Plot & Structure: (Techniques and Exercises for Crafting a Plot That Grips REaders From Start to finish) (Write Great Fiction)

Rating:
Summary: Flat-out the best book
Review: "Plot & Structure" is without a doubt the best book ever written on how to write a novel. Whether you are sitting down to write your first novel or your fifteenth, keep this book handy and your task will be much easier. I've read other books on the subject-there are countless of them out there-and many of them have been very helpful (though more theoretical than practical). But "Plot & Structure" enlists a no-nonsense, roll up your sleeves how-to approach. Simply said, if writing a novel seems a bit daunting to you, read this book from cover to cover-digest it-and soon you'll be on your way!

Rating:
Summary: The Fiction Writer's Holy Grail
Review: After ten years of college, decades in the business, and workshops too numerous to mention, I have finally encountered what I was certain would never exist - an entertaining and eminently readable book that can actually teach the craft of writing a good commercial novel. James Scott Bell's Plot and Structure, from Writers Digest Books, does clearly and coherently what most fiction how-tos do not - moves beyond the bricks-and-mortar of language to the blueprint of compelling and saleable plot. And what makes this even better is the book's upbeat tone, its tugging and insistent you can-can-do-this style; I defy you to read the first twenty pages without feeling compelled to write a novel. This book has earned a permanent recommendation in my workshop reading lists; I have never read a better how-to.

Tom Morrisey


Rating:
Summary: The Best Book on Writing I've Read
Review: As a writer, I'm always looking for good books on craft. Jim Bell's new book is the easiest to understand and most comprehensive book I've ever read. If want to learn the craft or take your writing to a higher level, this book is for you. It lays out exactly how to create the plot skeleton and how to flesh out the story from there. Though I've published going on thirty books, I learned more from this book than my library of books on writing. Highly recommended!

Rating:
Summary: If you can only buy one writing book ...
Review: Can't afford a pricey writer's conference? Do family responsibilities keep you from traveling? No problem. James Scott Bell's latest book is the perfect solution. Like a week-long writing course, Bell covers it all in easy-to-read chapters. From the Top 20 Ways to Get Hundreds of Plot Ideas to Stretching the Tension, I'd recommend Plot & Structure to beginning writers for its soup-to-nuts approach, but it's also a must-read for veterans. The advice is timeless.

Rating:
Summary: A cut above
Review: Entertaining as well as educational, Plot & Structure is a book I will read more than once. No, not just read. Use. I've long said that storytellers (those who have a need to tell a story and then tell another and then another) are born, but the craft of writing can be learned. Here is one great tool for learning the craft. It's an excellent addition to any writer's "how to" library.

Robin Lee Hatcher

Rating:
Summary: Bell instructs--and inspires!
Review: I was about two weeks into the task of plotting and structuring a very convoluted time-travel novel when I received my copy of PLOT & STRUCTURE. I immediately delved into the book and gained valuable insights that enabled me to manage and harness the complexities of my story. And James Scott Bell doesn't merely instruct-he inspires. Let me show you what I mean. Near the end of the book, he writes:

"So what are you writing for? If it is only for money or fame, you'll miss the spark that makes both of those things possible. Go further. . . . Develop a vision for yourself as a writer. Make it something that excites you. Turn that into a mission statement-one paragraph that sums up your hopes and dreams as a writer. Read this regularly. Revise it from time to time to reflect your growth. . . . If you stay true to your own awe, your books cannot help being charged with meaning. That's not just a great way to write. It's a great way to live" [Page 204].

James Scott Bell has written a book you'll want to read straight through, then go back and refer to again and again. Powerful visual diagrams, practical exercises, techniques for brainstorming ideas, valuable tips and tools, and a checklist at the end makes this one of the most useful and user-friendly books on writing I've ever encountered. Whether you are an aspiring writer, just learning your trade, or an experienced pro, wanting to take your craft to the next level, I highly recommend PLOT & STRUCTURE.



Rating:
Summary: Plot and Structure . . . and a whole lot more.
Review: PLOT & STRUCTURE is billed as a how-to book on writing fiction, focusing on plotting and story structure. And it does all that as well as any book I've ever seen. But what I really like about the book is how well it integrates plotting with all the other skills a novelist needs to master--creativity, research, character development, theme, and the logistics to put it all together.

James Scott Bell begins with an inspirational "you can do it" chapter that will light a novel-writing fire in the belly of any life form more complex than a squid. He then takes two full chapters to give some hands-on explanations of what a Plot is and why it needs Structure. The next chapter, on how to stimulate your creativity (and how NOT to), is pure gold. This chapter applies to all areas of writing, not just your plotting.

Bell then moves on to the staples of plotting, with chapters on the high-level issues of Beginnings, Middles, Ends, and the lower-level problem of how to write a Scene. You can find books elsewhere that explain some of this in more detail, but you won't find a BETTER explanation anywhere. Bell consistently gets to the heart of the matter, says his piece, and gets out.

Having laid a solid foundation, Bell moves on to other aspects of writing, showing how each ties in to Plot: Theme, Complexity, and Character. He presents two chapters on the logistics of writing--one for the initial creation of the novel, and one for the analysis and revision after the thing is written and is lying on your desk in a heap of writhing manuscript. A chapter with a standard catalog of plot patterns rounds out this section.

James Scott Bell is an accomplished novelist who has paid those pesky writing dues several times over. In the next-to-last chapter, he makes a down payment on YOUR dues--by giving you a very practical list of things that can go wrong and what you can do to fix them. He wraps up with a punchlist of tips you can use to move your level of writing up a notch.

I've published half a dozen novels and my seventh is on the operating table awaiting the knife. Bell's book has me itching to get scrubbed and go commit some surgery right this instant.

Rating:
Summary: Fabulous!
Review: The best testimony I can give about James Scott Bell's writing book is this: I haven't finished it yet. That's because the first 100 pages inspired me so that I put down the book, got off the sofa (on Thanksgiving Day, no less!) and wrote the first 1,000 words of my next novel. More importantly, I also wrote a more detailed outline than I've ever produced for a book (as an, I thought, confirmed seat-of-the-pants writer). I haven't been this excited about my own writing in years! I honestly can't wait to see what's in store in the next 130 pages of Plot & Structure...but first, I'm getting my story down while the inspiration is flowing. ~Deborah Raney, author of A Nest of Sparrows and Playing by Heart

Rating:
Summary: Jam-packed and Easy to Read -- Excellent!!
Review: This is an incredible book on plot, James Scott Bell uses visuals and easy-to-read graphics that really brought plot to a level of understanding! I highly recommend this book to writers, especially if you have trouble with forward motion in your books. Mr. Bell shows you how to leap and keep the story running.
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