Plot Perfect: How to Build Unforgettable Stories Scene by Scene by Paula Munier
Writing Craft. 288 Pages. 4 Stars
Synopsis:
Build an Exceptional Plot, One Scene at a Time!
Think of your favorite story–the one that kept you turning pages late into the night, the one with a plot so compelling, so multilayered, so perfect that you couldn’t put it down. How can you make your own plots–in your novels, short stories, memoirs, or screenplays–just as irresistible?
Plot Perfect provides the answer. This one-of-a-kind plotting primer reveals the secrets of creating a story structure that works–no matter what your genre. It gives you the strategies you need to build a scene-by-scene blueprint that will help elevate your fiction and earn the attention of agents and editors.
Inside, literary agent, editor, and author Paula Munier shows you how
• Devise powerful plots and subplots and weave them together seamlessly
• Organize your scenes for the greatest impact
• Develop captivating protagonists, worthy antagonists, and engaging secondary characters
• Use dialogue, setting, tone, and voice to enhance your plot
• Layer, refine, and polish your storyline
• Define your story in terms of its theme
Filled with writing exercises, plotting templates, and expert advice, Plot Perfect helps you dive into the intricacies of plot–and write a compelling story that readers won’t be able to resist.
My Review:
As a writer, I struggle with plot. Characters and worlds come far more easily to me than external, physical plot elements. Even themes are easier for my brain to understand and work with than plot. I’ve been a pantser for most of my writing life.
So, I really appreciated how this book used themes to build characters and then from there, plot. I also loved the examples Munier uses throughout the book. She uses several well-known examples (a mix of both ones I knew and didn’t know) at each stage of the book to break down bite by bite what she’s talking about. She uses analysis of books and movies – from bubble maps to fully fleshed out scenes – to show the exercises she offers for your own implementation.
The structure and organization of this book is so clear and easy to digest. Her writing and teaching styles are easy to understand and connect with. Personally, this one was a great craft book I’d pick up to reference again. I don’t know that I’d go from cover to cover using everything she says step by step, necessarily, but it was super informative to see her go from the beginning to the end, and there are definitely pieces I’ve already incorporated into my own writing process.
Furthermore, I appreciate how she doesn’t just stop at the craft of plotting an intricate, meaningful, thematic novel with nuanced and complex characters readers will invest in, but she goes on to discuss crucial marketing and pitching elements to be considered and built as you build the story out.
This one’s a good resource that I think has a lot to learn from. I read this one slowly and sporadically over a few years (mostly due to distraction and learning through a ton of writing courses, rather than craft books, over the last few years) but I think there may have been some swearing in there (maybe in some of the examples?). There may be examples with some violence, but I don’t recall anything super graphic or off-putting. There’re some examples that discuss romantic elements younger kids may not be ready for, but again, nothing explicit on page comes to mind. Probably okay for 15/16+
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If you liked this book, try:
Write Your First Novel and Creating Character Arcs