The Plot Thickens: 8 Ways to Bring Fiction to Life

by Noah Lukeman

Overview

"Noah Lukeman, one of the top literary agents in New York, gave writers a great gift."

--James Frey (regarding The Plot Thickens)

"This will certainly help writers of any kind defeat rejection and possibly score."

--Writers.com (regarding The First Five Pages)

Many books have been written about how to get published. But few have been written by literary agents, who receive thousands of submissions each year and who grapple with them on a daily basis. Even fewer have been written by active literary agents who are willing to write from the trenches and offer their perspective on why they reject manuscripts, and why they accept them. And few books have been written from an agent's perspective on what it's like, step by step, to work with an agent on a daily basis, and on how to assure that you maintain a long, happy working relationship with your agent.

HOW TO LAND (AND KEEP) A LITERARY AGENT, written from a literary agent's perspective, teaches authors why agents reject or accept manuscripts; why they decide to represent certain authors and not represent others; the best way to approach agents; the best way to work with an agent on a daily basis; and that offers them dozens of specific resources to make the difference in their finally finding the perfect agents for their work.

HOW TO LAND (AND KEEP) A LITERARY AGENT is a must-read for any author serious about getting published. Geared for a broad range of authors, its subject matter is relevant to authors of fiction and non-fiction, screenwriters, poets--any serious author--offering principles that will help lead to success no matter what your craft. Practical and engaging, filled with exercises, anecdotes and sidebars, this 200 plus page book takes you on a journey, and will bring you that much closer to finally landing a literary agent.

Many books have also been written about the query letter. But few have been written by literary agents, who receive thousands of queries each year and who grapple with them on a daily basis.

In HOW TO WRITE A GREAT QUERY LETTER, critically-acclaimed author and literary agent Noah Lukeman offers his insights on the query letter, sharing an insider's perspective, giving insights and practical tips about what works and what doesn't. He writes from the trenches and offers his perspective on why agents reject query letters-and why they accept them.

ASK A LITERARY AGENT compiles dozens of questions and in-depth answers from Noah Lukeman's blog, offering writers a handy collection of invaluable as Noah answers many of the most pressing questions from writers who are navigating the complex publishing world.

New York literary agent Noah Lukeman, President of Lukeman Literary Management Ltd, has represented multiple New York Times bestsellers, winners of the Pulitzer Prize and American Book Award, National Book Award Finalists, and has himself written three critically-acclaimed books on the craft of writing. During his 25 years as a literary agent he has read thousands of manuscripts and represented hundreds of book deals, and in these books he shares his insider's perspective, offers insight and practical tips about what works and what doesn't.

"Lukeman's advice is practical-and often entails multiple, time-consuming steps-without a hint of the flakiness that creeps into many writing guides."

--Publishers Weekly (regarding The Plot Thickens)

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781094390291
Publisher:	Morgan Rice
Publication date:	04/29/2021
Pages:	158
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.37(d)

About the Author

Noah Lukeman is a New York literary agent whose clients include multiple 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.

Editorial Reviews

Lukeman's second book on writing after 2000's The First Five Pages (a third volume on dialogue is still to come) discusses the craft of writing well-plotted fiction. Lukeman, a literary agent, rallies against the lazy and mundane that cross his desk in the form of 50,000 manuscripts submitted in the last five years. Initially, at least, he is less concerned with artfulness than the simple need to make the book compelling beyond the first few pages. He asserts that the foundation (and often the first casualty) of a book is character, and accordingly, Lukeman dedicates the first two chapters to an exhaustive list of questions a writer should ask about the "outer" and "inner" life of each character. He encourages a Dr. Frankenstein-like approach to creating realistic fictional characters: devising them with the intention of bending them to the writer's own will, but at the same time investing them with enough life that they are capable of making their own way in the world and ultimately surprising their creator. A third chapter called "Applied Characterization" discusses how to use this knowledge to form a plot. The remaining five chapters cover different aspects of plotting: "The Journey," "Suspense," "Conflict," "Context" and "Transcendency." Lukeman's advice is practical and often entails multiple, time-consuming steps without a hint of the flakiness that creeps into many writing guides. The closest he ever gets to sounding like a guru is when he sagely stresses, "Real life is the best teacher." 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 narrative writer's reference shelf. (July 8) Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.

Publishers Weekly

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

From the Publisher