Writing Vivid Plots: Professional Techniques for Fiction Authors

Writer's Craft #20

by Rayne Hall

Do you want to give your novel a powerful story line? Do you want to power up a draft you’ve written? This guide shows professional techniques for developing and structuring your fiction book. It solves plot problems such as slow beginnings, sagging middles and flat endings, and guides you to write specific story parts such as the ‘Black Moment’ and the ‘Climax’. The focus of this guide is on plotting full-length novels, but there are also chapters on plotting short stories, series and serials. British English

Genres: Writing, Nonfiction

88 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 1, 2016

About the author

Rayne Hall writes fantasy and horror fiction, some of it quirky, most of it dark. She is the author of over sixty books in different genres and under different pen names, published by twelve publishers in six countries, translated into several languages. Her short stories have been published in magazines, e-zines and anthologies.

After living in Germany, China, Mongolia and Nepal, she has settled in a small Victorian seaside town in southern England. Rayne holds a college degree in publishing management and a masters degree in creative writing. Over three decades, she has worked in the publishing industry as a trainee, investigative journalist, feature writer, magazine editor, production editor, page designer, concept editor for non-fiction book series, anthology editor, editorial consultant and more. Outside publishing, she worked as a museum guide, apple
picker, tarot reader, adult education teacher, trade fair hostess, translator and belly dancer.

Currently, Rayne Hall writes fantasy and horror fiction and tries to regain the rights to her out-of-print books so she can republish them as e-books.

Her books on the writing craft (Writing Fight Scenes, Writing Scary Scenes, The Word-Loss Diet, Writing Dark Stories, Writing About Villains, Writing Short Stories to Promote Your Novel, Writing About Magic, Twitter for Writers) are bestsellers.


Rayne Hall is the editor of the Ten Tales anthologies:
"Bites: Ten Tales of Vampires"
"Scared: Ten Tales of Horror"
"Haunted: Ten Tales of Ghosts"
"Cutlass: Ten Tales of Pirates"
"Beltane: Ten Tales of Witchcraft"
"Spells: Ten Tales of Magic"
"Undead: Ten Tales of Zombies"
"Seers: Ten Tales of Clairvoyance"
"Dragon: Ten Tales of Fiery Beasts"
"Cogwheels: Ten Tales of Steampunk"
with more titles coming soon.


The stories in her Six Scary Tales series and the Thirty Scary Tales collection are subtle horror: suspenseful, creepy atmospheric, unsettling. Although they contain little violence and gore, they may not be suitable for young readers. Many of these stories have been previously published in other books or magazines.

British English: All Rayne Hall's books use British words, spellings, grammar and punctuation. If you're allergic to British English, avoid them. ;-)

Mailing list:
http://eepurl.com/boqJzD

Website: http://sites.google.com/site/raynehal...

YouTube "Ten Random Facts about Rayne Hall" (2 minute video) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sXR4T...

Contact Rayne Hall on Twitter
@RayneHall follows back writers and readers. http://twitter.com/RayneHall

Reviews

[Shabana Mukhtar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Updated 28-oct-2018

Done with this amazing book.
It really help me understand the basics yet again and taught a few new elements of writing a good plot.

I hope to incorporate some or all of these lessons in my novel.

We gotta keep bettering ourselves.

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Updated 21-oct-2018
I like to write, but haven't spent much time in learning the art of writing, except for a few basics that I discuss with my publisher.

Since I haven't read much in the past 3 weeks, I guess it is time for reading a non-fiction book that will help me write fiction :)

[David Samuels · Rating 5 out of 5]

Helped a ton with some Act 2 business!

[Tristan · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book on plot structure, currently available on Kindle Unlimited, is an assemblage of tropes and platitudes, full of cliché and Deus Ex Machina. There are are few useful hints regarding sub-plots and flashbacks, but the main discussion of structure is poor. There are much better books on that topic out there.

[Thiago d'Evecque · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very basic. Give it a pass if you've read any other book on plot and writing, or even if you've read a fair share of blog posts about it.

[roguereader · Rating 4 out of 5]

Informative but repetitive. I did learn some things to keep in mind but the book would’ve been better if it went into more depth on the topics and focused less on repeating concepts. The repetition is helpful to reinforce knowledge but more depth would’ve been more useful alongside repetition.

The last few pages are two chapters of one of the author’s fantasy books. It would’ve been more helpful if the author highlighted the different portions of the chapters as the different plot elements she wrote about.

[J. Crooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Book!

I am writing this review without any type of kickback from the author. I tip my hat to this author, many writers have issues with solving problems in our writing. I devoured this book and I am excited to move on to the next. I am not a professional writer, maybe this would be a refresher for those types but I am a mechanic who has shown a gift for creative writing. Urged on my numerous teachers and winning awards I have decided to get a book (or 50) out of me to make the world a better place.

[Valerie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rayne Hall is no-nonsense

I do like reading Ms. Hall’s how-to books. She presents the various elements of the topic, describes the parts of each one, gives examples, and moves on. Her instruction is straightforward and leaves theorizing to theorists.

Even though I have shelves of books from the theorists, and I’ve read just about all of them, when I need a prompt to get me going either when I’m planning or when I’m stuck, Ms. Hall’s books are each a quick pick-me-up that doesn’t leave me scratching my head.

Thanks. :)

[Shelley Stanaway · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good book that helps not only those who are just sitting down to write their stories but also for those who are in the final editing phases. I learn a lot during the reading of it and was reminded of many things I forgot. I am a pantser, well kind of sort of, not quite a full one, but still with the tips she gives I can easily fit most everything to the writing style I am most comfortable with and not feel stifled.

[Peter Dennett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great book

This is yet another great book in her writing series. If you are a learning author, even though you are a creative person, this book can help you cut the nonsense and get to the important bits. My only complaint, if indeed it is relevant, is the length of her final chapter in regards to her own book. A shorter version, or a single chapter, would be more effective. However, it's a excellent way to provide inspiration.

[Paul Fleming · Rating 5 out of 5]

Clear, concise and helpful

I enjoy all of Rayne Hall's writing books, and the example chapters from her fiction title has piqued my interest in her other work...even though not my normal choice of genre.

Nice and clear explanations with concise and helpful examples littered throughout. A highly recommended read for authors of all levels.

[Peggy Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Plot to read!

I have Read several of Rayne Hall's books on writing.
Each one has giving me invaluable tips And information that would help in my writing career. She explains things and a very simple forward matter that makes everything easy to understand and to apply to your project. This book is a must wait for anyone whoever writes novels.

[Kimberley Austen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is what I need right now. It's a brilliant general guide that gives clear guidelines while encouraging the reader-writer to adapt as their story requires. I found it particularly helpful that there are chapters on subjects such as subplots, tension and the third act. I read this for the first time about 2 weeks ago and I keep coming back to different chapters.

[Steve · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent overview of developing and executing plots for novels and (to a lesser extent) short stories. Even if you think you're a whiz at plots, it never hurts to review this material. I came away with a few nice strategies I am going to try in my next work.

[K.R. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a lot of useful information from this book. It was written in a style that I personally don't care for but it doesn not affect its usefulness, quality, or the information I got from it. Overall a great read.

[Carolyn Bowen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Serious about learning the craft of writing? This is a great lead-in or refresher book for developing an overall story plot and individual scenes for your next novel. Side note: I love the author's writing style - dealing with a complex topic as an easy read.

[H.T. Torres · Rating 4 out of 5]

Perfect as a quick reference guide

Plotting is too broad for a single/short book, and this one covers most of it. Almost 5 stars in my opinion, lacking only more examples along the way.

[Peter West · Rating 5 out of 5]

A helpful reminder of plot structures

This was a helpful reminder of how to work with plot structures and reader expectations. It does what it says on the tin.

[Kay Oliver · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent

This book is jam-packed with great info. How to plot by genre, plotting a whole book, a short story, plotting a scene. Lots of great tips.

[Lowel Goss · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another Great Read!

Another great read that gets the blood flowing and the mind thinking! I highly recommend this book for anyone who’s looking to make their plots really stand out!

[Jordan Sanders · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good information for the toolbox and as a writer I need the biggest toolbox possible.

[Levi Borba · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short book with good examples. Interesting to grab insights.

[Madeleine McLaughlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good Book

This gives a good overview of plotting. Although an experienced writer will know some of this, there is enough new stuff that will enhance your learning.

[Amy Murphy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very useful

You need this series if you are just starting out and may not have been a writing major your first time around

[Cecilia Aubrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book for those starting out and searching for solid information/tips.