Here are 61 books that Make a Scene fans have personally recommended if you like
Make a Scene.
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I’ve been writing novels for more than three decades, and when I started out, I sucked. Truly! I had never even heard of structure. Really, it’s about getting to the heart of your story and reaching the heart of your reader. My first novels went nowhere. But once I dug into these very books (among many others), I learned how to write commercial best sellers. I’ve sold more than 250,000 copies of my self-published books. As a writing coach and copyeditor, I work with thousands of writers, and I have published about twelve writing craft books. I also teach online courses, which have been taken by more than 6,000 writers.
Katie Weiland’s book is a must-have if you want to write that great novel. Plotting is all about structure, and even if you don’t like to plot in advance, at some point, you will have to get that plot in hand. I appreciate the way Weiland goes through each important plot point, showing where each one needs to be in a story and what it accomplishes.
I also love that she has a workbook to go with this book to help writers dig deep into their ideas and flesh them out. And you’ll not want to skip over the part where she warns against disaster!
Is Structure the Hidden Foundation of All Successful Stories?
Why do some stories work and others don’t? The answer is structure. In this award-winning guide from the author of the acclaimed Outlining Your Novel, you will learn the universal underpinnings that guarantee powerful plot and character arcs. An understanding of proper story and scene structure will show you how to perfectly time your story’s major events and will provide you with an unerring standard against which to evaluate your novel’s pacing and progression. Structuring Your Novel will show you:
How to determine the best techniques for empowering your unique and…
The Victorian mansion, Evenmere, is the mechanism that runs the universe.
The lamps must be lit, or the stars die. The clocks must be wound, or Time ceases. The Balance between Order and Chaos must be preserved, or Existence crumbles.
Appointed the Steward of Evenmere, Carter Anderson must learn the…
I’ve been writing novels for more than three decades, and when I started out, I sucked. Truly! I had never even heard of structure. Really, it’s about getting to the heart of your story and reaching the heart of your reader. My first novels went nowhere. But once I dug into these very books (among many others), I learned how to write commercial best sellers. I’ve sold more than 250,000 copies of my self-published books. As a writing coach and copyeditor, I work with thousands of writers, and I have published about twelve writing craft books. I also teach online courses, which have been taken by more than 6,000 writers.
You may be wondering why I’ve listed this 20-year-old book as my top recommendation if you want to write a terrific commercial novel. This was my go-to “bible” when I penned my first few novels. I religiously followed all her advice, as I was and still am an avid fan of her Inspector Lynley detective novels.
Listen: you don’t have to be a crime or thriller writer to learn the best skills for writing a best seller from this book. She shares personal routines and techniques, an overview of the craft, and covers the plot, characters, and scene structure. It’s not extensive but will give any fiction writer new eyes and skills in the art of writing.
Elizabeth George is one of the most successful writers of crime fiction in the world. Her twelve novels have appeared on bestseller lists in the UK, USA and Australia, and several of them have been dramatised by BBC Television as the Inspector Lynley Mysteries. She has also written a collection of short stories and edited a crime anthology.
Now she shares this wealth of experience with would-be novelists, and with crime fiction fans. Drawing extensively on her own work, and that of other bestselling writers including Stephen King, Harper Lee, Dennis Lehane and many others, she illustrates her points about…
I’ve been writing novels for more than three decades, and when I started out, I sucked. Truly! I had never even heard of structure. Really, it’s about getting to the heart of your story and reaching the heart of your reader. My first novels went nowhere. But once I dug into these very books (among many others), I learned how to write commercial best sellers. I’ve sold more than 250,000 copies of my self-published books. As a writing coach and copyeditor, I work with thousands of writers, and I have published about twelve writing craft books. I also teach online courses, which have been taken by more than 6,000 writers.
One of the most important elements, to me, in a novel is emotionality. Regardless of genre, a great commercial novel in any genre needs to trigger emotion in readers. But it’s very hard to do and do well. Maass’s book is so unique. I love his objective to burrow deep under the surface of the plot, characters, and structure to get to the heart of any story.
If you want to write a great book, you have to engage readers’ emotions—it’s that simple. He explores the inner and outer landscapes of emotion, the emotional world of your story (great for short stories, too), and the important “writer’s emotional state.” Yes, you need to know what your emotions are when you’re writing. And what you want your reader to feel at any given moment. Maass’s book is the only book that will teach you these needed skills.
The Guardian of the Palace is the first novel in a modern fantasy series set in a New York City where magic is real—but hidden, suppressed, and dangerous when exposed.
When an ancient magic begins to leak into the world, a small group of unlikely allies is forced to act…
I’ve been writing novels for more than three decades, and when I started out, I sucked. Truly! I had never even heard of structure. Really, it’s about getting to the heart of your story and reaching the heart of your reader. My first novels went nowhere. But once I dug into these very books (among many others), I learned how to write commercial best sellers. I’ve sold more than 250,000 copies of my self-published books. As a writing coach and copyeditor, I work with thousands of writers, and I have published about twelve writing craft books. I also teach online courses, which have been taken by more than 6,000 writers.
I’ve been recommending Larry’s book for decades! This book got me hooked on plotting and helped me to see clearly how novels have specific scenes in specific places. It’s all part of expected, time-tested storytelling.
I love how Larry uses architecture and engineering phraseology because that’s what fiction writers are doing: constructing a story. And that story needs to be solid, on a well-built foundation. If you don’t learn and master the six core competencies (you’ll have to check out the book to learn what these are), your novel won’t hold together.
The vast majority of writers begin the storytelling process with only a partial understanding where to begin. Some labor their entire lives without ever learning that successful stories are as dependent upon good engineering as they are artistry. But the truth is, unless you are master of the form, function and criteria of successful storytelling, sitting down and pounding out a first draft without planning is an ineffective way to begin.
Story Engineering starts with the criteria and the architecture of storytelling, the engineering and design of a story--and uses it…
I’m an author of spy and treasure-hunting books! As a Christian, I’m always looking for mysteries and adventures of all kinds that leave my heart pounding, but the story itself contains high morals and justice. I love a dash of mystery, a cup of comedy, a sprinkle of romance, and a dollop of drama. These are some of my favorite picks. They’re all incredibly different too, so if you like variety, this is the list to be visiting. The order was automatically randomized—they’re all fantastic! The authors all have true hearts of gold, so definitely go out and support their amazing work today! God bless!
I'm a fan of intriguing mysteries that really leave me guessing from start to finish. I loved this book because I truly couldn't predict the ending. The story teaches the reader to really pay attention when something doesn't seem right. I felt complete shock with that twist ending.
Becky Morgan has a life most women would envy until a car accident lands her in the hospital. She insists she’s fine, but it quickly becomes clear she’s changed. She’s forgetful, paranoid, short-tempered. Her husband wants to write off her change in personality to the IVF hormones she's taking in an attempt to get pregnant.
Becky's best friend, Jules Dalton, is a gorgeous, single woman, with a habit of sabotaging relationships. When Jules loses the man who could have been “the one,” she confronts the realization that being adopted at birth is contributing to her…
I’m a paranormal romance and fantasy author who fell in love with fantasy as a young girl. My journey as a reader started when I was four, but what changed me entirely was Russian Tales woven with magic. I’m passionate about Lycans, Werewolves, Witches, Vampires, and everything that’s magical. I like to write sizzling tales of love and betrayal.
This series can actually fit into sci-fi as well as shifter romance. The main leads are human experiments whose DNA is spliced with animal DNA. Hence they are stronger with heightened senses with characteristics of animal DNA they have been spliced with. The story opens with their rescue and them being provided a separate compound to reside. Each story follows a rescued species and Smiley is my pick because he’s the most cheerful and free spirited new species among them all. And this story is a heartwarming romance woven with a lot of action that will keep the readers on their toes.
*** THIS IS A RERELEASE OF A PREVIOUSLY PUBLISHED BOOK ***
Vanni is furious when her fiancé tricks her into attending a conference where his father’s church is protesting the New Species Organization. She hates everything those vile bigots stand for. Vanni goes to the bar to cool off and ends up seated next to a handsome New Species. Things heat up fast when they are both drugged.
Smiley doesn't want to believe the sweet human would dose them with the breeding drug. He's willing to trust her and determined to save her life. He'll hold her. Protect her. Offer…
Aury and Scott travel to the Finger Lakes in New York’s wine country to get to the bottom of the mysterious happenings at the Songscape Winery. Disturbed furniture and curious noises are one thing, but when a customer winds up dead, it’s time to dig into the details and see…
I am a scientist with a love for fiction, and I’m very intrigued by and like to explore the intersections of science with the rest of the world— art, fiction, race, religion, life, and death. I bring these intersections into my teaching and writing. Over the past 30 years, I’ve taught Tibetan Buddhist monks and nuns, undergraduates, graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, physicians and professors at Emory University, cadets at the Air Force Academy, and the general public. Why does science matter? Why is it beautiful? Dangerous? It’s the novelists who tell us best.
All of Powers’ books are brilliant, for all kinds of reasons. I remember this book when it first came out decades ago. First of all, it’s just great entertainment, a great story with rich characters. Then, at the same time, Powers captures the beauty of science and discovery as he immerses the reader in the time after the discovery of the double-helical structure of DNA when there was a mad rush to figure out how DNA could encode proteins. Powers captures it all and gets the science right and brings in similarities between the DNA code and music and captures what it’s like working in a lab. How is this possible?
A novel which follows the lives of four scientific researchers as they twist about each other in a double helix of desire, weaving intricately through the themes of music, science, language and love. By the author of "Three Farmers on Their Way to a Dance" and "Prisoner's Dilemma".
My sister once remarked that listening to our mother’s stories about living during World War II made it sound like we missed something really exciting. That is what history has always been for me–something I missed out on, for better or worse. What would it really have been like? Could I have survived? Family genealogies bring history to me on a personal level; archaeology and paleontology extend that wonder much deeper into the past. During the time I taught anatomy and human evolution at the University of Indianapolis, I tried to be as interdisciplinary as possible, both in study and teaching. I continue this in my retirement.
How did my ancestry help define me? My great-grandfather created a dairy farm outside of Tacoma, and my mother grew up impoverished in Indiana during the Great Depression. These experiences shaped my family, but how far into the past do such influences arise?
I have been fascinated by history and genealogy since childhood, and even my professional role as a paleoanthropologist is an extension of that interest in prehistory. Christine Kenneally addresses in direct language the implicit questions I was seeking–what roles did genes, ancestry, and history play in shaping me and the populations around me? It is not hard for me to identify with the values of the Puritan farmers from whom I descended, but before I read this book, I didn’t appreciate the persistence of historical experiences in shaping a community. For example, the slave trade instilled a modern community's suspicion of strangers in the worst affected areas…
“The richest, freshest, most fun book on genetics in some time.” —The New York Times Book Review
We are doomed to repeat history if we fail to learn from it, but how are we affected by the forces that are invisible to us? In The Invisible History of the Human Race Christine Kenneally draws on cutting-edge research to reveal how both historical artifacts and DNA tell us where we come from and where we may be going. While some books explore our genetic inheritance and popular television shows celebrate ancestry, this is…
I have researched and observed attempts to map, enhance, and control biological human bodies since I was a teenager. I was always interested in how people described and related to themselves as biological creatures. As part of that, I was fascinated by attempts to talk about the human body with other words than the strict biological, both by poets, artists and by, entrepreneurs, and scientists. As a researcher in cultural studies, I concentrate on different ways to understand ourselves as biological creatures and on imaginaries about (bio)technology and how these dreams about what technology can do affect our self-understanding.
When you finish the book, you may feel a bit unsure whether this was a magical tale or an account of reality. However, it is actually a rather detailed account of the period (1953–1970) in scientific history when the information age found its way into biology. This was a time when metaphors migrated from the realm of computing to descriptions of the human biological body.
Conducting new research requires new languages to test novel ideas and explore new perspectives. This fascinating subject is described in great detail in this book without ever becoming dry. As a researcher, I can attest that this is not easy to achieve.
This is a detailed history of one of the most important and dramatic episodes in modern science, recounted from the novel vantage point of the dawn of the information age and its impact on representations of nature, heredity, and society. Drawing on archives, published sources, and interviews, the author situates work on the genetic code (1953-70) within the history of life science, the rise of communication technosciences (cybernetics, information theory, and computers), the intersection of molecular biology with cryptanalysis and linguistics, and the social history of postwar Europe and the United States.
Magical realism meets the magic of Christmas in this mix of Jewish, New Testament, and Santa stories–all reenacted in an urban psychiatric hospital!
On locked ward 5C4, Josh, a patient with many similarities to Jesus, is hospitalized concurrently with Nick, a patient with many similarities to Santa. The two argue…
The library has always been my favorite place to visit. As a child, I would travel the world through books. I learned about different cultures and studied other languages. Through these experiences, I gained a deep appreciation for cultures around the world. I also learned an important lesson that inclusion is the thread that weaves together a rich multicultural tapestry. Fast forward to today, I share these lessons through my work as an author, leadership scholar, and law professor. My booklist reflects a celebration of diverse cultures, introduces learning tools for becoming an inclusive leader, and provides an invitation to join me in taking intentional action for justice and equity.
This book teaches the importance of community-building. It celebrates diversity and inclusion as both a strength and asset.
It dispels the myth of race by focusing on our shared humanity and common destiny. It gets to the basics that our DNA is 99.999% similar hence building common ground across differences.
It also encourages each of us to discover the values of love and kindness.
I shared this book with my students as a tool to explore their cultural heritage and build new connections.
Now a New York Times bestseller! Using child-friendly language, this playful picture book explains how genetics make each person unique and celebrates how we are more alike than different and are all part of the human race. In The Smallest Spot of a Dot: The Little Ways We’re Different, The Big Ways We’re the Same, Linsey Davis, bestselling children’s author, Emmy-winning correspondent, and host for ABC News, together with co-author Michael Tyler, encourages children to find their own unique dot with sweet, rhyming prose.
”Only .1% of our genes make us uniquely who we are. We are 99.9% identical, alike,…
