This book is most effective when you do the corresponding exercises at the end of each chapter. Bell doesn't give you busy work. Each assignment helps you flesh out material that can be directly used in your novel. In other words, his chapters are insightful and helpful. I found his verbiage easy to understand. Whether you've taken writing classes in the past or not, this novel on plot and structure will give you a new way of looking at your stories. Filled with examples from other bestsellers, Bell makes it easy for readers to get a sense for what will help make their fiction stand apart from other bland novels on the shelf. I highly recommend this book. There's plenty of variety here to keep you interested and once you're done, you'll feel ready to get going on your next novel--I know I am!

James Scott Bell continues to make learning the craft interesting and worthwhile. A must have for all writers, new and old!
Revisions & Self -Editing is of the same quality. I find that even though I have read it I go back to them.

I only wish he would come out with more writing books!

clear, user friendly, a solid "how-to" and many ideas that can be used for a novice or professional writer....

I work with authors for a living, and I have published two successful nonfiction books. But I still learned so much from James Scott Bell. When I read his brilliant insight about The Big Lie, I knew that I had believed it, too. Because plotting never came "naturally" to me, I assumed that I couldn't do it. But I dislike literary prose that meanders and never goes anywhere, so I felt locked out of fiction.

Not only did his clear-eyed, accessible advice help me with my third nonfiction book (breaking a two-year block in the process by helping me see how to structure it), but it also gave me the wherewithal to tackle fiction again, something I had abandoned in the mid-1990s even though an editor was interested in publishing it!

Thank you, James Scott Bell. I now buy copies of your book and send them to my literary clients as gifts. You're right up there with Donald Maass for offering timely, well-stated, on-target, USABLE advice. Just to show you my appreciation, I'm now going to read one of your novels! :-)

This little gem cuts through all the noise and gets right down to analyzing the mechanics of good stories. It's full of wonderfully simple observations and immediately applicable guidelines, the kind that are obvious in retrospect but that I never noticed before. The author's not out to cramp anyone's style, either - he recognizes that writers generate material in all kinds of different ways. Definitely worth picking up.

This book is the best book of advice for aspiring novel writers I have seen. Lots of practical examples and some good techniques to try out. Even has a chapter-by-chapter system to go from nothing to a novel by the end of the book (if you want to use it).

It is also engaging to read and is not boring or "text-booky" at all.

Higly recommended.

I purchased his book after attending a class Mr. Bell gave at a writer's conference.

The book is invaluable, it will save countless hours of re-writing, and make the entire effort easier. Plot is perhaps the most important element of a book.

Just as a house has a kitchen, bedroom, front door, etc, a well-crafted book should contain certain elements as well.

There are time-tested techniques and pointers, this book lists them and makes their application much easier.

We all have at least a dozen books on the craft of writing, this should be one of them. It is worth the investment and the time it will take to digest it.

Dan Elliott Jr.

This book, as it says on the title, focus on plot and structure. He gives an introduction to each then delves into them for the rest of the book. The concepts are solid and anyone who want to know how to write but doesn't (or thinks they can't) owes it to themselves to pick this and the other "Write Great Fiction" books. There's a criticism that the author just reuses the same information that's been out there for a long time, which is like criticizing a history book on the Romans. There's only one set of history out there, so of course it will have the same information! Besides, since it's the SAME INFORMATION as other "how to" books, and since this book is clearly written towards those who want to know how to write, the criticism is again made completely moot. On that same note, if someone got this book, then why would they buy another book on plot?

The author's use of the "LOCK" system and the "doorways" is excellent and helps a new would-be writer more easily conceptualize the elements that are needed for a good plot. That was what he intended to do, that was what he did, and so that is why this book is worth the money.

This how-to book actually delivers! So many books give definintions of writing terms, but this book explains HOW TO DO those things. Intellegent, useful, and sometimes even funny.

Buy this book. The excercises are even good- and I HATE writing excersises.

Best of all- this book is ENCOURAGING. The author's you-can-do-it spirit flows from every page and his clear explainations make you believe him that you can.

The author did a fantastic job with this book. It is a must-have for fiction writers.

If you're thinking about writing fiction, this book is a "must have." In order for a writer to write page one, he needs to know where he's going, and how he's going to get there. This book systematically walks you right through the entire process. I found it to be very beneficial in not only answering the how's but also the why's. It intoduced ideas and thoughts that I had never considered before that am sure will make my writing better. I would recommend this book as a prerequisite to anyone interested in writing good fiction. I found it to be well worth the time and money, as are all of the other books in this series.

James Scott Bell does a great job of dissecting the basics of plot and structure. Even writers who've been working for a while will find plenty of useful information in the book - especially in the chapter on generating story ideas.

Beginning writers, or writers who are just now starting to hone their craft will find tons of good advice including the basics of outlining, working with plot in various drafts, viewing plot as a vital part of your story, and knowing how and when to make the plot work to it's best advantage.

This book along with a dictionary, thesaurus and Strunk and White's "Elements of Style" should be on every writer's bookshelf.

James Scott Bell does a great job of dissecting the basics of plot and structure. Even writers who've been working for a while will find plenty of useful information in the book - especially in the chapter on generating story ideas.

Beginning writers, or writers who are just now starting to hone their craft will find tons of good advice including the basics of outlining, working with plot in various drafts, viewing plot as a vital part of your story, and knowing how and when to make the plot work to it's best advantage.

This book along with a dictionary, thesaurus and Strunk and White's "Elements of Style" should be on every writer's bookshelf.

Great advice and generous tips. Finally I understand the three-act structure, and the notion of creating suspenseful fiction doesn't seem so daunting. Thanks.

What this book should be called is 'How to Sell Your Soul for a Monetarily-Successful Writing Career: Now in 14 Intensely Dull Chapters!'. Bell goes on and on about 'connecting with the reader', but it's really just a thinly-veiled way of saying 'sell a lot of copies'. Which is fine, I guess, but it gets old.

Even disregarding that aspect of it, it's not that what Bell has to say is all bad; he does discuss a lot of important principles. But if one has ever taken any kind of writing class at all, or even simply read a book, one should be able to figure it out on one's own. Essentially, this is a book for the people who didn't pay attention in high school English.

I've been writing non fiction for over ten years. This summer I decided to start working on a novel that has been brewing in my mind since I was fourteen. I wrote the first three chapters and my plot stalled. This book gave me the ideas I needed to get excited about my novel. I own many "how to" books on writing and this one is laid out brilliantly.

I'm still working my way through this book, but so far I'm very impressed. I've learned a great deal about the structure of plots and scenes. The author provides very practical and easily understood guidelines. Highly recommended.

Not having the luxury of an MFA, I struggled to create my interpretation of a marketable novel until I finally faced the truth. I didn't know what I was doing.

"Okay then," I thought, "what exactly am I lacking?"

I attended a very good workshop which revealed what I had already come to suspect. My writing had too much imagery and not enough, plot or structure. I went looking for a solution and, would you believe it, I found there was a book written just for me.

"Plot & Structure, Techniques and exercises for crafting a plot that grips readers from start to finish," by James Scott Bell was the first step on my road to literary recovery. I followed this wonderful little book with another, "Techniques of the Selling Writer" by Dwight V. Swain. The two volumes go together well, in my opinion, complimenting one another on a common list of topics.

I'd recommend them both as well as the rest of the "Write Great Fiction" series from Writer's Digest Books. You might also consider, "Self-Editing for Fiction Writers, How to Edit Yourself Into Print" by Renni Brown and Dave King.

I needed to find better footing, to bone up on fiction basics. These books plus a subscription to "the Writer" magazine have been my school. If you desire a better grasp of the basics, you might want to start here.

Michael, doing better, in Seattle.

This is a good introductory book, and works for various types of media, like cinema (screenplay) and comics.

It's a simple and objective book, direct to the point. It's interesting to note that other books like Screenplay by Syd Field and Story by Robert Mckee will be more valuable after you read Plot & Structure, because now you will have a better understanding of story construction.

It's not a revolutionary book, but it's very solid and highly practical.

Recommended.

This book is a must have for every fiction writer, non-fiction writer who wants to try fiction, or for someone who dreams of becoming an author.

I write my books intuitively. Then my first publisher suggested I start teaching creative writing workshops.

"Great idea," I told her.

But deep inside I was scared silly. How the heck would I go about teaching something that I was doing intuitively?

Thank goodness for this book! Now I can see and understand the process that I've been using as a writer. This is not only helping me improve my skills, it's also helping me have a lot more fun writing my next book.

This is the only how-to book on writing that I have actually finished! I found it to be very entertaining, and SO useful! I am a very unorganized plotter; I just write the story. He actually had some tips for writers just like me that didn't entail "write an outline or else"!
I would definitely recommend this book!

If you want to write a great book- this is a must! I bought this book because of all its great reviews- and they are right! Wow! Its the best book out there for all to-be authors! Plus it was fun to read- most books on this subject are not!

After reviewing others' writing compared to mine, I realized my main problem was plot development and STRUCTURE. From the first random page I flipped to in this book, I found useful excersizes and idea-generating info that has helped me greatly. I keep reading parts over and over, and thinking of new ways to do the excersizes and generate storylines. It gave hints on character development, dialogue, and other body pieces of the story, as well as lacing everything together.
I can't read more than a few sentences usually without thinking of something (of my own) to write down.

Most importantly of all, it makes every writer REALLY feel like a writer. It inspires continuing dedication to one's work, and a belief in oneself...neither of which an author can succeed without.

It's a great book and I recommend it whether you believe you need help or not. It's a useful resource, and a great problem-solver. I'm looking forward to finding similar books on character development and setting.

This book has been a red-pill type of read for me. It contains in such a small amount of text, the tools that successful novelists utilize to create great plots. JSB does an excellent job of not only presenting examples from familiar stuff (e.g. "the shining," "star wars," "midnight"..etc) but he's masterful in conveying the mechanics that inspire interest in the reader. The only con here is that it's hard for me to simply enjoy a movie or hear/read a good story now without considering the concepts explained in this text (hence the red pill.) I can live with that I suppose.. This is a very enriching read, worth checking out.

This book is recommended for beginning writers struggling to get a grip on plot. "Literary" writers may also benefit by infusing their character-driven stories with structure as instructed by Bell. For writers who have taken a few writing classes or are voracious readers, the "three-act structure" here is overly familiar and won't come across as surprisingly insightful.

This book can be summed up as: 1) Use the three-act structure. It may be formulaic, but it works. 2) Experiment with different techniques--there are plenty of exercises in this book to jumpstart your fiction. 3) Write! It's the only way you'll really learn.

Finally, someone has written a book that I can use to create better stories. Most of the books I've read on writing fiction provide some good insights, but incorporating those tidbits into a story that puts them all together into something that works well has been difficult. With this book, Mr. Bell provides a clear understanding of what it takes to create an interesting story. This is the book I've been looking for!

I am learning a lot of things that I didn't know and figuring out ways to fine tune and strengthen my writing skills.

An excellent title if you want to know the tricks and techniques needed to grab hold of a reader and not let them go until the final pages of your novel. It's all here, from plotting techniques to structuring your scenes for maximum impact.

I'm a published author with three titles in print and yet I still buy and read how-to books, because I believe you should never stop learning. Many of these books are boring rehashes of obvious information, but Bell has just the right combination of enthusiasm and knowledge. You want to keep reading, but you also want to set the book aside and apply some of the techniques right away.

James Scott Bell has put forth an informative and resourceful book for writers. He takes us through a journey of plot: the beginning, middle, and end; and then helps us strengthen our stories and pinpoint common pitfalls. He uses examples from a variety of commercial and literary fiction, and each example he points out exactly what is useful. Overall, any writer will find this book extremely helpful.

A word of warning, however: don't check it out from the library. Buy your own copy, instead. You'll be wanting to highlight and underline every other sentence in this book.

This is a great, short book that gets to the nitty-gritty of writing fiction. I used its techniques on my second historical novel, Rashi's Daughters, Book II: Miriam and I definitely wished that I'd know about it before I wrote my first, Rashi's Daughters, Book 1: Joheved.

I have upteen books on the craft of writing, so I thought I might as well add one more. This one is a little better than some of the others I have on plotting. I would recommend it.

Like a lot of my peers, I love books about writing. And also like my peers, I have my favorites and host of others I think are terrible.

Okay... maybe terrible isn't the right word. A matter of taste? In any case, I don't like 'em.

I'm skipping some of the biggies, namely Stephen King's ON WRITING and Anne Lamott's BIRD BY BIRD. Both those books are on all of our bookshelves and I've never seen a writer badmouth either one. Just assume I love them, too.

As a general rule, the writing books I hate are the ones that tell me how to write... or, I should say, talk about the process of writing without couching the text with the caveat that it's how the author writes.

On the other hand, the ones I love the most are the books that help me solve a problem. The first writing book that ever fit that bill for me was James Scott Bell's PLOT & STRUCTURE.

I remember standing in the book store one afternoon and cracking this book open to read the introduction. He titled it "Putting The Big Lie To Sleep."

How's that for a grabber?

What he wrote described my writing life. He told the story of how he'd wasted valuable years of his own writing life because he had the misfortune of being informed in college that writing cannot be taught... that either ya got it or ya don't got it.

It was actually worse for me because it was my own wrong thinking that dissuaded me from pursuing fiction writing further. I can remember sitting in a fiction class while in college and reading a fellow student's short story for critique.

His beautiful prose, his command of language, his seemingly effortless craft... it floored me.

I also remember thinking to myself, "I don't think I can ever be this good." By the way, I can't remember a thing about that guy's story except that it had chess in it.

So, there, sometime in late 2005, in the middle of Barnes & Noble, it was spelled out to me that all these years--fifteen years to be more exact--were nothing more than hogwash. And like I said, I'd been the one that did to me.

But getting to the more practical matters, the book is rife with exercises and examples that illuminate the concepts Bell teaches in the book... from basic story structure and plotting (duh), to character arc, to plotting systems, to troubleshooting common mistakes. It doesn't always help me solve a problem now, but it was a significant find for me in believing I can write fiction again.

From the multitude of writing books I've read, this one ranks in my top 5 of all time books on the craft. The author does an excellent job of breaking down what we as authors/readers too often make an overly complex process. He explains why some stories just work and how we as aspiring author can do the same.

One of my pet peeves with any non-fiction book is the use of too many examples to fill pages vs. giving me hard content I can walk away with and attempt to use. This isn't the case here. I felt that 90% of the book was pure content with a sprinkle of examples to further prove the author's point. Thank you Mr Bell!!

You can click "Look Inside This Book" at the top of this product page and you should. The author deftly covers the whole gambit of What's a Plot, Anyway? to Plotting Systems (a great chapter regardless on your style of plotting), to Tips & Tools for Plot and Structure.

As with the rest of the books in the series, the icing on the cake for the impatient ones in the world is Appendix A, which lists the authors main points in the book in bulletted form. For those of us who stick with it, this was a wonderful summary of the previous 200pages we just journeyed through.

My recommended plotting plan:
1) Read this book for an overview of plotting and some real world tools that can be applied to the process

2) Pick up The Marshall Plan of Novel Writing by Evan Marshal or First Draft in 30 Days by Karen Weisner. Both of these books take many of the concepts listed in this book and put them into templates and forms you can fill out to plot your novel

3) Write. Write. Write.

Don't do what I did and spend the last ten years reading more on writing than actually writing. Get that first 1 million words written asap!! While you are doing it, read this book which has a permanent place on my book shelf as a handy reference and reminder of what makes a successful plot.

James Scott Bell's excellent Plot & Structure volume has helped me where courses, software and other books have not.

His simple LOCK system immediately clicked and after reading the first four chapters yesterday, I found myself awake early this morning writing a more detailed story/synopsis for a screenplay by effortlessly incorporating this system and several other key concepts listed within the first four chapters.

I also found immense relief in Mr. Bell's mention that having hundreds of ideas is a good thing. It's hard for me to settle in with just one idea, but I find that having so many ideas come to the forefront is now a gift rather than a setback.

Beyond shutting up my internal censor and making time to write, plotting was my greatest nemesis. I can clearly see this won't be the case following the principles set forth here.

True, I have not completed the book, but I feel like this is the best $11.55 ever spent on my writing education. To see this much of a transformation in my fiction, in hours I'm convinced. I'm looking forward to finishing Plot & Structure and my first screenplay :)

James Scott Bell's excellent Plot & Structure volume has helped me where courses, software and other books have not.

His simple LOCK system immediately clicked and after reading the first four chapters yesterday, I found myself awake early this morning writing a more detailed story/synopsis for a screenplay by effortlessly incorporating this system and several other key concepts listed within the first four chapters.

I also found immense relief in Mr. Bell's mention that having hundreds of ideas is a good thing. It's hard for me to settle in with just one idea, but I find that having so many ideas come to the forefront is now a gift rather than a setback.

Beyond shutting up my internal censor and making time to write, plotting was my greatest nemesis. I can clearly see this won't be the case following the principles set forth here.

True, I have not completed the book, but I feel like this is the best $11.55 ever spent on my writing education. To see this much of a transformation in my fiction, in hours I'm convinced. I'm looking forward to finishing Plot & Structure and my first screenplay :)

This book on plot and structure by James Bell delivers an ideal match between depth and width on these subjects.

Without repeating comments made by previous reviewers, I will just add that the author describes the topics in detail, follows with practice exercises that solidify your mastery of the topic, then provides a relevant bibliography of writing books or novels.

The author's approach is 'wide' because the author covers several dimensions to various topics. In one example, he tries to accomodate those authors who outline ahead of time (OP, outline people), those who don't (NOP, non-outline people), and those who do both (a little outlining with a lot of freedom). To accomplish this, the author borrows heavily from recommendations of other authors and provides an objective synthesis of their techniques. This makes his bibliography of writing books and novels so helpful.

John Dunbar
Sugar Land, TX

What I like best about this book is that Bell writes in a very easy to follow style. He language is simple and readily understood. I bought this book to assist me with re-working the plot of a novel. One thing that helped me was that he says to come up with hundreds of ideas for your ending or for a major plot point. This way as you thread your novel together, you have different scenarios to choose from. So if you suddenly need to raise the stakes or if you find that your original set up doesn't work with the over all tone of what has come before, you have something to use instead. It also helps when you want to create a twist ending.

Plot and Structure shows you how to drag out the suspense so that you raise the stakes for your lead character and keep the reader hooked. Distinguishing between different types of intensity, Bell shows you how you can use emotional scenes or action scenes to challenge your characters and deepen your plot.

My only critique of this book is that many of the examples that he uses are from suspense novels. While I think this is useful especially when setting up opening scenes, you may find yourself changing tone of your book if you follow his models too closely. After reading this book, I found myself re-working my opening scene and the tone was ominous. While my new version was definately suspenseful, I had to remind myself that my book is a historical romance, not a thriller a la Mary Higgins Clark. So I wrote a third opener which had some of the suspense of the second draft but without the foreboding air. Still, writing the second draft was great practice and taught me about pacing a scene which is very handy as I go into critical scenes later in my book.

Overall, this is a great book. Plot and Structure is informative and unpretentious.

This book has already paid for itself, and I'm only on chapter four. I got so inspired I completely rewrote the first chapter in my novel using his principles and now even *I* like it. Of course, now I have to rewrite everything else, but having worked out the consequences, the whole result is going to be a lot more exciting and satisfying. If you are having trouble getting your project moving, this book can probably help you.

I am a playwright, not a novelist, but this book is quite helpful nonetheless. A good source of idea-generating techniques, as well. I am looking forward to applying it to my next project.

All of James Scott Bell's novels are very hard to put down, but, I wondered, could that be possible with a writing book? I usually struggle through books on writing, knowing I need to learn more but fighting it all the way. Not so with Plot & Structure.

There needs to be a warning label on this book:STIMULANT! DO NOT READ BEFORE GOING TO BED!

You will be torn between reading more and whipping your mauscript out for immediate resuscitation.

Like a lot of aspiring novelists, I've collected, read, and reread a lot of books on fiction technique. I've read many of the books that Bell lists early on in his book as worthwhile how-to manuals for author wannabes. I've learned enough through study and writing experience to become rather choosy of any new books I buy, since so many principles of good writing are to be found over and over in a lot of previously published good writing books. Plot & Structure was not only interesting and encouraging, but original in ways too numerous to mention here. Bell is quite obviously a Dean Koontz fan, and frequently cites Koontz's work as examples of good plotting and structure. I've never read a Dean Koontz novel, but I've recently acquired two to read in the near future. Bell is also a big believer in prologues or in first chapters that serve the purpose of a prologue to the rest of the story. For beginning, intermediate, and advanced students of fiction technique, I wholeheartedly recommend Plot & Structure. I am planning to read the other three books in this series (Write Great Fiction), even though Mr. Bell did not write them. I appreciate his reference to both classic literature and noteworthy recent novels as examples of what makes a story hold the reader and make them want more of the same. When you've read this book, you will no longer wonder what makes one book a bestseller and what makes another book do poorly. You will be able to judge your own work much more objectively and know how to improve it without guessing what it lacks. I most appreciate Mr. Bell's statement that a writer should continue to study and improve his craft for as long as he or she intends to write. If you read only one book on plotting and structure (and you should certainly read more than one) I recommend this one for scope and clarity. Five stars, very well deserved!

Bell starts from the assertion that anyone can learn to craft a good plot. Whether you prefer to plan every detail of your stories in advance or fly by the seat of your pants, you can still learn all the elements of an engaging story and use them to draw your reader in. Bell has spent a great deal of time analyzing the plot structures of those books that consistently draw people in, and he has come up with a number of systems, theories and exercises which he shares in this book.

Bell addresses just about every aspect of plotting I could think of, from "What's a Plot, Anyway?" to generating ideas, dealing with beginnings (and middles, and endings), handling individual scenes, crafting complex plots, integrating character arc into plot, different systems of crafting plot, revising plots, plot patterns, plot problems, cures for plot problems, and even checklists to go through to make sure you're remembering everything as you write your book.

One of Bell's major contributions to plot theory is his "LOCK" system, which stands for Lead, Objective, Confrontation, Knockout. In order to have a gripping plot you must have a lead, he must have an objective, there must be confrontation, and the ending must have "knockout power." There are a million-and-ten possible variations on this simple structure, but this basic idea alone can help a struggling writer to get a grip on the basics of plot.

I highly recommend "Plot & Structure" for anyone who writes or plans to write fiction. It's been a while since I sat down to write fiction, but this book makes me want to sit and work on a novel right this moment. It's clear, coherent, practical, and immensely useful to any student of the craft.

I find that far too many people blather and rave about books they know too little about (and subjects they comprehend even less). However, the present unanimity of 5-star reviews for this little gem of an instruction book is no fluke. I have read several books on plotting and found much useful and good information in each of them. But this one stands above all others for being so clear on all the elements of fiction plotting.

Bell's approach to plotting is precisely what most of us need. Simplicity. Directness. Exactitude.

Think about it. Fiction is typically comprised of the so-called five major elements: Plot, Characters, Tone, Theme and Dialogue. Setting and other elements are usually covered in conjunction with characters and theme, and I will admit several other elements could be identified. But of all of these, which is the most abnormal and unnatural? Characters are fictional representation of people, and we all know people to varying degrees. Setting...just a place. How it's rendered is the key. Tone is mood and all that goes with it. Theme is the subject matter which unifies all subordinate materials. But plot???

Where in everyday life do we learn plot (that is, unless we are schemers at heart)? Plot and structure are the most unnatural and least intuitive of all the components of a good story. Plot is, in fact, another word for story.

I could easily write a summary of each of the excellent chapters in Bell's superb analysis of story construction, but there is really no need. If you are reading this review, it is because like me your manuscripts have meandered far and wide with very decent characters, a consistent tone, snappy dialogue, intriguing and well-rendered settings, etc., etc., just to be sent back by the agents because THE STORY IS UNSOUND! So get off the "Use the force, Luke" bandwagon, get used to the idea that stories are not naturally conceived but are profoundly artificial, and release yourself from the disease of artistic denial.

There is a cure. It's called the ADD TO SHOPPING CART button. Press it and let the healing begin. If this book cannot help you understand the necessities and techniques for plotting fiction, then I repsectfully suggest you give up storytelling. It does not get any simpler--or more helpful--than this.