Scene and Structure by Jack M. Bickham is a non-fiction title for writers, covering proven techniques used to write a compelling story.

The Cover: The cover works well for this title. The image reflects a non-fiction book and the title links it to the craft of writing.

The Good Stuff: At my stage as a writer, when I read books on the craft of writing I often find that there is very little to be learned from the content. This book was very different. It could be that I have not delved deeply enough into the topics covered here before, or maybe for some reason I have just not connected with the concepts, but I found that I learned a great deal from this title. It covers a great deal of content and does not go over the same ground repeatedly, using different words, as some books tend to do. The information is written in a logical way that I found really easy to understand. I also love the fact that there are further examples held back for an appendices, with a line by line breakdown that explains how the techniques have been applied.

The Bad Stuff: While I did skip read some small parts of this book, I can’t say that there was any bad stuff in it. More-so it was techniques I am familiar with and did not feel the need to go over, or one example too many that I didn’t wish to read through.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and can say I have learnt a good deal from it. This title gives a detailed, yet easy to understand, explanation of structure and form, cause and effect, stimulus and response, scenes and sequels, and chapters and plot. Well worth the money and time invested. I’m giving this book a well-formed, purposely crafted, 5 out of 5 golden bookmarks.
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Definitely one of the best writing books I've read. At first I was thinking it was going to be a knock-off of Dwight Swain's, and it was a lot like his, but this one actually helped me understand so much more than Dwight's. Though I believe Dwight did communicate these same things, it was just that presented this way--a slightly different way--it all became so much more clear. I especially loved the end, when it gives an example plot outline. LOVED that! I've always wanted someone to do that. That alone made the book 5 stars for me. Most of all, it made me realize I need to quit fighting the system and just go with it. It's only when you know the rules, and know them well, that you should ever veer off the path. ( )

This book is twenty years old and it's showing its age. Bickham spends a large portion of the message dedicated to slowing a story down. I've never heard of doing that. That's not a problem these days.

This is a good book for those people who have read other books on writing, and are looking for more advanced techniques or more specific approaches. More than the simple "show, don't tell" and "don't use adverbs". This books takes more detail into the "kill your darlings" message and how to structure a novel piece-by-piece, scene by scene. This book breaks it down to its molecules and restructures it back up.

The problem was I kept drifting off in the middle. Maybe the book was too detailed? Maybe it was trying to give too much information, too specific. The entire last chapter is a formula/outline for a novel, with things like "the main character attempts to solve his problem here but ends in disaster" or "POV of the romantic interest, the thing stopping her gets bigger" and "this chapter is where the good guy lays it all on the line". At that point, if you write every novel this way, don't you lose the spontaneity of the story? Doesn't it restrict the craft? ( )

An editor once told me that if you're going to take advice on writing, take it either from name-bestselling writers or gatekeepers such as acquiring editors or agents--not necessarily anyone who writes for Writer's Digest or has taught a writing class. By those terms Jack Bickham doesn't qualify, and I do agree with the LibraryThing reviewer that called this something of a slog to read. At the same time, Bickham wrote the first book on writing I ever purchased, Writing the Short Story, and I did find his whole concept of scene and sequel when groping my way to what a story was very useful. ( )

Scene & Structure, by Jack M. Bickham is part of the Writer’s Digest Elements of Fiction Writing series. I’ve read nine of the books from the series, and this is my least favorite. The information provided is very detailed, but the writing style is a chore to read. Still, I do recommend this book. There is a wealth of detail relating to the structure of stories, scenes, and sequels. But, the treasure of information is buried. I had to slog through much of the book to find the gems. But, the gems were worth the effort. ( )