The Plot Thickens: 8 Ways to Bring Fiction to Life

As a literary agent, Noah Lukeman hears thousands of book pitches a year. Often the stories sound great in concept, but never live up to their potential on the page. Lukeman shows beginning and advanced writers how to implement the fundamentals of successful plot development, such as character building and heightened suspense and conflict. Writers will find it impossible to walk away from this invaluable guide---a veritable fiction-writing workshop---without boundless new ideas. Noah Lukeman is a New York literary agent whose clients include winners of the Pulitzer Prize and American Book Award, National Book Award finalists, Edgar Award finalists, New York Times bestselling authors, and the faculty of esteemed universities. He has worked as a manager in Artists Management Group, and is currently president of Lukeman Literary Management Ltd. He is also author of the bestselling The First Five Pages, now part of the curriculum in many universities. “One of the best-ever books about the craft of writing. It is a book that can change the world of every writer who embraces Lukeman’s ideas. His classroom on paper should be on every writer’s shelf to be read again and again.” ---Authorlink “Full of practical common sense about how to write fiction and [he] answers many of the difficult questions first novelists ask themselves.” ---Michael Korda, author of Making the List “Lukeman’s advice is practical---and often entails multiple, time-consuming steps---without a hint of the flakiness that creeps into many writing guides. Though Lukeman works with books, he wisely asserts that the observations in this volume are applicable to all types of imaginary writing, from film to poetry. Indeed, it is a worthy addition to any writer’s reference shelf.” ---Publishers Weekly “A godsend...The Plot Thickens is not the type of book you want to check out from the library or borrow from a friend. It is the type of book you need to purchase so it can sit on your desk, dog-eared and underlined, worn from years of overuse.” ---Prairieden.com Read more