Status Updates From Plot & Structure: Technique...

Chapter on the different plot types/structures. Straightforward and illuminating. The types are: Quest, Revenge, Love, Adventure, Chase, One Against, One Alone and Allegory. Useful. Made me realise that the novel that I'm writing does not have to have the structure I thought it had to have, and that the JacknReacher books are all One Alone.

And so endeth the chapter on Editing. I love editing, I love editing, I love editing.

Chapter on Plotting Systems. There are two kinds of writers: those who start writing without an outline and those who write an outline and then start writing. Pantsers and Plotters in other words. Choose the method that suits you. If you're an anal plotter then the Big Outline would suit you. Basically that means following all the advice in this book.

Chapter about the Character Arc. It's important that characters change over the course of the novel. The prime example is Scrooge in A Christmas Carol - 'nuff said.

Chapter on how to put complexity into plots. The options are: weave a theme into a subplot - something the character needs to learn; use symbols and motifs (but gently); write a long novel with different places/times/challenges (for each part use the same 3 act structure and LOCK (Lead/Objective/Confrontation/Knockout) schema; introduce a parallel plot then switch between them as you go; or make the story non-linear.

Chapter on how to write scenes. Again, great advice from the author on how to pace a scene to give the reader intense action to titillate their palette / keep their interest, interspersed with scenes that are slower to give the reader a rest from emotional turmoil. The latter provide small cliffhangers (prompts) to keep readers reading. Use HIP: Hook, Intensity, Prompt. Author's snippets indicate he is a poor writer.

Chapter on endings. Solid, actionable advice. This is the book that I'm going to be checking my endings against when I get to that point. I get the feeling that, despite all the great examples given, how to craft a good ending is rather a mystery to this author. Sure, there are hints and tips aplenty, but nothing definitive.

Chapter about the middle of a novel - the second act. This is the one where the lead is fighting against the antagonist (either a person or a .. something else (a creature or a disembodied force or an internal aspect of the lead). The lead must win/lose but all the time get closer to their goal - overcoming the problems facing them. Give them hell. Keep asking 'what's the worse that can happen to them?' And write it.

A chapter on how to write the beginning of a story. There's a good (for me) section on how to write a character that a reader can identify with. Most of the characters I have written so far are not sympathetic enough; they are not such that the reader can form a bond with them. This should help. So, I'll be writing the first scene of my next novel: Rebekah, today.

That was a good chapter, in a way. There are actionable points a plenty. Twenty ideas on how to come up with a plot. A five point checklist to determine if the plot is a good one. A pyramid of points to match your plot against. And a set of exercises to put them all in motion. What's not to like?

Chapter 02 - pretty much all about the three act structure (normal, rollercoaster, climax) and the two doorways inbetween them (events that do not allow characters to get back to their previous states). Made it easy for me to write a plot.

First chapter of what seems to be a nice, straightforward book that is (so far) easy to read and informative. The exercises at the back are the most useful thing. Already posted a couple of articles on my blog that are based on this book. There's a structure called LOCK (Lead, Objective, Confrontation, Knockout) that helps to build a plot, which I found to be very useful for brainstorming my nascent novel: Rebekah.

Just the help I needed.