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Title: The Plot Thickens: 8 Ways to Bring Fiction to Life by Noah Lukeman ISBN: 0-312-30928-7 Publisher: St. Martin's Press Pub. Date: 18 June, 2003 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $12.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.67 (9 reviews)
Rating: 2
Summary: A list of questions over and over and overand....
Comment: I can't help but feel that I was deceived by some of the other reviews of this book. Helpful they said. Great guide they said. I am not a well-published writer, but I found little in this book helpful.
The first half is composed of mostly questions to ask yourself, mostly about your characters. How does the character treat other characters? Who does he choose to spend time with? Does he have a disfiguring disease? Perhaps these questions could be useful in inventing a character to base a story off of or in developing characters as a beginning writer, but not to an experienced and reasonably-competent writer trying to flesh out an already existing idea.
Anyone who reads regularly will know most of this information already. It can help inspire new ideas though. The exercises aren't terrible, though they really just recap the rest of the writing.
He seems to push conflict and tension over the top. He actually recommends cliches. For instance, if a character has to cross a river in order to continue journeying with his colleagues, Lukeman recommends that the story migt benefit if the river has a rushing current AND is full of man-eating crocodiles AND the character is being chased by an army AND 90% of the people who try to cross die. A story full of super-high tension and rediculous obstacles and conflicts is not my idea of good writing. It's more like the formula for a Hollywood blockbuster for testosterone junkies too pumped-up to recognize the difference between plot and situational window dressing. Jeopardy isn't jeopardy unless we believe he might not succeed.
Even the title is misleading. This book is about how to start writing a story, not how tho thicken the plot. I liked "The First Five Pages" and did find that helpful for revising stories, especially the early parts. Lukeman just dropped the ball on this one.
Rating: 5
Summary: Fantastic guide to character and plot development
Comment: This should be on every writer's bookshelf. Noah Lukeman writes as though he's an ancient finger-wagging English teacher, so I was surprised to see the bookflap photo and find he's quite young.
Overlook the slightly disapproving tone, because the book is a gem. Few books are able to distil so much knowledge into such a short space.
Detailed character-building exercises take up a large chunk of the book, because Lukeman firmly believes that character is the plot. He doesn't just work through appearance and background, though he does this in detail. He also covers which characters to put together, major and minor characters, how often they should appear, who they should interact with and when, what they react to, etc.
Next he explains the different types of journey your characters can be on and how that affects the story, how to build suspense and develop conflict.
Each chapter has suggested exercises to practice what you've learned.
This deserves to be a classic.
Rating: 5
Summary: "Beyond the basics" advice from literary agent Lukeman
Comment: It might seem strange that for a book titled to focus on plot, author/agent Noah Lukeman spends the better part of his time discussing character and characterization. But he, as many others in the biz, will tell you, plot IS character and character IS plot. Without engaging, compelling people directing the action of your story, chances are your reader is not going to get past the first few pages. Lukeman gives great advice for punching up one's characters, testing them, making sure these "people" are right for the story you want to tell and vice versa. THE PLOT THICKENS covers more than just characters, however. It's a great resource for writers at any experience level. Add it to your writer's bookshelf today! (For a list of additional must-have writing books, visit the Resources page at WriteWayPro's website.)
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Title: Self-Editing for Fiction Writers by Renni Browne, Dave King ISBN: 0062720465 Publisher: HarperResource Pub. Date: 16 February, 1994 List Price(USD): $14.00 |
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Title: Beginnings, Middles & Ends (Elements of Fiction Writing) by Nancy Kress ISBN: 0898799058 Publisher: Writers Digest Books Pub. Date: May, 1999 List Price(USD): $12.99 |
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Title: How to Write a Damn Good Novel : A Step-by-Step No Nonsense Guide to Dramatic Storytelling by James N. Frey ISBN: 0312010443 Publisher: St. Martin's Press Pub. Date: 15 December, 1987 List Price(USD): $19.95 |
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Title: Immediate Fiction : A Complete Writing Course by Jerry Cleaver ISBN: 031228716X Publisher: St. Martin's Press Pub. Date: 13 February, 2002 List Price(USD): $24.95 |
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Title: Characters and Viewpoint (Elements of Fiction Writing) by Orson Scott Card ISBN: 0898799279 Publisher: Writers Digest Books Pub. Date: April, 1999 List Price(USD): $12.99 |
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