Even as ebook amalgamations of writing blogs abound, Mixon again bucks the trend to produce a real guide to the craft. This is a clear, considered, and finely wrought compendium but it's also written by a storyteller for other storytellers. And who doesn't like a great story? Below is what I liked the best.
It's Deep
You can see for yourself from the table of contents (pasted at the bottom of this review) how in-depth it is. Wow. You can read this book from start to finish, like I did, or you can dive right down to what you need to read at the moment--which is how I'll re-read it. Many times. One of my favorite epiphanies came from something you can see just from the TOC: every aspect of the story is, itself, a story. Full fathom five.
It's Like a Laminated Sheet
I adore it when a writing book jumps me along the learning curve. I've analyzed novels with spreadsheets, counted words, counted pages, drawn graphs of emotion, character arc, and tension. Here is a book that's already done all that for me! Every few chapters I visualized one of those reference guide sheets: with tiny type, brightly colored boxes and graphs, plus it was laminated. I kid you not. What an enormous time saver. Thank you, vintage pulp, for laying it all out and thank you, Victoria, for analyzing it. Also, validation rocks.
Plus it's not just information for the sake of itself. All the scores of books studied and the decades of writing and editing that went into this guide, get focused laser-tight on issues that range from resonance (defined in fifty words or less), to the number of significant characters a book should have (and *how* to condense them), to knowing what you've really written about and discovering the story that you're really trying to tell.
It's Personal
Here Mixon takes a bit of her own best advice by weaving the multiple threads of creating a novel with a few strands of context from her own life. No doubt it helps that her life is interesting. Even so, her writing voice is warm and convivial, even as the information pours forth. Like an enthralling novel, my coffee got cold and I literally raced to the end to find out how to finish a book.
My Wish List
1. The ebook--now or yesterday would be soon enough.
2. The audiobook. Seriously, this is almost the only way I get to 'read' new books.
3. Go back in time and get these books out before I started writing.
I've sorted the above in the likelihood of their occurrence for the author's convenience.
THE ART & CRAFT OF STORY: 2ND PRACTITIONER'S MANUAL
INTRODUCTION
The State of the Industry: Fiction
PART 1: STORYTELLING
Chapter 1: Loving in the Time of Cholera with Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Chapter 2: Searching for Entertainment-Industry Intelligence
Chapter 3: How Stories are Written
Accepting the Gullibility of Being a Storyteller
Reviewing the Definition of a Story
Reviewing the Definition of Fiction
Reviewing the Purpose of Storytelling
Chapter 4: Character/Narrative--the Arcs
Chapter 5: Graphing in Three Dimensions with (x,y,z)--Theme
Chapter 6: The Only Two Stories--Relationship & Quest
Mining Yourself
Distinguishing Between Together & Alone
Molding & Being Molded by Relationship
Aiming Past Ecstasy through Quest
Chapter 7: Reading with Attention--Form
Reading for Plot Design
Reading for Character Development
Chapter 8: Creating Reader Addiction--Tension
Creating the Basic Tension in Character
Creating the Basic Tension in Plot
Chapter 9: Creating Reader Fulfillment--Resonance
Touching Your Reader's Core with Resonance
Playing Fair with Resonance
Chapter 10: Drawing an Analogy
Drawing a Logo
Applying the Analogy to Storytelling
PART 2: CHARACTER IS CONTENT
Chapter 11: Being Mesmerized with Louisa May Alcott
Chapter 12: Hunting the Ghost Tiger--Cause-&-effect
Taking the Tiger by the Tail
Focusing on the Tiger
Chapter 13: Developing Character
Differentiating Between Yourself & Your Reader
Getting What Your Reader Gets Out of Character
Sucking Your Reader in with Sympathetic Character
Chapter 14: Condensing & Contrasting Characters
Condensing Multiple Characters into One
Condensing Characters for Internal Conflict
Condensing Characters for Contrast
Chapter 15: Using Character
Using Character to Discover Plot
Using Character to Fuel Momentum
Using Character to Addict Your Reader
Chapter 16: Layering Character for Complexity
Layering Character with Behavior
Layering Character with Confusion
Layering Character with the Two Classical Needs
PART 3: PLOT IS CONTEXT
Chapter 17: Designing an Impossible Plot with Maria Dermout
Chapter 18: Beating Your Drum--Introduction to Holographic Structure
Chapter 19: Designing a Crescendo--Explication of Holographic Structure
Fatal Ignition
Backstory
Three Acts
Two Plot Points
One Fulcrum
Feinting
The Whole Point
Chapter 20: Hook--Holographic Structure, Act I
Act I Hook, hook & development
Act I Hook, faux resolution & climax--Fatal Ignition
Act I Backstory
Act I Conflict #1, hook & development
Act I Conflict #1, faux resolution & climax--First Plot Point
Chapter 21: Development--Holographic Structure, Act II
Act II Conflict #2, hook & development
Act II Conflict #2, faux resolution & climax--Fulcrum
Act II Conflict #3, hook & development
Act II Conflict #3, faux resolution & climax--Second Plot Point....
Chapter 22: Climax--Holographic Structure, Act III
Act III Faux Resolution, hook & development
Act III Faux Resolution, anti-faux resolution & climax--Feinting Act III Climax, hook & development
Act III Climax, faux resolution & climax--the Whole Point
Chapter 23: More Climax
Pinpointing Your Climax
Structuring Your Climax
Making a Scene Out of Your Climax
Building Total, Complex, Overwhelming Significance into Your Climax
Chapter 24: Layering Plot for Complexity
Main Plot
Subplots
Plot threads
Chapter 25: Epiphany--Beyond Holography
PART 4: REVISION
Chapter 26: Writing & Rewriting with Franz Kafka
Chapter 27: Vision & Revision: the Story You Need to Tell
Rethinking Motivation--Character Arc
Reorganizing Events--Narrative Arc
Re-ignoring through Tao--Theme
Chapter 28: Reshuffling Your Deck--Revision
Brainstorming
Overall Organization
Scene-by-Scene Arc
Intuition
Fun
Staying in Motion
Resting When Necessary
Rewriting Out of Chronology
Taking Notes
A Word of Warning about Resolution
Chapter 29: Spiraling Up the Helix--Multiple Drafts
First Draft
Second Draft
Third Draft
Nth Draft
Final Draft
Chapter 30: Going Beyond the Beyond
CONCLUSION
Riding Out the Winter of Our Discontent
