, if your protagonist is at the end of his rope, then something bloody well will happen. Lukeman provides examples--don't have a group of friends sitting in a room talking. Have them forced to be there, held at gunpoint. Don't have your characters at ease. Make them hate themselves. Make them hate somebody else. Of course, your conflict must follow the exigencies of your story-- the purpose of your plot-- but it is also the plot's purpose. Overcoming conflict is the esence of storytelling.

That's it. Lukeman gets to the brain and bone of creating plot by getting to the brain and bone of creating characters. If your characters are real, acting from true motivation, then so goes your plot. It will play well and ring true.