 |
Blockbuster Plots: Pure & Simple by Martha Alderson
Book Summary InformationAuthor: Martha Alderson Edition: Paperback Audio: English (Original Language); English (Unknown); English (Published) Published: 2005-01-01 ISBN: 1877809195 Number of pages: 200 Publisher: Illusion Press Product features:
Book Reviews of Blockbuster Plots: Pure & SimpleBook Review: Keep looking for a good plot book Summary: 1 StarsI purchased this book based on the stellar reader reviews. To me, the book is worth $5 and no more. Frankly for the price I paid, I feel cheated, like someone threw together a website and decided to print it.
Many of the chapters have an advertisement for some sort of blog. At one point, she even directs you to buy some software if you are inclined. Wow, I've purchased many computer programming books for this price and the software comes free with the book or is free on the website....this book costs more than many of the other writing books.
The writer's strength seems to be at telling you to feel good about yourself and your writing. You know take a break, pat yourself on the back. She really can write these sections well. If you are looking for a pep talk, the book does the job.
But the rest really seems to fall apart. She uses Tom Sawyer as an example to outline a blot. Her description for the emotional growth of the character is one word per scene. Dunno, maybe Tom Sawyer isn't a great book to plot emotional development from but her explanations are poor and not detailed. I should have listened to the 3 star rater who had to email for clarifications on how things worked. The explanations in book are not supported by varied and lengthy examples. I sense a good emotional writer here but not one whose forte is writing how to books.
Maybe the book is too genre nonspecific for its own good, if that makes sense.
This book seems like her cliff notes on her own process of writing. Every author follows rules, their own rules, for writing. Yet she seems to get out of sharing hers by saying there are no rules. I really don't have a strong sense how she approaches a particular type of plot. I do understand her process though just like I understand Nabokov outlined with flash cards before writing. Dunno, maybe I'm being too harsh. I'll read it again in the next few days and update.
Ok, so what books are better? I'm still questing on this subject. And I have not found the one that has slain my own plot demons. There are three reads I can currently recommend. The Hero with a Thousand Faces (Bollingen Series), 20 Master Plots: And How to Build Them, and a third is a web site (I'm not affiliated with) which has a very clear explanation on scenes. Randy Ingermanson writes about the perfect scene at: [...] .
I thought Bell's Plot & Structure: (Techniques And Exercises For Crafting A Plot That Grips Readers From Start To Finish) (Write Great Fiction) was okay 3.5/5. I've read it a twice and still find it a bit so so.
Summary of Blockbuster Plots: Pure & SimpleBlockbuster Plots Pure and Simple (BBP) shows plot rather than talking about it. Using two unique step-by-step visual tools for developing and deepening scenes and plot, BBP shows how the pros layer three distinct yet overlapping plotlines - Character Emotional Development, Dramatic Action, and Thematic Plot. When the dramatic action changes the character at depth over time, the story becomes thematically significant. BBP uses the Scene Tracker as a visual tool to track the seven essential elements of scene, side-by-side from the beginning to the end of any project. BBP uses the Plot Planner as a visual place to plot out the action, character and thematic plotlines. Both parts are intended as a step-by-step interactive guide for writers interested in maximizing their scenes and providing depth to their stories. BBP is unique because of its hands-on, down-to-earth multi-sensory approach to learning. BBP provides specific activities linked directly to each writer's individual project. The book is divided between explanation and activity forms. By analyzing scenes and plots from classic and contemporary writers such as Twain, London, and McCarthy, writers learn how to add a dynamic, effective twist to their work. BBP provides writers with the tools and resources to get from where they are - stuck and unable to begin or stuck and unable to finish - to where they want to be - holding a finished project. BBP effectively demonstrates the relationship between scene and plot and explains the principles involved in the art and craft of developing sizzling scenes and compelling plots and story design. BBP offers techniques to help writers maintain faith and enjoy the process of creation.
|
 |