There is only one plot – things are not what they seem.
Jim Thompson
This is Step One. Of course it is. But, take a minute and congratulate yourself for getting the words on the page. Okay, stop. Now, how to write faster? How to write better? How to make your ideas clear, or make your plot sing.
A lot of people have a lot of ideas about this. We’ve put together a list to get you started. Beware the rabbit hole you are about to enter!
Books on plotting and structure:
- The Three Story Method by J. Thorn and Zach Bohannon
- Blueprint for a Book by Jennie Nash
- Save the Cat Writes a Novel by Jessica Brody
- Wired for Story by Lisa Cron
- The Anatomy of Story by John Truby
- Take of Your Pants by Libby Hawker
- 7 Figure Fiction by T. Taylor
- The Secrets of Story by Matt Bird
- How to Write Brilliant Beginnings by Shane Millar
- Romancing the Beat by Gwen Hayes
- Write Your Novel from the Middle by James Bell
Books on characters:
- The Emotion Thesaurus by Puglisi and Ackerman
- Creating Character Arcs by K. M. Weiland
- 8 Steps to Side Characters by Sacha Black
- Writing the Other by Ward and Shawl
- 1000 Character Reactions by Valerie Howard
- Mastering Character Arcs by Lewis Jorstad
Books on mindset:
- Dear Writer, You Need to Quit by Becca Syme
- On Writing by Stephen King
- 5,000 Words per Hour by Chris Fox
- The Relaxed Author by Penn and Lefebvre
- Writing Down the Bones by Natalie Goldberg