Cheap The Plot Thickens: 8 Ways to Bring Fiction to Life (Book) (Noah Lukeman) Price

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

Overlook the slightly disapproving tone, because the book is a gem. Few books are able to distil so much knowledge into such a short space.

Detailed character-building exercises take up a large chunk of the book, because Lukeman firmly believes that character is the plot. He doesn't just work through appearance and background, though he does this in detail. He also covers which characters to put together, major and minor characters, how often they should appear, who they should interact with and when, what they react to, etc.

Next he explains the different types of journey your characters can be on and how that affects the story, how to build suspense and develop conflict.

Each chapter has suggested exercises to practice what you've learned.

This deserves to be a classic.

Far more than a writer's tool...
How does a writer turn an idea into a plot? How many brilliant flashes of inspiration lead to books, movies, or plays? Not many because ideas wither away without great characters and events that drive the story forward. Although this book is plot development, Noah Lukeman addresses the threads that are woven throughout the story in order to create the fabric from which beautiful, lasting images are created.

He uses many examples from film because this is the media where life is visualized for the audience, and his "chief concern is illustrating (sometimes abstract) points." (Lukeman)
An example:
* A young man is unhappy and feels trapped in his rural life.
* He hungers for adventure.
* He is inducted into thrilling adventures by chance.
* He is part of a mystical adventure, for which he is unprepared.
* Circumstances force him to face his inadequacies.
*He gains friends and companions along the way.
*Ultimately he finds the confidence he needs to succeed.
*He saves the realm.
The ideas belongs to many stories from Lord of the Rings to Harry Potter to Star Wars, and more. The magic of each story is wrapped into the characters and the lives they live; they are real.

Each chapter and the introduction are deeper than I can show in a review. The book should be on every writer's desk.

Both chapters one (Characterization: The Outer Life) and two (Characterization: The Inner Life) are 90 percent questions. I decided that a great addition to the book would be a CD listing of all of the questions. However, as I read and contemplated the details a writer must know about the people who live in their stories, I realized that a CD would make it too easy. By taking time to write the questions and answer them, they become part of a writer's arsenal. Even more significant is the gathered information can generate ideas to carry the story forward and create new plots.

Chapter Three -- Applied Characterization discusses whether the character is major or minor, the frequency s/he appears, entrances and exits, and more. "Plot does not magically appear with the creation of a character; Frankenstein's monster might open his eyes, but until he gets up from the table and does something, there is little basis for a plot." (NL) Think of Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde -- if the elixir he drank had killed him there would be no story, yet if it was murder mystery a or ghost story the death is instrumental to the plot.

Chapter Four -- The Journey takes us on an emotional or mental experience (not necessarily a trip) that brings about change. Simple and familiar examples are Star Wars, Saving Private Ryan, The Bourne Identity, Speed, Cujo, Carrie, etc.

Chapter Five -- Suspense, "more than any other element, affects the immediate, short-term experience of the work." (NL) What is the destination, why is it significant, and what obstacles stand in the way? In The Lord of the Rings, if the dark riders killed the young hero Frodo, then there would be no story. The suspense is heightened because we know the ring has been awakened, it is calling to its dark master, and Frodo (and anyone near him) is in grave danger. This is how J.R.R. Tolkien created the roller coaster. A great writer constantly raises the stakes and provides some relief between encounters.

Chapter Six -- Conflict causes changes; they can be obvious (court, sports, or battle scenes, etc.) or subtle, such as Sandra Bullock's role in Miss Congeniality: Gracie Hart must become Gracie Lou Freebush, a beauty queen. No matter what the conflict is, it must exist on multiple levels because people, therefore characters, are complex. One single conflict is not enough to propel a plot.

Chapter Seven -- Context "influences suspense, conflict, pacing, progression, and ultimately meaning." (NL) A writer or editor must keep the entire work in mind, and gauge the overall impression of each element in the creation of the story -- does it work? Judging repetition of information is one of the important steps. The keys in a murder mystery may be listed for analysis, but repeating the scenes can be disastrous and boring, yet might be necessary to solve the case. The obscure repetition of inferred information can also be deadly.

Chapter Eight -- Transcendency taps "...into the universal, timeless truths and facets of the human condition." (NL) The examples are clear and powerful.

The Plot Thickens: 8 Ways to Bring Fiction to Life is profound, and as I read, I applied much of the information to my own life -- in the end, I am richer than I was before I opened the first page. The highest compliment I can give to a book is that it made a difference to me.

Noah Lukeman's books should be required reading. Without doubt, this is five-star book for everyone.

Victoria Tarrani

Too much of a good thing?
I tried inventing a character by answering the questions in this book, but got overwhelmed by the dozens (hundreds?) of questions. I wonder whether it's necessary to compile so much information to create a character. I would guess that a few key traits as well as some information about profession, appearance, and backstory are probably what's needed. I sensed Mr. Lukeman's concern and intelligence throughout, but I notice that he's an agent, not a fiction writer. Is it possible that he's mistaken about how writers really create characters?