The Marshall Plan for Novel Writing

Yesterday, I picked up The Marshall Plan for Novel Writing by Evan Marshall. I read it cover-to-cover last night, and today I started working out the "section sheets" as outlined in the book.

As a writer who has always struggled with plotting, this organized method of laying out the plot is appealing to me. I've only done three sections so far, but I can already see a difference in the quality of the layout in comparison to what I've plotted before.

Marshall lays out exactly what you need for each section, whether it be an action section, a reaction section, part of the main storyline or a subplot. There was no information in the book I wasn't already aware of, but the way it is presented in the book gave me an "aha moment" that allowed me to diagnose my writing problems and address them.

I'm going to write my next book based on this plan, and see how it turns out. I have a feeling it will be the best book I've written to date.