Writing Blockbuster Plots

Blockbuster Plots began life as a self-published book back when Martha Alderson was first developing her brand as a teacher in 2004. At that time, as we know, self-published books were mainly created for back of room sales during conferences, etc, rather than bookstore or online distribution. In the time since publishing that first book, the Blockbuster Plots brand has expanded to encompass plot workshops, one-on-one plot consultations, and a free monthly newsletter. We, and the author, feel that it's time to relaunch Blockbuster Plots as a book, now that her profile is so much higher, particularly given her track record with The Plot Whisperer. In discussing Blockbuster Plots, it's important to note how it's different from The Plot Whisperer. TPS takes a much more "touchy feely" approach to the discussion of plot. That works for some people, but for others it does not. In fact, one of the most common criticisms of TPS in various reader reviews is that the book doesn't include enough hardworking, how-to information about plot development and story structure. Blockbuster Plots, alternatively, is completely devoted to the nuts and bolts of those two elements of fiction. The author has designed the book specifically to demystify how story works. She shows writers how to track the seven most important elements of a scene on a Scene Tracker, and how to use the Plot Planner to develop a multi-layered plotline for each individual project. Alderson also analyses scenes written by classic and contemporary writers such as Twain, McCarthy, London, Fitch, Chopin, and Letts, which helps show writers how to: *Pre-plot *Link scenes through cause and effect *Determine which scenes are flat and why *Set up tension, conflict and suspense *Develop complex characters *Establish compelling action *Re-vision your rewrites *Clarify your theme *Deepen and expand your narrative