Rating: 
Summary: Fiction writing simplified
Review: A plan for writing a novel that fits almost everyone? My first impulse was to snicker, even to hoot out loud. What type of story could someone hope to create following a formula designed to accomodate every major fiction genre out there?
Yet I couldn't resist opening the book. After standing in the bookstore reading it for awhile, I knew it would go home with me, and I finished it that night (though it's destined to get read repeatedly!). Although I have written two complete novels, Evan Marshall's approach is so intriguing that I plan to adapt parts of it to my next novel. Why? Because my story lines are getting complex enough that I'm afraid I'll lose my balance, and his method of planning a book should keep the subplots and main plot flowing smoothly. So this book is helpful to more than beginning writers.
Yet I think the Marshall Plan is absolutely wonderful for any would-be author who isn't quite sure how to get his or her ideas shaped into a novel. Using the plan, a novelist will keep the action moving, learn to interweave story lines, develop interesting characters, produce good dialogue, and avoid the dreaded mid-story sag. Plus learn how to wrap up the ending, write a query letter, get an agent and (hopefully) be published.
Is Mr. Marshall teaching people how to write the Great American Novel? No, and I can think of several fine best-selling books that I've read in the past year that break many of the plan's guidelines. But this book will be very helpful to those who want to tell an entertaining tale that will be published. As an agent, Mr. Marshall knows what sells, and he sees where most budding novelists go wrong. Certainly his book is an excellent starting point, and probably more helpful to a beginner than anything else I've ever seen. I highly recommend this book.
Rating: 
Summary: Useless and pointless...definitely avoid
Review: Except for a couple of points, this book does not tell an aspiring writer anything they shouldn't already know. I recommend this: instead of shelling out the fifteen bucks or so for this waste of time, spend it on novels of Hemingway, Steinbeck, Thoreau, or even guys like King, Crichton, or Clancy. If you read a lot (and if you want to write, you should) you'll learn almost everything you need to know. Except for an occasional grammar error, this book presented me with absolutely nothing I didn't already know or needed to know. What's worse is that it makes writing TOO formulaic. This book simply takes what makes writing worthwile out of the art and makes it into something that any average joe can do. It's okay to plan your plot sequentially and such, but this book preaches writing by following a step-by-step guide. I'm sorry, but if you think that's the only way you can write, you shouldn't be writing...not fiction at least. Instead, try writing technical manuals or business guides. This book will just have you churning out repetitive, uncreative, mechanical, BORING slop.
Rating: 
Summary: Good ideas but
Review: First, this book is mainly about PROCESS - which is very good and practical - but also has a lot of good information on fiction writing in general.This book is for you if you're writing a story with a complex plot (such as political or technological thrillers), many storylines/subplots, and/or lots of characters. In other words, if you have a lot to keep track of, this is a good method that will keep your novel organized and on track. However, if your storyline is more straightforward, contains just one subplot or none at all, and/or focuses on just a few central characters, this method requires far too much "record-keeping" (or what I call "the writing before the writing"). For these kinds of novels, I recommend the streamlined method in "You Can Write a Novel" by James V. Smith, Jr. instead. As I said, it's a good book, but its usefulness depends very much on the kind of novel you're trying to write.
Rating:
Summary: Get focused and stay focused
Review: Focus is what this book is all about. Through the course of 'The Marshal Plan' Evan Marshall takes the reader through a series of steps designed to let you discover what it is you are actually trying to write about (you may be surprised that you really didn't know)... and then develop characters and conflict to support your idea scene by scene. Those who have actually gotten through writing half a novel, as I did at one point, only to find that it honestly wasn't worth reading, should particularly appreciate 'The Marshall Plan'. If that uneasy 'where-am-I-going-with-this' feeling is starting to creep in- or, if you know where you are going but don't quite know how to get there- you need this book. Forget the literary prejudice against 'formula' writing. This book just shows you 'A' way to construct your novel so it will be readable and enjoyable (and acceptable to publishers), not the only way. You still have to supply all the creativity. As with anything, rules are made to be broken IF you know why you are breaking them and are confident you can stay focused outside their guidelines. Until you really know your way with confidence, a roadmap is an excellent thing to follow to keep from getting hopelessly lost. Even after that point, it should be a very useful reference. Although Marshall does a pretty good job of covering all the bases, I would also recommend Orson Scott Card's 'Characters & Viewpoint' as a companion volume to further aid in keeping your characters on track. I do have one small gripe about the book. Marshall's method is based on the premise of using at least two viewpoint characters even in the shortest novel. My experience as a reader has been that even long novels are ALWAYS better if they are confined to a single viewpoint character who is also the main character. So if Mr. Marshall- or someone else- could write a similar 'Plan' based on that premise it would certainly be appreciated. (Not-so-subtle hint intended.)
Rating:
Summary: A BRITISH PERSON SPEAKS
Review: Hello from Britain. I bought this book, but I'm sorry to say I returned it back to the AMAZON in my country.
I'm very happy for people who get on with this book, and I believe every reviewer has very wise insights into that very frustrating and confusing craft of writing. And I think the book was frustrating and confusing for me!
I just didn't agree with having the story told from different viewpoints, and having the bad guy have a "right" point of view - so the story could just have been written from his view.
I didn't like all the examples in the book. I thought the passage on dialogue was very poor and unrealistic. And there was no talk on creating a plot from a character.
Also I disagreed on his attitude about the publishing industry and how to write a synopsis. Publishable writers DON'T always get published - and synopsises are usually just ONE page - here in Britain at least.
Finally, Publishers DO NOT believe in "How to Write books" - we should just follow a published book - and write something similar!
Rating: 
Summary: Good formula...if you want to write a predictable novel
Review: I agree with those who state that this is a good book if you want to write romance novels and thrillers, but if you're writing a story about a meaningful experience where events just unfold and the protagonist is enriched by such events or by colorful characters, all this failure and conflict stuff is kind of silly. Following Marshall's formula, you will end up writing a Lifetime movie script.
I don't much care for the kind of novels Marshall would have you write.
Rating:
Summary: Lives up to the "how-to" standard
Review: I found the Marshall Plan to be an excellent guide for organizing one's thoughts, getting everything laid out, and taking a great idea and turning into a great novel. Yes, it is very left-brain thinking in its presentation, but that doesn't make it a bad thing, and it doesn't mean that creativity has to be stifled. What this book does is give a person a guide to develop a system. There are exceptions to the rules -- everyone admits that, both in the critiques here and in the book itself. But the good thing about having rules (or at least guidelines) is that if you're going to break one, you're not going to do it out of chance or ignorance. You're going to notice it as a potential problem, think about why you're breaking it, and in the end, either have a good justification for breaking it or fix the problem so it gets back in the guidelines. Is it easy? No. Wouldn't it be much more fun just to start typing away and get all those exciting ideas out without putting in the preparatory efforts, developing the characters, making sure that you know what your plots are and where and how they're going? Probably. But "easy" and "fun" are not necessarily the best ways to make a great product. While I'm sure that there truly are people for which the Marshall Plan is much more of a hindrance than a help, I can't help but get the impression that a lot of the people who complain about this plan are doing it more out of laziness and desire to avoid the real effort it takes to create a good novel rather than serious failures in the methodology of the book (don't forget, I said there ARE exceptions). I will not sit here and say this is the perfect book, that its advice is always great and flawless. I do have problems, specifically with the fact that the exceptions to the rules are rarely, if ever, dealt with in this book, and that sometimes details in the Marshall Plan's methodology are lacking, leaving me confused as to how to handle a few problems I've encountered along the way. I'm also really disappointed with the chapters on characters -- I thought they were a good but very basic start, but would do nothing more than create decent characters, not the kind that will have the ability to fascinate and capture the readers' interests. Nonetheless, it is a beginning. Don't expect this book to be the be-all, end-all, but do expect it to put you on a good, solid track. The negative reviews I read about this book made me nervous about buying it, but I don't regret my purchase in the slightest.
Rating:
Summary: Very specific, good advice for aspiring novelists
Review: I honestly do not have the time to write a complete review of this book. I see though, that reviews are either completely positive or negative for it. That, I do not think is a bad thing, as the book targets a very specific area for your writing. This is not necessarily a complete guide to novel-writing. What Marshall does is stress the importance of cause and effect in your writing and outlines. This may seem obvious, but alas, it isn't. Some amateur writers try to push their plots along just by their own sheer will, and they never quite gel. In this book the author shows you many techniques via examples and worksheets (yes even in the actual book, not the workbook) on how to make your plot flow logically. Also covered in much the same way are relationships between characters. How do people manage to meet to wind their way through the plot in the first place? In this area especially is practical instruction on how to keep your novel from being bogged down with side character issues. Suffice it to say, I enjoyed the approach. Even if you don't subscribe to the larger concepts it will help dead areas in a plot you already have, as well as ones waiting to be created.
Rating:
Summary: A useful tool
Review: It does not do the thinking for you. It does not do the imagining for you. It does not do the writing for you. What it does is give you a workable framework, the boundaries in which to let your thoughts, imagination, and words run wild without fear of creating an anarchic mess. This method is the equivalent of creating a painting using the rules of perspective. Picasso mastered realism before he began playing with the rules of visual reality, and the same concept applies to novel writing. Too many writers are horrible storytellers, and this method helps you with the latter. Forget the overdone stream-of-consciousness approach and learn to tell a good story.
Rating:
Summary: A Good Roadmap
Review: It's not too hard to dismiss this book out of hand as being too arbitrary or deal-a-mealy. I was tempted to myself, but upon reflection I saw that while it's not perfect, it presents several advantages to going it alone.
While it's certainly possible to produce a formulaic, cookie-cutter book by following Marshall's guidelines, it's not inevitable. On the other hand, if you're too anal in your efforts of following "the plan," odds are you'd have been too anal to produce a saleable manuscript without it, as well. While it may not result in providing you with a break-out novel, the plan isn't intended to provide that result. Better to break in first, then you'll have somewhere to break out of.
As with most things, the principles behind the plan are its soundest points. I think there's room for some leeway in the execution of Marshall's points. Your decision may be different from mine, but I'm inclined to give him the benefit of the doubt before I begin flailing around in the dark without a guide.
At first glance, though, parts of the plan seem to make no sense. For instance, in sections told from the (for lack of a more nuanced word) villain's p.o.v., Marshall says the villain never experiences failure. This doesn't mean, however, that the villain can never face a setback, but whatever setback he or she faces is resolved and turned back against the hero before the section is concluded. Likewise, I think it's fair that the hero can stymie the villain in a hero section (or the confidant/love interest in their sections), but he/she/they/it needs to recognize the inevitable repercussions for what has been done (publicly insulting Snidely Whiplash may make your hero(ine) feel good at the moment, but upon further reflection (s)he ought to have doubts about the wisdom of those words/actions).
The only thing that has left me scratching my head is that Marshall has would-be writers determining the word count of completed manuscripts by a mathematical formula based on page count, rather than as determined by word processing software. If you use an old Underwood typewriter, I suppose his way makes sense, but it seems defining a broader word count target for a genre novel would be more appropriate than eliminating "a half page of space" at a time by combining two chapters into one. Maybe this will make better sense to me when my manuscript is done and I actually have a word count in hand ("No!" my self-doubt screams, "You've found the ultimate flaw in the plan! Don't attempt to follow it! Never begin work on your novel! Use more exclamation points!!!").
Ultimately, the plan boils down to this: know your characters ahead of time; map out your plot before you begin to write, basing each section on what your character(s) did in the preceding section(s); remember to take your characters' emotional states into consideration as you develop your story and reflect it in your writing; put three big escalating "surprises" in the story and drop them in at the appropriate places within the novel; keep your prose tight and your points-of-view focused. Do you have to wait until your second draft is complete before breaking the book into chapters? I don't know, but the basics of the plan are sound whether you choose to follow them to the letter or not.
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