Write Great Fiction: Plot & Structure © 2004 by James Scott Bell. Manufactured in the United States of America. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer, who may quote brief passages in a review. Published by Writer’s Digest Books, an imprint of F+W Publications, Inc., 4700 East Galbraith Road, Cincinnati, OH 45236. (800) 289-0963. First edition.

Visit our Web site at www.writersdigest.com for information on more resources for writers.

To receive a free weekly e-mail newsletter delivering tips and updates about writing and about Writer’s Digest products, register directly at our Web site at http://newsletters.fwpublications.com.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Bell, James Scott.

Write great fiction: plot & structure: techniques and exercises for crafting a plot that grips readers from start to finish / by James Scott Bell.

ISBN-13: 978-1-58297-294-7

ISBN-10: 1-58297-294-X

eISBN-13: 978-1-58297-684-6 (EPUB)

1. Plots (drama, novel, etc.). 2. Fiction — Authorship. I. Title

PN3378.B45 2004

2004053032

Edited by Kelly Nickell

Print version designed by Stanard Design Partners

Cover by Nick Gliebe/Design Matters

Cover illustration © Getty Images

Production coordinated by Robin Richie and Logan Cummins