Plot MD by Adrienne Bell (Book Review by Mary Van Everbroeck)
Welcome back to our new book review series. This review of Plot MD by Adrienne Bell is written by Mary Van Everbroeck, student at Barany School of Fiction who writes fiction and nonfiction.
If you’d like to write review for Writer’s Fun Zone, check out the guidelines here.
Take it away, Mary.
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Plot MD by Adrienne Bell is a book on how to write a story using two tools she created, the Character Arc and the Stacked Funnel Tool Worksheets.
I knew after reading a few pages that I was in for a treat because they were filled with fascinating information about a variety of topics connected with writing story.
Learning New Skills
In addition, I realized that I was in for some hard work associated with learning new skills. Page after page, Bell provided new information and fresh perspectives on the art of creating story through writing.
The amount of information Bell offered in Plot MD is enough for a course or a series of courses. I hope that she decides to offer a course based on Plot MD. I’d definitely enroll!
This is how much of the content I’ve deemed significant.
By completing the worksheets for my main characters, I gained a new perspective on how character traits, arcs, and plot can and need to work together to ensure that my readers’ expectations are met.
Reader Expectations
The issue of reader expectations addressed by Bell in the first several pages caught my attention and held it through the entire book. Bell did a superb job of detailing how all aspects related to plot are measured against the standard of meeting reader expectations. Helping writers meet their readers’ expectations is the reason Bell created the Character Traits and Stacked Funnel Worksheets.
Plot MD Recommended
I highly recommend Plot MD for both novice writers and authors. As I worked on completing the Character Arc Worksheet I discovered how character traits and plot are dependent on each other and that it is only when they’ve worked in sync that the plot effectively reflects the character’s arc journey.
I found the Stacked Funnel Tool challenging, but persevered because of the value I believed it could offer me as a novice writer. I’m glad that I did. I took the time needed to become familiar with this tool and as a result I completed one worksheet for each of my main characters. Because Bell referenced a book she wrote, Hook, to describe in-depth the Character Traits and Stacked Funnel Tool Worksheets, I read it. I’m happy that I did. It gave me additional clarity and understanding into how using the worksheets will enable me to reach my goal of meeting my readers’ expectations.
For me, the phrase meeting readers’ expectations will forever be paired with the book, Plot MD by Adrienne Bell.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Mary Van Everbroeck is a student at Barany School of Fiction and writes fiction and nonfiction. You can connect with her on Twitter @MVanEverbroeck.
