Writing to Sell by Scott Meredith; a book review

To write well, you must read well. Sometimes, my writing comes to a screeching halt because I get so involved in a book I'm reading that I just can't put it down long enough to get back to writing. 

That's just what happened to me when I started reading Writing to Sell by Scott Meredith. The full title is Writing to Sell; A Practical Guide to creating and Marketing Your Writing, by One of the Country's most successful literary agents. If you haven't heard of Meredith, you have probably heard of some of his clients; a few who are listed in the introduction of his book. 

It was originally published in 1950, and most recently updated in 1987, so a bit of his technical advice is outdated, like making sure that you have fresh ribbon in your typewriter when you type up that final draft. He mentions that editors spend all day looking at text, and if yours is hard to read, it will go to the reject pile immediately. This is sound advice if we just update the small details to fresh ink in the printer.

His writing advice is dead-on accurate. He's creative and intuitive and makes so much sense. What struck me is how much of his advice clicked immediately in my brain as like, EXACTLY! That's exactly how my brain works when I'm writing. Much of this advice though was counter to what I'd been taught in English class.

I think that agents and publishers today would tell you that Meredith's advice on how to write a salable story is still accurate. And, isn't that what we all really want to do; sell our writing? 

The most notable thing that I learned from this book is how to make a Plot Skeleton. Basically, what he says about telling a story that readers will stick with and come back for more of is the same thing that I learned in my Media class about the Hollywood formula for storytelling in films - and we all know, those stories are drawing paying crowds and making money, right?

So, the Plot Skeleton. It's pretty simple really. 

First, you need a lead, a main character, someone that your audience will want to root for. 

Second, your lead needs to have a problem. Something that he MUST overcome, even if the must is for his own pride or satisfaction. There needs to be a reasonable motivation for the actions he takes to solve his problem.

Third, there must be a reasonable challenge, a reason that he CANNOT solve the problem. Perhaps he is too weak, or a coward or there are external forces that keep him from solving his problem.

Fourth, there must be a solution or at least the HOPE of a solution. 

I challenge you to analyze the films you watch and the novels you read for this outline. If you would like an example of a film analysis, I've posted one HERE.  You will find this framework or skeleton in every one. It is the thing that is required to keep an audience following your story line. 

There is certainly more to writing a great or even salable novel than just this, but if you want to write a great novel, you need to start by creating the skeleton - yes, that means you have to know the solution before you even start to write the story. If you're really serious about writing work that will sell, you need to read Scott Merediths Writing to Sell.