Building Better Plots

The reviewers of my screenplays keep commenting that my dialog and characters are great, but my plot is weak. I made a pact with myself that I would absolutely follow every direction in this book to really give it a shot. I found the book to very readable and imminently "doable," there were no busy exercises. The definitions of important events in screenplays "raising the stakes," "point of no return" are more clearly defined than in other screen writing books. This book is only about plot building: it ends when you have drafted the index cards and have laid them out on your bed.

Robert Kernan's experience as an Emmy award-winning scriptwriter for film and television certainly qualifies him to write this book. It also explains a good deal of his theory as well as his outlook on writing fiction. That outlook is heavily influenced by Syd Field's classic theories of story development and script writing. At the moment, Kernan is developing projects for Web TV networks. It's always a pleasure to review a book by an author who clearly states his goals, then sets about methodically achieving them. In BUILDING BETTER PLOTS, Kernan makes three promises to his readers: First, he'll introduce "tried-and-true" elements that make good plots and examine them in depth. Second, he'll teach the reader to outline and how to "tinker" with a plot. Third, he'll offer questions and exercises to keep readers focused and to give them insight into how to determine the strengths and weaknesses of their projects. Kernan accomplishes these goals with finesse by covering all aspects of plot and illustrating their functions with examples from a wide variety of novels and movies. In fact, he has put together one of the most insightful, practical and useful books I've ever seen on constructing a story. He begins with how to choose a subject and writes, "A plot isn't merely a string of occurrences; it is a carefully orchestrated telling of events that might include breaking up their temporal order." He takes the reader through developing the story arc from the inciting incident through conflict to climax and resolution, all the time showing how to unify the project through devices like subplots and setting. BUILDING BETTER PLOTS is far more than a basic treatise on story construction. It is a complete and careful analysis of each element of story, and provides a series of useful exercises designed to make each plot a page-turner. You'll find fill-in questions, timelines and quizzes aimed at clarifying the focus of your plot. At the end of the book there's a comprehensive plot tutorial. All of this adds up to teaching readers how to keep the focus of the plot and how to stimulate story progression through a variety of plot devices including nonlinear structure and framing. The book is divided into three major sections: The Building Materials of Plot (with chapters on narrative, on structure, on the inciting incident,on rising action and climax, and one on resolution); Building the Plot (chapters on archetypical plots, on creating characters and back story, on constructing an outline, on subplots, and also on deepening the story's resonance); ending with the aforementioned tutorial. Kernan is a great believer in using an outline and his explanation for why it's useful is most convincing. So, too, is his argument for using one. An outline "frees your mind and your intuition to work on the writing of your story, the characters, the dialogue, the language, etc., unconcerned about whether the construction is sound." He convinced me; I tried hi

This is one of two writing guides I've found that are worth more than the purchase price. It is absolutely essential if you are looking to write a well-structured novel (or any other type of fiction), as the author explains the traditional plot structure better than any other book I've seen. He also outlines nine plot archetypes, including various characteristics of each, and makes great suggestions about how to change the dynamics and resonance of your plot. The index card outlining process he recommends seemed hokey at first, but when I tried it, my plot became much more defined and it was easier to plan. I also recommend "Structuring Your Novel" by Robert Meredith, which is an excellent companion for both plot and scene structure.

This work is a masterpiece. It is a thoroughly practical guide on how to plot. Kernen teaches in detail and gives an overwhelming amount of top tips. He shows you how to avoid getting stuck, take control of the plotting process upfront and avoid getting lost in subplots and various other pitfalls. If your story idea is failing to make progress, especially somewhere in the middle, just get this book. It will give you a new perspective/approach.

Except for your own story idea, this book provides it all. I imagine anyone would be a better writer using only this one reference. Too bad it wasn't published before I bought the other 30 references in my library! It's imminently practical with plenty of illustrations--succinct and provocative. If you're an organizer, you'll love it. If you need organization, you have to have it!