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The second writing book I recommend with a caveat--I am a cross between a pantser and a plotter, but fall more on the pantser side of the spectrum. If you're a plotter, or more of a pantser than I am, this book might not be for you.
The Monster Novel Structure Workbook: How to Plot Without Getting Stuck by R.B. Fleetwood
As per my disclaimer above, I write more by the seat of my pants, but I keep reading books on how to plot on the off chance one of them will work for me. I tried one that is specifically directed at pantsers and it left me feeling meh. I tried others that left me confused. Monster Novel Structure made sense to my brain.
I ended up at the dining room table with an artist sketchbook drawing out my story following this book. Is this something I do for every story? No, although maybe I should. The author, though, explained three-act structure in a way that actually clicked for me.
Some of the things I liked was that Fleetwood suggests twenty-one story beats. She breaks things down farther than the other plotting books do and provides examples. There are also downloads she offers that come with purchasing the book. The extra material was nice to have and I appreciated it.
This wasn't exactly a light bulb book for me, but by the time I read it, I'd been published for more than fifteen years. I guess I'd label this more a now-that-makes-sense book. I still consider it a valuable read.
This post contains affiliate links. If you use these links to buy
something, I'll earn a small commission. There is no cost to you.
