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Plot Perfect: How to Build Unforgettable Stories Scene by Scene
Build an Exceptional Plot, One Scene at a Time!
Think of your favorite story--the one that kept you turning pages late into the night, the one with a plot so compelling, so multilayered, so perfect that you couldn't put it down. How can you make your own plots--in your novels, short stories, memoirs, or screenplays--just as irresistible?
Plot Perfect provides the answer. This one-of-a-kind plotting primer reveals the secrets of creating a story structure that works--no matter what your genre. It gives you the strategies you need to build a scene-by-scene blueprint that will help elevate your fiction and earn the attention of agents and editors.
Inside, literary agent, editor, and author Paula Munier shows you how
• Devise powerful plots and subplots and weave them together seamlessly
• Organize your scenes for the greatest impact
• Develop captivating protagonists, worthy antagonists, and engaging secondary characters
• Use dialogue, setting, tone, and voice to enhance your plot
• Layer, refine, and polish your storyline
• Define your story in terms of its theme
Filled with writing exercises, plotting templates, and expert advice, Plot Perfect helps you dive into the intricacies of plot--and write a compelling story that readers won't be able to resist.
Think of your favorite story--the one that kept you turning pages late into the night, the one with a plot so compelling, so multilayered, so perfect that you couldn't put it down. How can you make your own plots--in your novels, short stories, memoirs, or screenplays--just as irresistible?
Plot Perfect provides the answer. This one-of-a-kind plotting primer reveals the secrets of creating a story structure that works--no matter what your genre. It gives you the strategies you need to build a scene-by-scene blueprint that will help elevate your fiction and earn the attention of agents and editors.
Inside, literary agent, editor, and author Paula Munier shows you how
• Devise powerful plots and subplots and weave them together seamlessly
• Organize your scenes for the greatest impact
• Develop captivating protagonists, worthy antagonists, and engaging secondary characters
• Use dialogue, setting, tone, and voice to enhance your plot
• Layer, refine, and polish your storyline
• Define your story in terms of its theme
Filled with writing exercises, plotting templates, and expert advice, Plot Perfect helps you dive into the intricacies of plot--and write a compelling story that readers won't be able to resist.
288 pages, Paperback
First published October 17, 2014
177 people are currently reading
794 people want to read
About the author
Paula Munier
27 books625 followersPAULA MUNIER is the author of the bestselling Plot Perfect, The Writer’s Guide to Beginnings, Writing with Quiet Hands, and the acclaimed memoir Fixing Freddie. The first novel in her mystery series, A BORROWING OF BONES (Minotaur, 2018) was inspired by the hero working dogs she met through Mission K9 Rescue, her own Newfoundland-retriever-mix rescue Bear, and her lifelong passion for crime fiction. In her fabulous day job as Senior Literary Agent and Content Strategist for Talcott Notch Literary, she represents many great writers. Her specialties include crime fiction, women’s fiction, upmarket fiction, MG/YA, high-concept SFF, and nonfiction. She lives in New England with her family, Bear, Freddie, and a torbie tabby named Ursula.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 69 reviews
July 2, 2017
Every writing books starts with the basics. So every time I start to read one I feel like I already know the material. Then it goes into deep detail and I realize that I didn't even know what I didn't know. Now I know my plot is a spastic mess, but thanks to Plot Perfect I also know how to go about fixing it.
March 29, 2017
A book like this should only do one thing for you and that is make you see your own writing in a new light. If it does this then it can be called successful. With that said, Paula Munier has succeeded here in a BIG way.
I don't think I'll ever see my own writing the same way again and for that I'll thank Munier. Her insights and experience are spot on throughout this thoughtful and informative read. In particular, the writing exercises add much to the read and really drive home the points that are being made. For example, theme has always been difficult to pinpoint for me. I know what it is in broad strokes but defining it has proven cumbersome. Armed now with the knowledge gleaned from these pages though I feel confident this will no longer be the case.
The only drawback I found here was Munier's inclusion of her own short stories at length. I understand the need to make a point but felt that she included too many pages of her own work that did leave me feeling as if I was being pitched to. Only because of this I'd rate it a strong 4.5 stars and highly recommend to any writers interested in improving their craft.
I don't think I'll ever see my own writing the same way again and for that I'll thank Munier. Her insights and experience are spot on throughout this thoughtful and informative read. In particular, the writing exercises add much to the read and really drive home the points that are being made. For example, theme has always been difficult to pinpoint for me. I know what it is in broad strokes but defining it has proven cumbersome. Armed now with the knowledge gleaned from these pages though I feel confident this will no longer be the case.
The only drawback I found here was Munier's inclusion of her own short stories at length. I understand the need to make a point but felt that she included too many pages of her own work that did leave me feeling as if I was being pitched to. Only because of this I'd rate it a strong 4.5 stars and highly recommend to any writers interested in improving their craft.
June 26, 2016
This is one of the best books I've read on structuring plot, regardless of genre. Packed with examples, checklists, and exercises, this book explains in plain English how to outline your novel to ensure your plot zings, you've built in layers of subplot, and your theme is expertly woven. Plot Perfect covers all aspects of writing fiction, albeit at a high level. It contains the building blocks necessary to create a plot that works with developed characters that reflect your story's theme. It's an excellent resource for both planners and pantsers. Even writers who don't outline will benefit from understanding how story works as they hammer out a first draft by the seat of their pants. I had an outline of a book I was working on, and as I was reading Plot Perfect, I revised my outline after noting several problems with it.
Bottom Line
Plot Perfect is a great resource for novelists of all genres at every stage of their careers.
Bottom Line
Plot Perfect is a great resource for novelists of all genres at every stage of their careers.
December 17, 2017
There are a lot of examples of what to do—too many, in my opinion. You’re expected to be familiar with too many books, plays, and movies. And sometimes I wondered what the examples had to do with modern fiction, such as Hamlet’s soliloquy.
Lots of examples, very little meat.
Lots of examples, very little meat.
June 29, 2023
This was so helpful in guiding a writer to systematically outlining a story worth reading. So many helpful illustrations and suggestions of memorable authors and their stories.
June 4, 2015
Writing books are generally more or less useful depending on where you are in your journey as a writer, and depending on how many other writing books you've read. Given that I have 34 other books currently on my writing shelf, it's telling that this one still gets a 4 star rating because of its fresh marketing-led viewpoint, and because it is
encouraging,
which is really important. I skipped over a few of the long-winded examples, otherwise it might have got a 5. And I don't know about you, but I'm also rather tired of reading about the hero's journey.
February 9, 2017
This volume featured many exercises that I hadn't come across before! Per usual with books like this, it would be more useful if you're familiar with all the works it references. There were large studies on books I never read, which I often skipped because I can't "remember how I fell in love with a voice" fro a book I haven't picked up. Even though it's written to help planning, there are many, many solutions to problems you come across as you write or edit. All around, it's a solid book on fiction!
January 1, 2017
I particularly love the discussion on themes and subplots.
April 5, 2019
One of the best books on craft for any writers out there!
June 11, 2020
I have come a long ways as a writer. Beginning with fanfiction and slowly evolving into a writer fo five novels has been a journey. This year I have decided to slowly develop my fifth novel and this book has helped me immensely. I appreciated, from a teacher's point of view, the scaffolding of each chapter in one's story development.
This is a perfect place for any writer, beginning or seasoned, to learn the craft of writing a story.
This is a perfect place for any writer, beginning or seasoned, to learn the craft of writing a story.
February 12, 2016
Full of insight, examples, and tips to make this a MUST-HAVE book for any writer's shelf. It has quickly become my go-to book and is full of dog-earred pages, stickies, and scribbled notes.
The first section discusses theme in a way I've never heard before. For me, theme is one of the areas I struggle with but in just a few chapters and numerous examples I now have a better understanding of how to find, incorporate, and enhance the themes in my novels.
Plot points, story questions, three-act structure, detailed descriptions of weaving a story through setting, dialogue, characters, tone, style, you name it-it's discussed in this book and in detail. One of the very cool and extremely helpful elements of this book was the dissection of The Maltese Falcon to enlighten writers with examples of how each writing topic was properly and successfully used in this classic novel. It was brilliant and gave me tremendous take home value.
I recommend this book as a critical tool for any writer to have in their arsenal as it can only help bring your writing to the next level.
The first section discusses theme in a way I've never heard before. For me, theme is one of the areas I struggle with but in just a few chapters and numerous examples I now have a better understanding of how to find, incorporate, and enhance the themes in my novels.
Plot points, story questions, three-act structure, detailed descriptions of weaving a story through setting, dialogue, characters, tone, style, you name it-it's discussed in this book and in detail. One of the very cool and extremely helpful elements of this book was the dissection of The Maltese Falcon to enlighten writers with examples of how each writing topic was properly and successfully used in this classic novel. It was brilliant and gave me tremendous take home value.
I recommend this book as a critical tool for any writer to have in their arsenal as it can only help bring your writing to the next level.
September 15, 2018
This book was excellent and I highly recommend it to anyone interested in writing or trying to write a novel. I already had my first draft finished when I read this, so I was able to apply everything immediately to my work in progress, which was incredibly helpful.
I have a degree in creative writing, but I don’t remember ever learning anything this practical about plot when I was in school. This book will tell you exactly how to structure a 3-act story, what your target word count should be for your genre, and how to make sure your pacing is on point. It helped me identify where my plot was weak and figure out how to fix it. There are published authors who don’t know all of this stuff. Without a doubt this book has helped me make my manuscript stronger, and it’s one I will keep and likely reread.
I have a degree in creative writing, but I don’t remember ever learning anything this practical about plot when I was in school. This book will tell you exactly how to structure a 3-act story, what your target word count should be for your genre, and how to make sure your pacing is on point. It helped me identify where my plot was weak and figure out how to fix it. There are published authors who don’t know all of this stuff. Without a doubt this book has helped me make my manuscript stronger, and it’s one I will keep and likely reread.
June 14, 2016
While the book "read" well, I had a very difficult time seeing how I would actually use the ideas she mentioned in the way I write my mystery novels. I was quite disappointed because this book came highly recommended by several members of my writing group.
August 23, 2018
This is probably the only book in the market that gives so much importance to the plot and with good arguments and execution. Most of the elements of writing fiction are the same as in the other books that I have read, but I found that this book has the edge, many edges in fact. The most significant edge for me was the importance given to the theme and how to weave that theme together with the subthemes into a fully rounded story.
This book may greatly benefit those writers who have their first drafts down and are looking for ways and ideas to revise them, but it is also important for those writers to read before they have written a first draft. Inside it, outlining, layering a story, developing complex characters and successful scenes, using the dialogue, setting, voice, and tone are shown in detail together with writing exercises, templates, and quotes from successful authors.
In addition to the superb level of the explanation of story elements, at the end of the book, several pages on genres are added with an eye for the markets’ expectations. This book needs to be read slowly and by paying attention to the exercises and templates. This is not a book to read like a novel. It is a detailed workshop.
I see this book as a must-read for anyone who is planning to write a novel that may be worth its salt.
This book may greatly benefit those writers who have their first drafts down and are looking for ways and ideas to revise them, but it is also important for those writers to read before they have written a first draft. Inside it, outlining, layering a story, developing complex characters and successful scenes, using the dialogue, setting, voice, and tone are shown in detail together with writing exercises, templates, and quotes from successful authors.
In addition to the superb level of the explanation of story elements, at the end of the book, several pages on genres are added with an eye for the markets’ expectations. This book needs to be read slowly and by paying attention to the exercises and templates. This is not a book to read like a novel. It is a detailed workshop.
I see this book as a must-read for anyone who is planning to write a novel that may be worth its salt.
September 9, 2017
I rarely enjoy reading how-to books because they require pen, pad and highlighters... something that reminds me too much of studying for a test in school. However, this immediately drew my attention because of all the white space--so different from all the other books on writing. I loved the large font and the many charts, checklists and quotes by other authors.
I found the chapters on the power of your theme, translating them into subplots, and creating complex characters the most helpful. Other parts were somewhat tedious, like writing story questions and plus and minus scenes. There was also an entire chapter dedicated to a case study of The Maltese Falcon which I found a bit sluggish to get through.
Also a caution, the author uses a lot of examples from books and movies / television and encourages her readers to go to these sources in order to illustrate her points. If I were to read and watch everything suggested by the author, I'd probably be a hermit for the next few years.
Overall, it's a book I highly recommend to anyone who has started a novel and is stuck trying to figure out where the story is heading.
I found the chapters on the power of your theme, translating them into subplots, and creating complex characters the most helpful. Other parts were somewhat tedious, like writing story questions and plus and minus scenes. There was also an entire chapter dedicated to a case study of The Maltese Falcon which I found a bit sluggish to get through.
Also a caution, the author uses a lot of examples from books and movies / television and encourages her readers to go to these sources in order to illustrate her points. If I were to read and watch everything suggested by the author, I'd probably be a hermit for the next few years.
Overall, it's a book I highly recommend to anyone who has started a novel and is stuck trying to figure out where the story is heading.
November 17, 2017
If someone came to me and said "I want to write the next best-selling novel. But I've never read a book, or watched a movie, or picked up a pencil", this is the book that I'd hand them.
Munier covers every aspect of the writing process from the ground up. This means most writers will only need to read a section of this book i.e. whatever they happen to have issues with, in their own writing. Having trouble elaborating on your theme? read her chapter on theme. Can't figure out characterization? you know where to look. etc.
I have a few nitpicks with Munier's misuse of terminology. These issues include: an oversimplification of the 3-act structure, a conflation of subject and theme, and a gross misinterpretation of "MacGuffin".
None of these incorrectly stated terms change her message in any way--which is why I'm still giving this a fairly high rating--but I found it frustrating at moments.
Munier covers every aspect of the writing process from the ground up. This means most writers will only need to read a section of this book i.e. whatever they happen to have issues with, in their own writing. Having trouble elaborating on your theme? read her chapter on theme. Can't figure out characterization? you know where to look. etc.
I have a few nitpicks with Munier's misuse of terminology. These issues include: an oversimplification of the 3-act structure, a conflation of subject and theme, and a gross misinterpretation of "MacGuffin".
None of these incorrectly stated terms change her message in any way--which is why I'm still giving this a fairly high rating--but I found it frustrating at moments.
November 19, 2019
I'm addicted, it seems, to how-to books when it comes to writing novels. The author of this how-to is not only a literary agent, but also has written successful novels. Plus, I met her and pitched to her at a writer's conference. Paula spent time with me delving into the particulars of my story and invited me to submit to her. She was lovely, an absolute gem. How could I not buy her book?
Filled with the basics, plus the nitty gritty of how to write your best novel. Written in a style that holds your attention, Plot Perfect is an excellent reference for beginning a new novel or working your way through an existing draft.
Highly recommend.
Filled with the basics, plus the nitty gritty of how to write your best novel. Written in a style that holds your attention, Plot Perfect is an excellent reference for beginning a new novel or working your way through an existing draft.
Highly recommend.
July 16, 2025
One of the better writing books I've read. It helps that Munier is both an author and an agent, plus she has journalism and editing experience. In other words, she's been on both sides of the publishing biz.
The book is well planned, thorough, and loaded with examples and excerpts from bestsellers or old classics that illustrate her points. There are exercises and activities in each chapter that encourage authors to dive deeper into the issues that are a challenge for them in their plotting.
Highly recommended.
The book is well planned, thorough, and loaded with examples and excerpts from bestsellers or old classics that illustrate her points. There are exercises and activities in each chapter that encourage authors to dive deeper into the issues that are a challenge for them in their plotting.
Highly recommended.
November 20, 2017
This is a book to linger over. Well-organized and unique this has plenty of great tips for writing stories. I loved the inspiring bubble charts for characters and themes, the secrets of pacing and the plot perfect checklist. With plenty of room for creativity in stories and lots of different examples, Munier has written the perfect reference for writers to hone their story. This is definitely a keeper for the writers' bookshelf.
March 30, 2024
Helpful tips include:
Backstory-lose as much of it as possible.
Weave a seamless tapestry of elements (dialogue, description, action, backstory) and break up big chunks of a single element.
Balance positive scenes and negative scenes (make them alternating as much as possible, add surprise reversals).
End every chapter on a story question.
Use character actions instead of "said."
3rd person limited POV, use only one POV per scene, "only six POVs per book."
Backstory-lose as much of it as possible.
Weave a seamless tapestry of elements (dialogue, description, action, backstory) and break up big chunks of a single element.
Balance positive scenes and negative scenes (make them alternating as much as possible, add surprise reversals).
End every chapter on a story question.
Use character actions instead of "said."
3rd person limited POV, use only one POV per scene, "only six POVs per book."
September 2, 2018
The first part of Plot Perfect is a good review of plot basics, if you're already familiar with them. The best aspect of the text, however, are the other sections, which provide a number of tips and techniques for executing plot effectively. The checklists will be valuable to me as I move forward in another revision of my novel. Highly recommended for those beginning or revising a novel.
January 3, 2019
It's been a while since I've plotted a novel and I honestly dont think I could have done it without this by my side.
If you're getting back into writing after a while, I definitely recommend-- or even if you write a lot! This had some invaluable advice, and so many useful exercises to help me get into my characters' heads to form my plot.
If you're getting back into writing after a while, I definitely recommend-- or even if you write a lot! This had some invaluable advice, and so many useful exercises to help me get into my characters' heads to form my plot.
February 4, 2022
Great book! I really feel I know a lot more on writing not just compelling plots but making them meaningful and weaving in other essential parts of a story, like tone, character development, and much more! If you are into writing, weather you are new or experienced this book is perfect. Plot perfect 😏
March 23, 2024
This writer's guide is full of insights from an insider who has done everything from writing to editing to being an agent. It's given me the kick in the butt that I needed to dig into my own writing with a critical eye. There are even genre specific suggestions for the aspiring writer. I'll be referring to this often as I edit my works.
September 7, 2017
One of the better books I've read lately on writing. There is a ton of repetitiveness in books on story writing, but when they are plentiful with examples and technique I find the book more valuable.
November 12, 2018
This has been one of my favorite craft books I've read to date! I especially love that there are other movies and books listed to check out to help you improve your story. It's my favorite to re-read :)
April 26, 2020
There's a lot of really good information in here, but I'm still not converted to plotting. I'm just a pantser all the way. But I love the suggestions for getting to the heart of the story with theme, setting, POV, etc. Tons of really good information. And great "suggested reading" suggestions.
December 9, 2021
If you want to write a novel, this is your resource. Useful information about plotting, writing, and the book industry. Well-written and entertaining. It was a huge help to me in prepping for NaNoWriMo.
March 16, 2022
Started off dry (IMHO) but offers some good advice. Annoyed the cheatsheets at the end for all genres didn't include horror. Would recommend. Probably would lean more toward 3.5 stars, but Goodreads still won't let you do 1/2 stars...
December 12, 2017
One of the best books on plotting I've ever read. I have so much more confidence now in where my writing is going.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 69 reviews