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57th out of 321 books
—
502 voters
Scene and Structure (Elements of Fiction Writing)
Craft your fiction with scene-by-scene flow, logic and readability.An imprisoned man receives an unexpected caller, after which "everything changed..."
And the reader is hooked. But whether or not readers will stay on for the entire wild ride will depend on how well the writer structures the story, scene by scene.
This book is your game plan for success. Using dozens of exam...more
And the reader is hooked. But whether or not readers will stay on for the entire wild ride will depend on how well the writer structures the story, scene by scene.
This book is your game plan for success. Using dozens of exam...more
Paperback, 168 pages
Published
March 15th 1999
by Writer's Digest Books
(first published 1993)
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Aug 05, 2011
Lynne Stevie
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Anyone who wants to write fiction
Recommended to Lynne by:
A Critic
I'm about halfway through and it is already a valuable tool. It really deals with the structure of a good story and how to push and pull the reader through without letting them get bored. I find myself getting stuck in the scenes and not looking at the big picture. This will help me create goals in the beginning so my characters will hopefully have focus and purpose. I would recommend to anyone wanting to write fiction. This book was recommeded to me by a critic who read an excerpt of my work in...more
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Apr 24, 2012
Querus Abuttu
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Beginning Writers
Shelves:
never-read-again
I didn't start to get into this book until Chapter 3. Chapters 1 & 2 were more introductory, covering topics such as, "The Structure of Modern Fiction" and "Strategy: How to Start Your Story and End It." Chapters 3 and 4 really gets into the produce of what a mid-level writer needs to know. "Structure in Microcosm: Cause and Effect," really helped me think about cause and effect in my novel, and Chapter 4 (Structure in Larger Elements: The Scene) helped me to analyze each scene in my story.
C...more
C...more
Great stuff here. Bickham takes the scene/sequel concept and goes into great detail on why and how to use it, how to subvert it, how to change things up when pace or plotting requires it, and so on.
I had never fully understood the scene/sequel concept before reading this, and reading it, I underwent something of a mental shift around the concept. I think I've been inadvertently doing this wrong in a lot of my previous short stories and novel attempts, and even if I don't implement Bickham's meth...more
I had never fully understood the scene/sequel concept before reading this, and reading it, I underwent something of a mental shift around the concept. I think I've been inadvertently doing this wrong in a lot of my previous short stories and novel attempts, and even if I don't implement Bickham's meth...more
I purchased this book on a recommendation. I did get quite a bit from it though I have to admit I had a hard time following it in many parts. The information was a bit confusing at times. I guess if one can get even one thing from a non-fiction read, it was worth reading.
I did enjoy reading some of the segments of the author's novels. One particular book intrigued me enough to check out the author on the web. I was surprised to find out he wrote over 75 books, and is the author of a childhood mo...more
I did enjoy reading some of the segments of the author's novels. One particular book intrigued me enough to check out the author on the web. I was surprised to find out he wrote over 75 books, and is the author of a childhood mo...more
This book, by multi-published author Jack Bickham, is a very useful introduction to the basic structures of fiction, namely scenes and sequels. Not only does he describe what these are, but he illustrates how they function, and how they can be adapted to the needs of the story. He then shows how scenes and sequels are combined to make up chapters, how chapters should function in the novel, and finally, how all these elements can be stringed together to make a finished book.
One of the great featu...more
One of the great featu...more
Apr 05, 2012
Scott
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
writers
Recommended to Scott by:
writing instructors
The title says it all--this book explains how to organize your writing in order to maximize readers enjoyment. In other words to keep them reading. Cause and effect, scene and sequel were writing terms that I didn't really understand until I read this book. My head was spinning through most of it because this is probably my biggest writing weakness right now--organization, at the scene level, at the chapter level and at the entire novel level.
I recommend this book to anyone who wants to write a...more
I recommend this book to anyone who wants to write a...more
This is an important and VERY helpful tool for any fiction writer. I've not seen this elsewhere (although it may be and I haven't found it). I wish I had this book long ago as it helped me piece together important structure concepts I did not understand.
A minor criticism was that it was hard to read. I mean it was boring and the book's layout could be dramatically improved for readability. Very fine print with minimal line spacing of a very dry topic, made the book slow going. That said, the inf...more
A minor criticism was that it was hard to read. I mean it was boring and the book's layout could be dramatically improved for readability. Very fine print with minimal line spacing of a very dry topic, made the book slow going. That said, the inf...more
The reading makes for tough and tedious going at some points, but the info is well worth the dig. This is the perfect follow-up to Swain’s classic Techniques of the Selling Author (which makes sense, since Bickham was Swain’s student). It does a marvelous job of expounding on Swain’s “scenes” and “sequels” and answering many of the holes left in Swain’s necessarily abbreviated crash course. The section on structure, however, leaves much to be desired. Instead of any solid advice, the author offe...more
Useful book for the beginning fiction writer. My favorite points (paraphrased):
Write chapters as scenes that are logical (stimulus > internalization > response) and dramatic (goal > conflict > disaster).
'Yes, but...' (succeed in the short term goal in a way that seems to push you farther away from the primary goal) is often better than 'no'.
Every scene must contribute to the forward motion of the story. (Cut all others, no matter how much you like them...and use them another day.)
Write chapters as scenes that are logical (stimulus > internalization > response) and dramatic (goal > conflict > disaster).
'Yes, but...' (succeed in the short term goal in a way that seems to push you farther away from the primary goal) is often better than 'no'.
Every scene must contribute to the forward motion of the story. (Cut all others, no matter how much you like them...and use them another day.)
Definitely one of the best writing books I've read. At first I was thinking it was going to be a knock-off of Dwight Swain's, and it was a lot like his, but this one actually helped me understand so much more than Dwight's. Though I believe Dwight did communicate these same things, it was just that presented this way--a slightly different way--it all became so much more clear. I especially loved the end, when it gives an example plot outline. LOVED that! I've always wanted someone to do that. Th...more
If I could only have one book on the craft of writing this would be the one. I read it (the first time) many years ago and it's the one book I pull out on a regular basis to remind myself of the importance of scene goals and disasters, sequels, and the tricks of pacing. Easy to read. Easy to understand. I recommend it to every writer I know. If you don't have a copy, get thee to a bookstore/site and correct that error right away.
Bickham lays out the building blocks of a scene in a clear, no nonsense way. He keeps returning to the simple concept of stimulus-internalization-response as he discusses the structure of individual scenes and an entire novel. I would recommend beginning novelist read this book to get the basics down, but a seasoned novelist would be well served to read what Bickham to say about pacing. Overall, an excellent reference book.
4.5*s Bickham covers the topic of cause and effect in a novel, in other words scene and sequel. Each scene is active, and consists of goal, conflict and disaster. Each sequel is introspective, and consists of emotion, thought, decision, and action. Scenes and sequels lead into each other throughout a novel. Broken down this way, writing a novel seems logical, and less overwhelming than looking at the big picture.
A good book on writing scenes, though, the techniques are a little dated. To follow an active scene with a reflective sequel would considerably slow the pace of a story. In much of today's fiction, the sequels seem to be getting shorter and shorter. Nevertheless, an understanding of this is important, as is cause/effect and stimulus/response, which Mr. Bickham covers extensively at the beginning.
What this book really breaks down is the art of pacing a novel. I've been in kind of a writer's funk lately, and this book helped me clarify numerous problems that I could 'feel' were wrong with my novel, but ones that I couldn't identify. Those who are superb at pacing novel length works should probably skip this, but for me, it provided a starting point for me to begin revising.
This book provides some nice insights on popular writing; but author Jack M. Bickham tries to boil everything down into simple formulas, and I hate formulas--which is probably why I never passed Statistics in college. There's not a whole lot that Bickham says here that you couldn't get from just picking up any best-selling novel at random and studying the author's use of structure on your own.
One of the absolute best books I have read on the subject of writing EVER. I noticed as I was reading through other books about writing that this book was referenced over and over again, and after having read it I can see why. There are writing gems on every page. My guess is that you won't be able to read this book without underlining. It's five star rating is well-earned.
4.5* This is the book when it comes to structuring your story. Bickham says that novels are made of scenes (action) followed by sequels (narrative), one leading into the other in cause and effect. Each scene consists of a goal, and conflict, and ends in disaster. Follow his advice and your reader will be on the edge of their seat.
This book has made such a difference in my writing! Even though I've been writing for years and had a few novels published, I still consult it, if I feel something's not quite write or when I'm editing someone else's work.
Subtitle says what its all about: How to construct fiction with scene-by-scene flow, logic and readability.
Subtitle says what its all about: How to construct fiction with scene-by-scene flow, logic and readability.
I LOVED this book. It answered all of the questions that have been plaguing my mind for the past year about developing scene, goals and structuring chapters. I am writing with much better focus for each chapter, learning to edit those unwanted interruptions, and keeping track of those red herrings. My characters would really appreciate if I stayed focussed on one goal for each chapter and started throwing more rocks at them to dodge--I beleive I'm doing it now :)
As a writing tool, 'scene' is largely overlooked by new writers and so important, especially for genre fiction. Scenes are more than building blocks of chapters. Bickham explains what constitutes a scene, how it should start and end, etc. Worth reading even for experienced writers.
Like Plot & Beginnings/Middles/Ends of the element of fiction writing, Scene and Structure is very helpful to understand how a story develops and builds, in all areas.
It's main focuses is on scenes and how to build one on top of the other, successfully, with plenty of examples, many from the author's own writing, which helps as it comes from his own experience.
It's main focuses is on scenes and how to build one on top of the other, successfully, with plenty of examples, many from the author's own writing, which helps as it comes from his own experience.
Jack Bickham's "Scene and Structure" is yet another book in the "Elements of Fiction Writing". This book focuses on making sure that your story has structure/order. Like the rest of the series, this is a book worth having in your writing library.
This book is an absolutely splendid introduction to scenes: what they are, how they are structured within stories and various other related ideas. One of my favorite books of all time!
I don't give 5 stars often. I did it in this case because Bickham's book changed everything about how I write, read, edit, and do business. Buy it and refer to it often.
Feb 01, 2010
Jordan McCollum
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
writing-craft
Really great synthesis of scene structure--so useful in application--but a little dry. Based on Dwight Swain's writings on the subject, but more in depth.
For those who are struggling with the structure of a novel, this book is a godsend. Reading it, and coming to understand more of the basic structure of story, really helped me identify the problem areas of my novel and helped me get a solid outline.
Bickham really goes into not just the rules, but also when to break them. He explains the mistakes that many writers make and how you can fix them. Plus, there are several appendices in the back of the book with examples and breakdowns, so you can see...more
Bickham really goes into not just the rules, but also when to break them. He explains the mistakes that many writers make and how you can fix them. Plus, there are several appendices in the back of the book with examples and breakdowns, so you can see...more
Excellent, clear reference for writers. This book is making a huge difference to my understanding of pacing. One of my go-to writing books.
This starts so simple and dry that I set it down for months. But it's thorough, concise and very useful. I'm glad I went back.
I like it so far but I keep putting it down to try some of the techniques. I am determined to finish it though.
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