There are many books about the craft of writing your book. There are others that focus on specific pieces of creating a work of fiction. You can find many books on character development, finding your setting, and others on plotting. Here are a few books for you to help plot your book.
How to Write a Novel Using the Snowflake Method by Randy Ingermanson
How to Write a Novel Using the Snowflake Method by Randy Ingermanson was the first book I read specifically on plotting. This book will forever hold a special place in my heart as it was the first to show me there are different methods to outlining and building your story. Just like a snowflake builds, the snowflake method takes the elevator pitch and has you build out from there. Eventually, you will have a completed snowflake which is your plot.
Save the Cat! Writes a Novel by Jessica Brody
Save the Cat! is a popular plotting method. This involves several points of the story called beats. At these beats, certain things are happening, and they are mapped to certain length or time in your story. For example, the Finale beat takes up from the 80% mark of the story to the 99% mark. This means the beat covers 19% of the story. Thinking I needed a rigid map I picked up this book. However, I was getting confused as to what needed to happen for some of the beats. I became more focused on making sure I was hitting the beats and they would take up the necessary length of the novel. If you are a perfectionist, and take things literally, you may not want to try this. Everyone else looking to write a novel, this book may help. I enjoyed how it takes some popular books, and then breaks down the story into it’s beats. This helps clarify what each beat represents and should show.
Write Your Novel From the Middle by James Scott Bell
I learned about Write Your Novel From the Middle from a writer on YouTube. This method has you start with a scene, and then build out on either side. Maybe you have this idea, that is a specific scene that would take place. If this is you, pick up Write Your Novel From the Middle. No One says you need to start from the beginning. You may even have holes in the plot. That is okay. You can fill them later.
