The Marshall Plan for Novel Writing

Rating:
Summary: THE BEST book I've read on novel writing!
Review: I buy a lot of books on writing--at least one a month for the past several years. So I have a shelf full of books on writing fiction. "The Marshall Plan for Novel Writing," however, is THE BEST book I've ever read on how to plan, plot, write, and edit a novel. It's also the most practical. I'll soon be plotting novel #3 according to the Marshall Plan.

Rating:
Summary: Worth having around
Review: If you buy this book and follow it like a bible, will you sell your novel? You might, you might not. The truth of the matter is, there's no one way to do it. Most writers don't even do it the same way from book to book. But, if you have no idea how or where to begin, Marshall's explanation of how scenes play off of one another and how point of view and subplots keep things moving along is a good place to start. His advice on character development is lame. But if you want to be a good writer, first thing you have to do is learn people. You won't get that from any book. So read this book and take what you can from it. Then read every other book you possibly can and meet as many people as you possibly can and put yourself in as many new situations as you possibly can.

Just a note: the best thing I ever did for my writing was to think in scenes. Just write a very brief summary of a scene on a notecard. Think of some scene you know that you want in your book. Then do some more. Then a few more. Don't worry about what goes where. When you get done, put them in order. You'll find a story developing slowing. Then you can put scenes in to fill in the gaps. Once you wind up with a stack of 40 or 50 cards that you like, you're on your way to a book that you like. And the best part about this method is your story is easy to change. Pull out the cards you don't like and rewrite them or toss them or move them. I use the back to make notes that come to me about the character or the tone or whatever while I'm reading the cards. It works for me. Give it a shot.

Rating:
Summary: Covers everything it takes to write a successful novel.
Review: THE MARSHALL PLAN FOR NOVEL WRITING is a unique guide covering everything it takes to write a successful novel. Drawing on his extensive experience as an agent, editor and novelist, Evan Marshall has perfected a simple, methodical approach to novel writing. His clear-cut, 16-step "Marshall Plan" breaks down the complex novel-writing process into a series of parts that the aspiring writer can put together one piece at a time. The novice writer will have his or her whole story planned and plotted before actually beginning to write so that there is no chance of working themselves into a corner or making critical mistakes in pacing and plotting. THE MARSHALL PLAN FOR NOVEL WRITING is a practical, workable, effective program to take the novelist from idea to completed manuscript, one that will seize the attention of readers, agents, editors, and reviewers.

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