Plot Versus Character

Plot Versus Character
Author: Jeff Gerke
Publisher: Writer's Digest Books
Total Pages: 272
Release: 2010-11-16
Genre: Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN: 9781582979922

What's more important to a story: a gripping plot or compelling characters? Literary-minded novelists argue in favor of character-based novels while commercial novelists argue in favor of plot-based stories, but the truth of the matter is this: The best fiction is rich in both. Enter Plot Versus Character. This hands-on guide to creating a well-rounded novel embraces both of these crucial story components. You'll learn to: Create layered characters by considering personality traits, natural attributes, and backgrounds Develop your character's emotional journey and tie it to your plot's inciting incident Construct a three-act story structure that can complement and sustain your character arc Expose character backstory in a manner that accentuates plot points Seamlessly intertwine plot and character to create a compelling page-turner filled with characters to whom readers can't help but relate And much more Filled with helpful examples and friendly instruction, Plot Versus Character takes the guesswork out of creating great fiction by giving you the tools you need to inject life into your characters and momentum into your plots.

Writing the Novella

Writing the Novella
Author: Sharon Oard Warner
Publisher: University of New Mexico Press
Total Pages: 308
Release: 2021-03-01
Genre: Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN: 0826362567

“A novella compresses the world with a short story’s focus, but it explores that smaller space with a novel’s generosity.”—Josh Weil, author of The New Valley: Novellas While the novella has existed as a distinct literary form for over four hundred years, Writing the Novella is the first craft book dedicated to creating this intermediate-length fiction. Innovative, integrated journal prompts inspire and sustain the creative process, and classic novellas serve as examples throughout. Part 1 defines the novella form and steers early decision-making on situation, character, plot, and point of view. Part 2 provides detailed directions for writing the scenic plot points that support a strong but flexible narrative arc. Appendix materials include a list of recommended novellas, publishing opportunities, and blank templates for the story map, graphs, and charts used throughout the book. By turns instructive and inspirational, Writing the Novella will be a welcome resource for new and experienced writers alike.

Conceptualisation and Exposition

Conceptualisation and Exposition
Author: Lina Varotsi
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 202
Release: 2019-04-25
Genre: Literary Criticism
ISBN: 0429593902

While the concept of the fictional character has been widely discussed at interdisciplinary level, a foundational theory of character creation is yet to follow. As a result, creative writing students and beginner writers refer to post-construction analysis, as well as the step-by-step advice often suggested by popular writing manuals. Aiming to fill this gap and at the same time reconcile approaches in writing and criticism, this book proposes a theory of character creation based on the in-depth analysis of the concept, as well its place within the narrative. The approach suggested herein consists of two interrelated stages: conceptualisation and exposition. Conceptualisation entails the in-depth understanding of what constitutes the fictional character, as well as the dynamics of its correlation with the reader, the author and its real counterpart, the human person; Exposition refers to the conveyance of such understanding on paper. Viewing creative writing as an art and craft, the author builds her theory on the notion that comprehension of the world and the concept of character itself is an essential prerequisite in order to construct consistent and believable fictional persons. Varotsi also introduces her four stages of creation: Observation, Perception, Empathy and Imagination to inspire a method of work according to which personal craftsmanship and artistry can be successfully combined with pedagogic technique.

Fahrenheit 451

Fahrenheit 451
Author: Ray Bradbury
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Total Pages: 217
Release: 2003-09-23
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 0743247221

Set in the future when "firemen" burn books forbidden by the totalitarian "brave new world" regime.

Story Genius

Story Genius
Author: Lisa Cron
Publisher: Ten Speed Press
Total Pages: 290
Release: 2016-08-09
Genre: Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN: 1607748908

Following on the heels of Lisa Cron's breakout first book, Wired for Story, this writing guide reveals how to use cognitive storytelling strategies to build a scene-by-scene blueprint for a riveting story. It’s every novelist’s greatest fear: pouring their blood, sweat, and tears into writing hundreds of pages only to realize that their story has no sense of urgency, no internal logic, and so is a page one rewrite. The prevailing wisdom in the writing community is that there are just two ways around this problem: pantsing (winging it) and plotting (focusing on the external plot). Story coach Lisa Cron has spent her career discovering why these methods don’t work and coming up with a powerful alternative, based on the science behind what our brains are wired to crave in every story we read (and it’s not what you think). In Story Genius Cron takes you, step-by-step, through the creation of a novel from the first glimmer of an idea, to a complete multilayered blueprint—including fully realized scenes—that evolves into a first draft with the authority, richness, and command of a riveting sixth or seventh draft.

My Unfair Lady

My Unfair Lady
Author: Kathryne Kennedy
Publisher: Sourcebooks, Inc.
Total Pages: 386
Release: 2009-12-01
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1402246803

A Library Journal Editor's Pick! "Those who relish unconventional, outspoken heroines; dark, cynical heroes; and a plot spiced with a soupçon of danger ...should find Kennedy's Victorian romance version of My Fair Lady quite entertaining."—Booklist Summer Wine Lee peeked through the drapery covering the second-story window of their rented London town house, hoping to catch a glimpse of the man she intended to hire to change her life forever. The impoverished Duke of Monchester despises the rich Americans who flock to London, seeking to buy their way into the ranks of the British peerage. So when railroad heiress Summer Wine Lee offers him a king's ransom if he'll teach her to become a proper lady, he's prepared to rebuff her. But when he meets the petite beauty with the knife in her boot, it's not her fortune he finds impossible to resist. Frontier-bred Summer Wine Lee has no interest in winning over London society—it's the New York bluebloods and her future mother-in-law she's determined to impress. She knows the cost of smoothing her rough-and-tumble frontier edges will be high. But she never imagined it might cost her heart. A delightful combination of the Wild West and English society, My Unfair Lady, is an unusual Victorian historical romance. Fans of Jennifer Ashley, Lorraine Heath, Madeline Hunter, and Christi Caldwell will be enraptured by this tale of an American heiress, a British Duke, and finding love and acceptance just the way you are.

Suns Will Rise

Suns Will Rise
Author: Jessica Brody
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Total Pages: 758
Release: 2021-08-03
Genre: Young Adult Fiction
ISBN: 1534474455

Les Misérables meets The Lunar Chronicles in this thrilling conclusion to the System Divine trilogy that’s an “explosion of emotion, intrigue, romance, and revolution” (Stephanie Garber, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Caraval series). An heir. A renegade. A convict. A cyborg. A défecteur. Five rebels. One revolution. It’s been three months since the Patriarche was beheaded, leaving behind no known heir. Now, the planet of Laterre is unrecognizable. General Bonnefaçon has cleaned up the streets, fed the hungry, and restored peace while the next leader is decided upon. From the outside, Laterre seems to be flourishing. But dangerous rifts threaten to shatter the planet from within. The Red Scar has been killing off anyone with a legitimate claim to the Regime, while the Vangarde are preparing for the return of their infamous leader. Then, it’s revealed that the Patriarche had a daughter who is still alive. A missing Paresse heir…Alouette has been locked in a secret facility for months, interrogated on the whereabouts of the General’s renegade grandson. Marcellus is desperately searching for Alouette, knowing she’s the key to the Vangarde’s plan to overthrow the corrupt Regime, but unaware that he, himself, is being hunted by a new cyborg tasked with tracking down the planet’s most wanted criminals. Meanwhile Chatine is growing restless, living underground with a rebel group she doesn’t fit into. Until an old friend solicits her help to save the Défecteur community from a mysterious, new threat. A threat that will tie them all together. When the general makes an explosive play for power, allegiances will shift, rebels will become leaders, barricades will rise, and the tinderbox of Laterre will finally ignite, launching a revolution five hundred years in the making.

Exploring Movie Construction and Production

Exploring Movie Construction and Production
Author: John Reich
Publisher: Open SUNY Textbooks
Total Pages:
Release: 2017-07-10
Genre:
ISBN: 9781942341475

Exploring Movie Construction & Production contains eight chapters of the major areas of film construction and production. The discussion covers theme, genre, narrative structure, character portrayal, story, plot, directing style, cinematography, and editing. Important terminology is defined and types of analysis are discussed and demonstrated. An extended example of how a movie description reflects the setting, narrative structure, or directing style is used throughout the book to illustrate building blocks of each theme. This approach to film instruction and analysis has proved beneficial to increasing students¿ learning, while enhancing the creativity and critical thinking of the student.

The Road

The Road
Author: Cormac McCarthy
Publisher: Vintage
Total Pages: 257
Release: 2007-03-20
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 0307267458

WINNER OF THE PULITZER PRIZE • NATIONAL BESTSELLER • A searing, post-apocalyptic novel about a father and son's fight to survive, this "tale of survival and the miracle of goodness only adds to McCarthy's stature as a living master. It's gripping, frightening and, ultimately, beautiful" (San Francisco Chronicle). • From the bestselling author of The Passenger A father and his son walk alone through burned America. Nothing moves in the ravaged landscape save the ash on the wind. It is cold enough to crack stones, and when the snow falls it is gray. The sky is dark. Their destination is the coast, although they don't know what, if anything, awaits them there. They have nothing; just a pistol to defend themselves against the lawless bands that stalk the road, the clothes they are wearing, a cart of scavenged food—and each other. The Road is the profoundly moving story of a journey. It boldly imagines a future in which no hope remains, but in which the father and his son, "each the other's world entire," are sustained by love. Awesome in the totality of its vision, it is an unflinching meditation on the worst and the best that we are capable of: ultimate destructiveness, desperate tenacity, and the tenderness that keeps two people alive in the face of total devastation. Look for Cormac McCarthy's latest bestselling novels, The Passenger and Stella Maris.