Alderson - Blockbuster plots pure & simple-alderson, martha

"This book will change the way you approach writing! Martha Aldersons Scene Tracker and Plot Planner tools have helped hundreds of workshop and conference attendees hone their skills, and now you can learn how to take the fear out of plotting even if you can't attend one of her workshops. If you only buy one writing book this year, buy Blockbuster Plots !

Melanie Rigney , former Writers Digest Magazine editor

"Few writing teachers understand the subtleties of plot as deeply, or can explain them as clearly as Martha Alderson. Her Plot book is a great gift for aspiring storytellers. Its that rarest of writing tools -- one that will not only add life and sparkle to your plot, but also unleashes the magic that lies at the core of your story. A must have."

Frank Baldwin , author of Balling the Jack and Jake & Mimi

Martha Alderson, the 'Plotting Queen' introduced me to the front story/back story concept while I was weaving Love Made of Heart . This extraordinary teacher came through again, with her book! Just in time for me to finish weaving another novel!

Teresa LeYung Ryan , author and community member who encourages everyone to step into their dreams. www.LoveMadeOfHeart.com

" An exciting new approach to understanding plot from a writing expert and educational expert, the unique Scene Tracker and Plot Planner system is guaranteed to help writers master this elusive craft. Blockbuster Plots is unique in the marketplace; no other fiction writing guide offers tools like the Scene Tracker and Plot Planner."

Adrinda Kelly , acquisition editor McGraw-Hill

" For those stumbling in the dark forest of plotting, Aldersons book is a godsend. Clear instructions show how to use graphs and charts for identifying problems in fiction, along with examples from the novels of Rick Bragg, Janet Finch, Mark Twain, and Ernest J. Gaines."

Sal Glynn , former editor of Ten Speed Press and author of The Dog Walked Down the Street

"Any writer seeking to produce not just acceptable but superior works must have this guide."

Midwest Book Review

"Martha does a fine job of explaining the aspects of scene and plot, and the book is geared towards the anxious writer, which I feel makes it unique. The Scene Tracker and Plot Planner are effective, straightforward methods of making the elements of story that can seem amorphous, concrete. Its a good diagnostic tool. Congratulations of producing a good-looking, important book for writers."

Kimberley Cameron , literary agent

"My computer crashed this weekend--which allowed me to stay away from the screen and look at your book. I got out my pencil and marked stuff as I read. I just finished this morning--it's a great book. And I think it should be helpful to many people (including myself )."

Jana McBurney Lin , author of the award-winning novel:
My Half of the Sky

"Even the seasoned and super-successful writer will find this chatty but superbly planned book refreshing, stimulating, and sometimes even positively corrective. The abundance of white space and the frequent reminders make for easy reading. The appendices are worth the price of the book!"

Barbara Smith , author of Six Miles Out and The Circumstance of Death . Writers Digest Judge, self-published books, chairwoman emerita of Alderson-Broaddus College's Division of Humanities and a medical ethicist.

"The Scene Tracker is a great tool for writers. It helps the writer keep track of what belongs in a scene, and teaches her how to build scenes that are multi-layered. I use Martha's model with my students and to help my own writing."

LJ Myers , author of Becoming Whole: Writing Your Healing Story, Don't Call Me Mother, The Music Man, Who Am I, Anyway?

Copyright 2004 Martha Alderson

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the author: .

ISBN 978-1-877809-19-4

Published by Illusion Press
708 Blossom Hill Road #146
Los Gatos, CA 95032
www.illusionpress.com

Cover art by Shreve Stockton
Copyediting by Melanie Rigney

First Edition 2004

Printed on recycled paper by DeHarts Media Services

B LOCKBUSTER P LOTS P URE & S IMPLE IS DEDICATED
to my husband, Bobby Ray for always believing.

CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I WISH TO ACKNOWLEDGE all of the writers who volunteered to road-test the techniques offered in this book and whose feedback I found invaluable: Anna, Luisa, Claire, P. A, Jim, Jana, Kara, Clare, Sheila, Mary, Denise, Robin, Sarah, Roya and Linda Joy; Katie Burdick for providing me a glimpse of what was to be; Luisa Adams for everything I know about the body and creativity; Teresa LeYung Ryan for her heart and endless support, Julie Madsen and Beth Proudfoot for instilling in me a spirit of enthusiasm, excitement and expectancy; and Shreve Stockton for the amazing cover. I especially wish to thank all my students; the inspired editorial guidance and persistent belief of Melanie Rigney; and the gentle reassurances of Patricia Hamilton. This book came out in spite of me for the greatest possible good of writers everywhere.

Grateful acknowledgments are given to the following:

Rick Bragg, Avas Man. Copyright 2001 by Rick Bragg. First Vintage Books Edition, A Division of Random House, Inc.

Janet Burroway, Writing Fiction. Copyright 1987 by Janet Burroway Reprinted by permission of Pearson Education, Inc.

Janet Fitch, White Oleander. Copyright 1999 by Janet Fitch. Little, Brown and Company.

Ernest J. Gaines, A Lesson Before Dying. Copyright 1993 by Ernest Gaines. A Vintage Contemporaries.

Philip Gerard, Writing a Book that Makes a Difference.
Copyright 2000 by Philip Gerard. Story Press, an imprint of F&W Publications, Inc.

Ursula Hegi, Stones from the River. Copyright 1994 by Ursula Hegi. Scribner Paperback Fiction.

Billie Letts, Where the Heart Is. Copyright 1995 by Billie Letts. Warner Books.

Yann Martel, Life of Pi. Copyright 2001 by Yann Martel. A Harvest Book, Harcourt, Inc.

Cormac McCarthy, All the Pretty Horses. Copyright 1992 by Cormac McCarthy. Vintage International, a Division of Random House.

Wayne Muller, Sabbath. Copyright 1999 by Wayne Muler. Bantam Books.

Carol Shields, Stone Diaries. Copyright 1993 by Carol Shields. Used by permission of Viking Penguin, a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

Janice Woods Windle, True Women. Copyright 1993 by Janice Woods Windle, El Paso, Texas.

ARE YOU CONFUSED about plot? You are not alone. Plot took me years to pin down. I attended all sorts of writing workshops, but found much of the information difficult to translate to the page. I read all sorts of books on the craft of writing. The advice generally boiled down to putting your character in a pickle and seeing what happens next. This technique works for many successful writers, but it did not work for me.

I longed for something more concrete, not a formula per se, but specific guidelines to help bring depth to my story lines. I searched for anything I could find that directly addressed the issue of plot development. Unable to find much, I berated myself for not grasping what everyone else seemed to understand. I even quit writing for a spell, reasoning that if I were truly meant to be a writer, it would come more easily for me. But the muse continued to haunt me. Over time, I came to realize that everyone else was struggling with plot; they just were not talking about it.