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| Author: James Scott Bell
Publisher: Writers Digest Books
Category: Book
List Price: $16.99
Buy New: $11.55
You Save: $5.44 (32%)
Rating:  78 reviews
Sales Rank: 2013
Media: Paperback
Edition: 5
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 240
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.9
Dimensions (in): 8.9 x 6 x 0.7
ISBN: 158297294X
Dewey Decimal Number: 808.394
UPC: 035313109423
EAN: 9781582972947
Publication Date: October 6, 2004
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
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| Customer Reviews:
 For those who seek clarity, you may begin here. October 7, 2007
9 out of 10 found this review helpful
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.
Outstanding and detailed analysis of plot structures October 12, 2007
9 out of 10 found this review helpful
I don't need to say much except to echo what's already been said by other reviewers. This is easily the most useful handbook on fiction writing that I've ever read. I own most of the Writer's Guide series and they are very good, mostly. This one stands pretty distinctly above them all.
If you're looking for a "craft" book, look elsewhere. This book will not teach you how to write a solid sentence. But it will teach you to fashion a plot and make sense of all those crazy ideas that are clanging around in your head. His techniques are highly practical and productive.
I'm tempted to give this one star in hopes of dissuading others from learning from Bell and adding to the slushpile, reducing my chances of getting to the editor's desk. But in good conscience I can't do that. Bell's book absolutely rocks.
Jam-packed and Easy to Read -- Excellent!! December 28, 2004
8 out of 10 found this review helpful
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.
www.kristinbillerbeck.com
Understanding Three-Act Structure -- Finally! April 19, 2005
8 out of 9 found this review helpful
After fifteen years as a published writer, I finally understand Three Act Structure! Plot and Structure taught me how to build a story that keeps readers turning pages, and eagerly looking for the next book I want to write. His advice applies equally to OP's (Outline People) and NOP's (Non-Outline-People), making this one of the most useable how-to books I've ever encountered.
Mr. Bell is a writer who has studies story, both in book form and in screenplay form. He's also a writer who knows how to communicate effectively with writers. His conversational style made me feel like I was consulting with a writing coach who not only knows his craft, but loves it.
Not only a Keeper, but one I'll recommend again and again.
Great advice, guidelines, and suggestions: Bell writes with a contagiously inspiring attitude February 8, 2006
8 out of 9 found this review helpful
I admire good organization when it comes to most things, especially in a book that purports to teach about structure. The organization of the book makes it easy to go back and reread a part; for example, if you are working on a beginning, middle, or end section in your fictional story, there are corresponding chapters for what you need. Each chapter has ending exercises that I imagine to be helpful, but I haven't actually worked them through although I've read them.
You will read about elements that you need to know to how to do to write an appealing story, like characterization, settings, dialogue, and scene selection. It is recommended that you get a book with these elements as the main focus for a more detailed, expansive treatment (if you haven't done so already). Bell is most helpful on how to construct a scene. However, he does not have much to say about description, other than that it has a tendency to slow the plot and you should give details as needed but not more than that (on the line of a need-to-know-type of basis).
Bell also has sections on how to brainstorm plot ideas and test whether the ideas are worthy of attention. This was something I needed to do with my last story idea that burned and crashed. Furthermore he tells of "plotting systems" used by many writers, which are the-strict-only-by-the-outline group (OPs) or the free-rein-no-outline group (NOPs) and writers using a little of both.
The suggestions and tips are conveyed in a way that you can take and adapt them to your style. The chapter on common plot problems was very helpful. He even tells of how he squeezes in his writing time. Bell's way doesn't work for me, but you can take it and suit it to your own circumstances.
What I like about Bell is that he writes in a non-demeaning way to new writers. There are some writing books which take punches at new writers, be it ever so subtly or blatantly (I would rather not name any names), even though these books may contain invaluable writing advice and tools. It is just refreshing to have Bell's attitude. He motivates me to write and be true to myself, especially in his introduction. So far it is one of the books I keep going back and rereading parts that are pertinent to what I am writing.
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