Book Recommendation – The Plot Whisperer

The Plot Whisperer by Martha Alderson There are so many amazing books on how to write that I find it difficult to know which one to read when I’m feeling the itch to brush up on craft (which I do about once a quarter). So I thought I’d share some brief reviews of craft books to help you decide which one might work best for you. I’ll start with The Plot Whisperer by Martha Alderson because it has so much name recognition.

Here’s what IndieBound has to say: “When it comes to writing bestsellers, it’s all about the plot. Trouble is, plot is where most writers fall down–but you don’t have to be one of them. With this book, you’ll learn how to create stories that build suspense, reveal character, and engage readers–one scene at a time.

Celebrated writing teacher and author Martha Alderson has devised a plotting system that’s as innovative as it is easy to implement. With her foolproof blueprint, you’ll learn to devise a successful storyline for any genre. She shows how to:

  • Use the power of the Universal Story Create plot lines and subplots that work together
  • Effectively use a scene tracker for maximum impactInsert energetic markers at the right points in your story
  • Show character transformation at the book’s climax.

This is the ultimate guide for you to write page-turners that sell.”

My Take

Overall, this is a solid entry-level resource for plotting a novel. The Plot Map and Scene Tracker templates are helpful and easy to apply to your own work. There’s a whole “spiritual journey” side to the book that some find very inspirational. That aspect does not appeal to me, personally, though.

Alderson’s structural advice follows a three-act structure much like Save the Cat (which I will review in another post) that she calls The Universal Story. She goes on to give techniques for building emotion, tension, and character throughout those three parts of the story.

Some of my favorite advice came at the end when Alderson talked about revision in The Plot Whisperer. She reminds writers to give themselves space from the draft before diving into revisions, to make sure cause and effect are tightly-linked throughout the book, to interject foreshadowing during revision. And, finally, she provides a scene checklist to verify that each scene in your book:

  • Establishes time and place
  • Builds character
  • Illuminates the character’s goal
  • Includes action
  • Includes emotional change, and a reaction to that emotion
  • Has tension
  • Reveals theme

If you’re mid-way through your first novel, or have always wanted to write one and don’t know how, Martha Alderson’s The Plot Whisperer is a solid choice.

Photo credit: Gail Werner
Photo credit: Gail Werner

 

JULIE ARTZ blogs at Terminal Verbosity, writes about local Washington history for Gatherings, and contributes regularly to From the Mixed-Up Files of Middle-Grade Authors. You can also follow her on Facebook and Twitter.

What do you think? Leave questions or comments below!