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A review by carololiverbooks
The Plot Whisperer: Secrets of Story Structure Any Writer Can Master by Martha Alderson
informative
slow-paced
From the title (The Plot Whisperer), I expected this to be a book about plotting, but instead the subtitle is more accurate (Secrets of Story Structure…) It focuses on the “Universal Story” in a way which aligns well with the individualism emphasized by the Hero’s Journey, detailing the purposes of the beginning, middle, and end sections of the story and the thresholds between these segments. There is fairly equal treatment of a dramatic action plot, character emotional development, and thematic significance.
The author asserts that left-brained writers naturally prefer action-based plots and that right-brained writers naturally prefer character development plots. She encourages writers both to play to these strengths and to strengthen their weaknesses to create a well-balanced story. Many visual exercises are suggested for viewing individual story elements as well as mapping out the progression of threads throughout the whole story.
Aligned with the subtitle (…Any Writer Can Master), the primary target audience is writers who either don’t know how to get through a complete draft or are insecure about their capability to do that. The author is significantly influenced by the healing energy work she has done and talks about energy flow in stories and in real life. Reflection passages throughout the book map the “Universal Story” experience to the process of writing a story and attempt to warmly coach writers through the struggles likely to arise at that point in their writing journey. Overall, the author strives to encourage writers to believe in their ability to tell stories and to complete both first drafts and revisions of their stories.
The author asserts that left-brained writers naturally prefer action-based plots and that right-brained writers naturally prefer character development plots. She encourages writers both to play to these strengths and to strengthen their weaknesses to create a well-balanced story. Many visual exercises are suggested for viewing individual story elements as well as mapping out the progression of threads throughout the whole story.
Aligned with the subtitle (…Any Writer Can Master), the primary target audience is writers who either don’t know how to get through a complete draft or are insecure about their capability to do that. The author is significantly influenced by the healing energy work she has done and talks about energy flow in stories and in real life. Reflection passages throughout the book map the “Universal Story” experience to the process of writing a story and attempt to warmly coach writers through the struggles likely to arise at that point in their writing journey. Overall, the author strives to encourage writers to believe in their ability to tell stories and to complete both first drafts and revisions of their stories.