Writing Blockbuster Plots: A Step-by-Step Guide to Mastering Plot, Structure, and ScenePlotting a story filled with memorable, engaging scenes from beginning to end can feel like an insurmountable challenge. Having the right plan - and the tools to execute it - can make all the difference. Writing Blockbuster Plots pulls back the curtain on story structure with step-by-step strategies and visuals that turn plotting and scene writing into a no-stress endeavor. In this completely revised and updated edition, celebrated writing instructor and plot consultant Martha Alderson helps you navigate the intricacies of story with the help of her exclusive Plot Planner and Scene Tracker tools. Using Alderson’s effective, accessible techniques, you'll be able to: • PLOT your story from beginning to end with a focus on dramatic action, the emotional development of your characters, and thematic significance. • ENSURE that each scene contributes meaningfully to the narrative by tracking the seven essential elements of scene. • LINK scenes by cause and effect to create a tight, seamless narrative. • INJECT tension and conflict to keep readers glued to the page. • TARGET weak areas in your story and learn how to fix them. Filled with examples from both classic and contemporary novels, as well as illustrations of the Plot Planner and Scene Tracker in action, Writing Blockbuster Plots strips the confusion out of the plotting process, enabling you to write a story that deserves a standing ovation. |
Contents
Introduction to the Revised Edition | 1 |
Plotting Is Like Juggling | 14 |
How to Use the Plot Planner | 21 |
Plot Planner Parameters | 35 |
Plot the Beginning | 46 |
Plot by Cause and Effect | 53 |
Plot the Middle | 60 |
Plot the Dramatic Action | 71 |
When to Plot | 121 |
Scene Versus Summary | 133 |
Create the Scene Tracker Form | 139 |
The Time and Setting Column | 152 |
The Character Emotional Development Column | 158 |
The Dramatic Action Column | 169 |
The Change in Emotion Column | 181 |
The Thematic Details Column | 190 |
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Writing Blockbuster Plots: A Step-by-Step Guide to Mastering Plot, Structure ... Martha Alderson No preview available - 2016 |
Common terms and phrases
ACTION CONFLICT CHANGE antagonist arranged by cause backstory banner paper beginning portion beginning scenes believe Billie Letts Carol Shields cause and effect Change in Emotion CHANGE IN THEMATIC character emotional development character's emotional development climax create dramatic action crisis deeper DEVELOPMENT GOAL DRAMATIC DRAMATIC ACTION CONFLICT elements Emotion Column EMOTION DETAILS Ch emotional change EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT GOAL example fear feel fiction flashback flaw foreshadowing front story GOAL DRAMATIC ACTION happens ideas Janet Fitch keep Mark Twain middle move nist Novalee Novalee's novel overall story Plot Planner line plotline Pretty Horses protagonist reader rewrite Sawyer by Mark scene goal Scene Tracker series of scenes SETTING CHARACTER EMOTIONAL sticky notes Stone Diaries story's summary suspense tagonist tension and conflict THEMATIC DETAILS THEMATIC EMOTION DETAILS thematic significance theme things tion Tom Sawyer transformation Traveler's Wife White Oleander Writing Blockbuster Plots