The Plot Thickens: 8 Ways to Bring Fiction to Life

Rating:
Summary: Helped Me "See" My Characters Better
Review: 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.