Does your writing need a jumpstart?
Well, I'm not usually a fan of writing instruction books (most times they're a lot too "duh" for my taste), but this one has gotten me through a slew of challenging times—James Scott Bell's Plot & Structure.
And when you write magazine articles, movie reviews and the like every day for a living, you need all the reassurance you can get sometimes when pursuing your passion project in the wee small hours of the morning, evening, you know, whenever you have the opportunity...
While many of James Scott Bell's techniques won't probably hit someone over the head with their sheer brilliance, it's more of a gentle reminder of how to make our fiction writing really jump from the page (his section on energizing a lethargic middle was particularly helpful when writing Around the World in 80 Dates). And if you're like me and also occasionally struggle with your ending, there's all sorts of sage advice that'll help you pull through...
Trust me, if you're a fiction writer (or aspire to be), it's the best $11.55 you'll spend.
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I'm reading through Plot and Structure right now, and it's already been helpful, since I sometimes struggle with um, well, plot and structure ;)
ReplyDeleteI also love Revision and Self-Editing (also written by James Scott Bell) :) I love books on writing. I don't have many, but I have a feeling someday I'll have quite the collection.