Finished #NaNoWriMo? Re-Vision with The Plot Whisperer #BookReview

The Plot Whisperer: Secrets of Story Structure Any Writer Can Master by Martha Alderson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I recommend this book to anyone who has written a first draft and is now wondering how to tackle revisions. The Plot Whisperer encourages the author to look at the story as a holistic union of character transformation, dramatic action and thematic significance. Instead of merely creating index cards and tracking characters and settings, the Plot Whisperer method suggests relating the entire story to that of a writer's life or that of the Universal story typical of all human condition. Birth, crossing thresholds, struggles, crisis, high point, and resolution/death.

Perhaps what sets the Plot Whisperer apart from other writing or plotting craft book is the emphasis on thematic significance. The theme ties together the plot and character changes. There is a goal to every action, and the underlying theme is sometimes not clarified or revealed until the third or fourth draft.

Using examples from popular stories such as "To Kill a Mockingbird", "East of Eden", and "The Lord of Flies", the Plot Whisperer demonstrates graphically the rise and fall of energy through the three act structure. It is also a motivational handbook, one that relates the crisis and struggles a writer faces with the conflict and setbacks of the characters. Just as story characters are held back by their flaws, so are writers held back by their negative attitudes. Just as story characters must cast off the traits and beliefs that hold them back, writers must do the same.

I reread this book every time I finish a first draft and meditate on my story for a month before embarking on the rewrite. I don't necessary do all of the mechanical steps, like Scene Tracker and Plot Planner, but I use the concepts to further refine and unify my characters' goals with the themes that run through the story.

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