The Plot Thickens: 8 Ways to Bring Fiction to Life

The Plot Thickens: 8 Ways to Bring Fiction to Life
by Noah Lukeman

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Book Summary Information

Author: Noah Lukeman
Edition: Paperback
Audio: English (Original Language); English (Unknown); English (Published)
Published: 2003-06-18
ISBN: 0312309287
Number of pages: 240
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin

Book Reviews of The Plot Thickens: 8 Ways to Bring Fiction to Life

Book Review: Noah Lukeman gets it.
Summary: 4 Stars

Noah Lukeman, The Plot Thickens: Eight Ways to Bring Fiction to Life (St. Martin's, 2002)

One would probably pick this book up thinking that it's about plot. And it is, to an extent; Lukeman's belief (which I agree with) is that plot stems naturally from characters, so in actuality this is a book about character development. And that is a good thing. I've read a whole lot of novels over the years, and static characters have always been one of my complaints. Lukeman here attempts to engage budding (and established, perhaps) writers to break out of the static-character mold. Once your characters are living, breathing beings, he posits, your books will come alive on their own.

As with Lukeman's other how-to-write books, The Plot Thickens is structured as exercise and explanation, but it's much, much heavier on the exercise this time around; fully a third of the book is nothing more than Lukeman firing questions at you. And given the length of the book, this should give you an idea of how thoroughly he wants you to know your characters. He comes up with questions I'm not sure anyone's thought to ask the people they know, let alone characters in a novel. And that's Noah Lukeman's strong point: he gets you to think, not just to follow along. I have to say that I liked this one even better than The First Five Pages. If you're an aspiring writer, Noah Lukeman is a goft; use him wisely. ****

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Summary of The Plot Thickens: 8 Ways to Bring Fiction to Life

As a literary agent, Noah Lukeman hears thousands of book pitches a year. Often the stories sound great in concept, but never live up to their potential on the page. Lukeman shows beginning and advanced writers how to implement the fundamentals of successful plot development, such as character building and heightened suspense and conflict. Writers will find it impossible to walk away from this invaluable guide---a veritable fiction-writing workshop---without boundless new ideas.

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