Download an intro to Holly Lisle’s CREATE A PLOT CLINIC

Looks like you're new here. Get all the fun of 52 Novels as it happens and subscribe by e-mail or subscribe using your favorite RSS feed reader. Might as well. Don't cost nothin.

It’s FREE!

First off, I’ve written before on what I like in books about writing. And if I had to re-write that post, I’m sure I’d be inserting CREATE A PLOT CLINIC, by Holly Lisle, into the mix somehow.

I have to admit that much of the first part of the book was covering the basics for me. But for the brand new writer—or one who’s written very little fiction—learning about plot structures and plot fundamentals is a major plus. Holly took great care in laying these things out with relevant, engaging examples that anyone can understand.

This book—available as a download or a print volume—is nearly 200 pages of practical advice for getting out of any plot jam you’ve managed to write yourself into. The toolbox that comprises most of the book is worth more than the price you’ll pay.

Some of them may be familiar, as they were to me, but what sold me was Holly’s suggestion (insistence?) to try each of them once because you never know which of them will be the one that unsticks a stuck plot… and every writer gets stuck at some point.

For me, the Line-for-Scene tool has been a major plus… hands down. As you’ll learn from the book, using three-by-five cards to jot down a few key particulars about a scene—such as character P.O.V., a one or two sentence wha’appens, and a two or three word summary—can do wonders for rapidly capturing ideas. I often find, in just a few minutes, I’ve plotted a dozen or so scenes.

Once I’ve got down all my key information, I spread them out on a table and see how they work together. I rearrange cards, make notes about conflict, maybe scribble a snippet of dialogue, and sometimes even jettison stuff altogether… whatever works to best serve the story. The cards also help me find holes where I couldn’t see them before, and new ideas often get triggered by what’s there already.

Plus, a pack of a hundred cards costs forty-four cents at Target.

For those who don’t know, Holly’s a sci-fi/fantasy/romance writer with a slew of titles in her backlist. She’s also got one of the best collections of resources for writers on the Internet… her Web site is loaded with tips and tricks and exercises and how-to’s. Even if you don’t buy this book, you’ve got a deep well from which to drink just by visiting her site.

In the meantime, if you’d like to try CREATE A PLOT CLINIC before you buy it, I’ve added a sample of it on the Downloads page. It’s fifty-plus pages and it gives you a great idea of what to expect from the full version.

Or you can purchase the full book now as a PDF download or printed version. Just click here to shop from Holly Lisle’s Web site.

Quick disclosure: I used affiliate links to point you to Holly’s shopping site.

Tags: Create A Plot Clinic, download, Holly Lisle, plotting, Writing