Perfecting Plot: Charting the Hero's Journey

The Red Sneaker Writers #3

by William Bernhardt

Even the most unique and interesting characters will not engage readers if their journey—the plot—fails. In this book, bestselling author William Bernhardt reveals the secrets that will keep readers riveted to the page. He explains the importance of matching character to plot and the key distinction between surprise and coincidence. Bernhardt discusses how to enrich your story by layering three levels of conflict and, in the final chapter, analyzes the primary plot structures that have delighted readers since the first story was told. The book also includes exercises designed to help writers apply these ideas to their own writing.


William Bernhardt is the bestselling author of more than thirty books, including the blockbuster Ben Kincaid novels. Bernhardt is also one of the most sought-after writing instructors in the nation. He is the only person to have received the Southern Writers Gold Medal Award, the Royden B. Davis Distinguished Author Award (U Penn) and the H. Louise Cobb Distinguished Author Award (OSU), which is given "in recognition of an outstanding body of work that has profoundly influenced the way in which we understand ourselves and American society at large."


The Red Sneaker Writing Center is dedicated to helping writers achieve their literary goals. What is a red sneaker writer? A committed writer seeking useful instruction and guidance rather than obfuscation and attitude. Red sneakers get the job done and so do red sneaker writers, by paying close attention to their art and craft, committing to hard work, and never quitting. Are you a red sneaker writer? If so, this book is for you.

Genres: Writing, Nonfiction, Audiobook, Reference

114 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 4, 2013

About the author

William Bernhardt is the author of over sixty books, including the bestselling Daniel Pike and Ben Kincaid legal thrillers, the historical novels Challengers of the Dust and Nemesis, three books of poetry, and the ten Red Sneaker books on fiction writing.

In addition, Bernhardt founded the Red Sneaker Writers Center to mentor aspiring writers. The Center hosts an annual writers conference (WriterCon), small-group seminars, a monthly newsletter, and a bi-weekly podcast. More than three dozen of Bernhardt’s students have subsequently published with major houses. He is also the owner of Balkan Press, which publishes poetry and fiction as well as the literary journal Conclave.

Bernhardt has received the Southern Writers Guild’s Gold Medal Award, the Royden B. Davis Distinguished Author Award (University of Pennsylvania) and the H. Louise Cobb Distinguished Author Award (Oklahoma State), which is given "in recognition of an outstanding body of work that has profoundly influenced the way in which we understand ourselves and American society at large." He has been nominated for the Oklahoma Book Award eighteen times in three different categories, and has won the award twice. Library Journal called him “the master of the courtroom drama.” The Vancouver Sun called him “the American equivalent of P.G. Wodehouse and John Mortimer.”

In addition to his novels and poetry, he has written plays, a musical (book and score), humor, children stories, biography, and puzzles. He has edited two anthologies (Legal Briefs and Natural Suspect) as fundraisers for The Nature Conservancy and the Children’s Legal Defense Fund. OSU named him “Oklahoma’s Renaissance Man.”

In his spare time, he has enjoyed surfing, digging for dinosaurs, trekking through the Himalayas, paragliding, scuba diving, caving, zip-lining over the canopy of the Costa Rican rain forest, and jumping out of an airplane at 10,000 feet. In 2013, he became a Jeopardy! champion winning over $20,000.

When Bernhardt delivered the keynote address at the San Francisco Writers Conference, chairman Michael Larsen noted that in addition to penning novels, Bernhardt can “write a sonnet, play a sonata, plant a garden, try a lawsuit, teach a class, cook a gourmet meal, beat you at Scrabble, and work the New York Times crossword in under five minutes.”

Reviews

[tappkalina · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one was actually useful.

You can catch me binging the series.

[Brian Hogan · Rating 4 out of 5]

There's a lot of great information in this book. If you're an aspiring author YOU WILL BENEFIT. I guarantee it. This is the third book I've read in the series in it's been my favorite so far.

[Nancy Butts · Rating 3 out of 5]

The title is misleading: though it does speak eloquently about the intersection of plot and character, there is nothing in this book about the plot system known as the hero's journey. Which isn't a bad thing, but I think readers will expect that from the title. This book is part of a series the thriller author calls the Red Sneakers series of how-to's for writers. Borrowed for free from Amazon Prime, and it was okay. The chapter on conflict might be good to convince my writing students of the need for conflict. But overall, this book is more of "what you need to do" and "why you need to do it" rather than a true how-to. Though I'm not sure you can ever be specific in telling readers how to write their particular books, so this isn't actually a failing: just more of a caveat for prospective readers. Note also that this book needs to be read in conjunction with the other books in the series for full usefulness; minor drawback.

[Jason Nehl · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was going to work my way through the whole series but I got in a bad mood and Bernhardt does a lot of copy and pasting large sections from one book to the next and the next and the next. I couldnt handle it anymore. Like i said, I was in a bad mood but I started to feel like this series was a scam.

[Yvonne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent, practical ideas in a concise format.

You can learn a lot about how to construct plot without having to read a long book. The writer gets to the point with a lot of good examples. He tells the reader what to do as well as what not to do. If you want to learn about plot, this is the best book to start with. Even if you are an experienced writer, there are things you can learn from this book.

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm very impressed with this book with the general approach and the specific recommendations. I also highly value the summary concepts and activities at the end of each chapter. I recommend this for anyone aspiring to write stories, especially stories that will hold interest and sway the reader with meaning. I already bought the next one in this series that I'll consume. I highly recommend it.

[Joel Cutter · Rating 5 out of 5]

The entire Red Sneaker series is very accessible for new novel writers and helped me get my first novel from idea to polished, published product. I recommend it for anyone who is trying to write their first novel or wants to.

[Erin Grey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another fantastic writing craft book from William Bernhardt. Every writer should read this and keep it as a reference on their bookshelves next to all the other Bernhardt red sneaker writers books.

[Suzi · Rating 5 out of 5]

MY favorite Writer's Guru!

[coolwind · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like this short yet practically useful book.

[Kiki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent. A solid book on plot.

[Baylor Heath · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one is repetitive if you’ve read the second entry in the series, Creating Character, but still quite good.

[Tiara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really a 2.5, but what can you do? I read these kinds of things from time to time as motivators. I'll give it three full stars because some of the reference material was interesting. However, I thought he referenced things too often. Especially given there's a prelude that says the book is short because he doesn't feel the need to reference things... I skimmed some of the examples because I found myself thinking ..."I got it the first time." Honestly, I don't think I read anything in here that I didn't already know. But I think it would be useful to someone who has absolutely no idea of the general development of a novel. The goal, of course, is one day I may read one of these that will shame me into sticking to a writing schedule. Naturally I don't blame Bernhardt for my own laziness, but I don't think this was the one.

[Ray Campbell · Rating 4 out of 5]

While Bernhardt explains at the outset that this book is intended as instruction, it is a very entertaining little book in a wonderful series on writing. The idea is that Bernhardt is going to tell us how to write a great plot. He is very clear on the mechanics, but what makes it entertaining is that he gives illustrative examples and shares his own feelings and critiques. Thus, one gains great insight. So, if you are planning on writing a novel one day, this is great instruction. If you are interested in understanding the writers craft so as to find greater fulfillment and appreciation of the art, then this may be a worthwhile book to read. I find myself in both categories. I should suggest that if you find authors rambling on about what they think good writing is, you'll hate this one. Rock On!

[Tracy Karol · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great for aspiring writers

I really enjoy this series by Bernhardt. The books (and this is the third I've read) aren't too long, but that's because they're concise, the advice is straightforward, and the exercises are actually useful. He doesn't seem to write just to make himself sound literary but rather offers sound guidance. This book on plot was particularly good; it furthered the details on character development and outlining and brought it all together with constructive ways to use tension and conflict. Well worth the short break from your writing schedule to gain some great insight.

[Troy Blackford · Rating 4 out of 5]

Third book in Bernhardt's writing series I've read. By this time, I got used to his style and made peace with the fact that these books are split into small topical chunks rather than making up one big book covering all angles of writing. Like 'Dynamic Dialogue' and 'Creating Character,' this one offers some good tips. I was a little dismayed because Bernhardt doesn't seem to have a lot of sympathy for writers who don't outline everything first. I'm one of those writers, so that rubbed me a little the wrong way, but his information in this book was still helpful to me.

[Jorge · Rating 5 out of 5]

How can I review a book that is directed to writers and aspiring writers?
I just can give my opinion on it.
This book, and the others in the Red Sneaker series, were a total discovery for me. All the concepts explained here are things all writers must know to have a decent development. Some of these concepts are common sense, but are easily overlooked. One thing I really liked was that the author wrote the books like recipes for "cooking" well crafted stories.
William Bernhardt has become one of my favorite authors, and instructors.

[K.M. Weiland · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have to echo what others have said: the title is misleading as there is very little that even references the classic character arc known as the Hero's Journey. However, that aside, this is still an excellent little primer on plot and character. There's not much here that's absolutely new, but it's a fast read full of useful reminders for old hands and solid foundational knowledge for those with less experience.

[Courtenay · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall, sound advice for getting your plot right. I particularly enjoyed his summary of the "5 basic plots" and his exercises (Red Sneaker series for writers) at the end of each of the eight chapters. However, my goodness, the typos!! Series books seem to be particularly guilty of sloppy editing and I cannot give a 4 or 5-star rating to any book -- no matter the quality of content -- if it is sloppily put together.

[E.P. Ferguson · Rating 4 out of 5]

While I love his book in this series on Character, this one was boring and didn't give me any new information or even propel me to find information or inspire me to get on with my writing. Not sure this needs it's own topical book.

[Jo Linsdell · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best books I've read. All writers should read this. Excellent advice presented in a clear and easy to follow manner. Examples to back up each point made, and helpful lists at the end. I loved this book and will be looking for others in this series.

[Becky · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little repetitive if you've read the other books, but it clearly shows how structure, plot, and characters are all intertwined. Lots of great info and insight; will be working through exercises soon!

[Hugh · Rating 5 out of 5]

William Bernhardt's Red Sneakers Writing series is one of the most useful writer's aids I've come across. They're like Cole's Notes version of writing books, and each volume focuses on a specific aspect. Concise, and packed with useful hints and tips.

[Rachel Ellyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

After a year of life getting in the way of my writing (Covid, job changes, my mother’s illness and death), my mojo was deflated. This was the best kick-starter, kick-me-in-the-butt read. For me, this was lighter fluid for all the little story plots smoldering in my brain.

[Regan · Rating 3 out of 5]

While some advice was simplistic, I enjoyed the straightforward ideas and practices. The exercises won't solve all your writerly problems, but they'll definitely help you start the daunting novel-writing process.

[Michael Hunter · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good book explaining the process of plotting from concept to completion. Handy references in the back section can be very useful in developing one's own style. THANKS

[Abigail Sands · Rating 4 out of 5]

This series has been a tremendous help. Easy to follow and understand. Easy application.

[Terri Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great book with a ton of good insight.

[Lexi Wolfe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good basics, good exercises to do, stuff to go forward with & work on. Recommended.